Kalamazoo Is Home To Two Volleyball Champions

Over the last week many of the fall sports are beginning to come to an end as the winter season is looming. Football is the one that goes the longest but sports like soccer, tennis, swimming, volleyball, and others are starting conference and NCAA tournaments at the college level, while high schools are deep into their state tournaments. Southwest Michigan schools are faring well in many sports but so far volleyball has been the one to reign supreme.

Two programs within the city limits of Kalamazoo, who's home courts are just over a mile away from each other, had historic seasons this year. The Western Michigan University Broncos volleyball team was able to ride some serious momentum to earn themselves an NCAA tournament birth while their neighbors the Kalamazoo Christian Comets were looking for sweet, sweet revenge.

Kalamazoo Christian had found themselves in familiar territory this year when they started to make a deep run in the Michigan High School Athletic Association's (MHSAA) Division 3 State Volleyball Tournament. Last year, their season ended in heartbreaking fashion in the state finals against the Pewamo-Westphalia Pirates, this year things were much different.

The Comets met the Pirates in the state quarterfinal at Loy Norrix High School and sent them packing 3-0 in straight sets, earning another trip to Kellogg Arena for the final four. With the city and entire school behind them the comets would go on to defeat the Monroe St Mary Catholic 3-0 in the semis. Then fought for a tough 3-1 victory over Traverse City St. Francis in the final to bring the state trophy back to Howard and Stadium Dr in Kalamazoo.

While all of this was going on their neighbors who play in Read Fieldhouse, the Western Michigan University Broncos were battling for the MAC Tournament Title. They were able to have a perfect conference record during the regular season, earning them the regular season MAC conference title and the #1 seed in the MAC conference tournament, which they would be hosting. They would go on to have a bye in the first round and awaiting the winner of Ohio and Toledo.

On Sunday they would defeat the Toledo Rockets by a 3-0 score, placing themselves in a juggernaut of a game against Bowling Green who stunned the #2 seed Buffalo. The Broncos had their hands full as they were taken to a full 5 sets against the Falcons but did come out on top, giving them both the regular season and tournament titles. This grants them an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, where they will look to capture a national title.

Kalamazoo is a city of champions on many levels, but volleyball has been unstoppable this year, they just keep adding trophies to the trophy case.