By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — Local volleyball teams will be starting their road to Kellogg Arena beginning next week.
All local teams will be participating in the MHSAA playoffs, which begin on Nov. 3 with first round District action, which wraps up by Nov. 8. The brackets for districts were revealed last week, and here is where each local team will be playing to begin the playoffs.
Sturgis will be the lone team competing in Division 1, playing in District 12 along with Battle Creek Central, Battle Creek Lakeview, Coldwater and host Portage Central. The Trojans will start their postseason by facing off against Lakeview in a district semifinal matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. The winner of that match will move on to the district finals on Friday, Nov. 7, where they will take on the winner of the d on Nov. 5, which pits Portage Central against the winner of the Monday, Nov. 3 Battle Creek/Coldwater district quarterfinal. The winner of the district moves on to Regional play at Portage Northern to face the winner of Plainwell’s District 10.
In Division 2, Three Rivers will be playing in District 46, hosted by Vicksburg, and will also feature Vicksburg, Paw Paw, Harper Creek and Pennfield. The Wildcats will be playing Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in a district semifinal against Paw Paw, while the other semifinal that day at 7 p.m. pits the hosts against the winner of Nov. 3’s Harper Creek/Pennfield matchup. The district finals will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, and the winner of the district moves on to compete in the Charlotte regional to play the winner of Adrian’s District 48.
In Division 3, Constantine will host a jam-packed District 78, and will feature Cassopolis, Niles Brandywine, White Pigeon, Bridgman, Decatur, and Three Oaks River Valley. Constantine will receive the lone bye to the district semifinals, where they will play on Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. against the winner of the Nov. 3 Cassopolis/Niles Brandywine matchup taking place in Cassopolis. Meanwhile, White Pigeon will begin its postseason journey at home Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. as they take on Bridgman in the first round of districts. The winner of that game will take on the winner of Decatur/Three Oaks River Valley on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in Constantine. The district finals take place Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in Constantine. The winner of that district moves on to regional play in Centreville beginning Tuesday, Nov. 11 to face the winner of Bronson’s District 80.
Division 3’s District 80, coincidentally, is where Centreville will be competing to start the playoffs. The Bulldogs will be in the Bronson-hosted district alongside Homer, Quincy, Union City, and Galesburg-Augusta. Centreville’s playoff journey will start Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Bronson as they take on Homer in first round action, with the winner taking on host Bronson on Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that semifinal will take on the winner of the Galesburg-Augusta vs. Quincy/Union City matchup that takes place later on Nov. 5. The district finals start on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m., with the winner of that match taking on the winner of District 78.
Elsewhere in Division 3, Schoolcraft will be in District 79, hosted by Hackett Catholic Prep in Kalamazoo alongside Kalamazoo Christian, Hackett, Comstock, Lawton, and Parchment. The Eagles will start their journey in the first round, taking on Parchment on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at Hackett Catholic. The winner of that match will play the hosts in the second semifinal Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The other semifinal will feature K-Christian against the winner of the Nov. 3 Comstock/Lawton matchup. The district final takes place Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., with the winner taking on the champion of Bangor’s District 77 in the Centreville regional.
Top-ranked Mendon will highlight playoff action in Division 4, where four local teams will comprise the field of District 115, hosted by Colon. Action starts on Tuesday, Nov. 4 as Mendon takes on Howardsville Christian in the first district semifinal at 5:30 p.m., while the nightcap will see host Colon take on Burr Oak at 7:30 p.m. in the second semifinal. The district finals will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, with the winner taking on the champion of Martin’s District 113 in the Mendon regional on Nov. 11.
Finally, Marcellus will wrap up district action in Division 4 locally as they compete at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School in St. Joseph in District 114. The Wildcats will face off in the semifinals on Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. as they take on Michigan Lutheran, while in the second semifinal, hosts Our Lady of the Lake will take on Eau Claire at 7 p.m. The district final will take place Nov. 7 at 6 p.m., with the winner moving on to the Mendon regional to take on the winner of Battle Creek St. Philip’s District 116.
Tickets to all district games can be bought at GoFan.co.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
