Kylie Sundquist, 7, a senior at Kingsford University, sends the ball over the outstretched arm of a Gladstone defender on Oct. 17 in Fliber Gym. (Sean Chase/Daily News Photo)
KINGSFORD — Once in a while, maybe once in a generation, a class of young athletes with a destiny in their hands shows up at school.
Four years ago, just such a class entered Kingsford High School. A group of six volleyball players with striking athleticism, a burning desire to compete at the highest level, and a deep dedication to the sport.
That featured class, the Kingsford Senior Volleyball Class for the 2024 season, included Maddie Crider, Alyssa Larson, Anna Bortolini, Ellery Nash, Jenna Viau and Kylie Sundquist.
During their time on varsity, these six standouts won three consecutive district championships and two consecutive Great Northern Conference championships (a league previously dominated by Marquette and Escanaba).
Over the past two seasons, their team has won 52 of 57 matches and has never lost to a UP team other than Calumet (1-2 against the taller and more powerful Copper Kings), losing in the fifth set. There were only two occasions when I was forced to do so. The past two seasons (defeating Marquette in 2023, losing to Kingsley in the 2024 MHSAA Division 2 regional semifinals in the final game on Nov. 12).
The skill, determination, mental toughness and court awareness displayed in each game by the six girls has made Kingsford one of the most dynamic teams to watch in the region in recent years.
Jaclyn Kreider, the Flibers’ head coach and mother of Maddie and promising sophomore hitter Miley, knows the special nature of the senior class better than anyone.
“We’ve had good teams and good players in the past, but this is the first time we’ve had a group like this.” Coach Kreider said this after the first full team practice in mid-August. “It’s a very unique group.”
Their volleyball skills and attributes stood out, but so did their personal interactions. The six girls described themselves as best friends and got along so well that they seemed to hold hands on and off the court.
“Volleyball is the most family-friendly sport I have ever participated in, and we have a great bond.” Larson said at the beginning of the regular season.
“They truly are my best friends in every sense of the word.” Maddie Crider added.
Nash said she and Maddie became friends in fifth grade and formed their first bond. By the time all six of them played together, like at the Great Eight Winter Games in middle school, there were signs that the future was promising.
By the time they were promoted to the varsity team as sophomores, the six girls had grown close. And by the time they were seniors, they naturally began to think of themselves as state candidates.
“We have a lot of confidence and we are confident that we can do it together.” Nash said.
So how did this happen? What was it about this group of athletes that made them so successful?
To answer these questions, we need to look at the individual players, their talents, and the coaches who guided them along the way.
Maddie Crider was the star of the group from an early age. Maddie, the daughter of former Michigan Tech basketball player Jaclyn and Florence High School multi-sport legend Jason Crider, certainly has that background. Although she participated in several sports as she became a teenager, Maddie’s passion for athletics was always expressed most strongly on the volleyball court.
She basically fell in love with the game. In addition to her time with her teammates at Kingsford, Kreider played club volleyball at Appleton. She also spent hours watching volleyball matches in person on her own device and studying videos of volleyball technique.
The result is a player with an incredible understanding and instinct for the sport. Indeed, these two traits have allowed her to regularly lead the Flivars in several statistical categories, but at times her relentless inner drive can put pressure on herself and her teammates. There was also.
Along the way, Kreider developed nervous tics to cope, including repeatedly stroking her long hair.
“She’s nervous.” Her mother said of the habit: “She does it at home too. She has anxiety in almost everything she does. At the moment, she does it when she’s relaxed, so it’s just a habit.”
Despite his insecurities at times, Kreider’s remarkable ability to read the court and predict the right play meant he could set the ball from his knee to the far side of the net or find a hole in the opponent’s defense. He displayed extraordinary skills such as finding things.
These abilities earned Maddie Crider a first-team AP All-State selection this season, a spot on the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters All-UP Dream Team, and Defensive Player of the Year. It was. Kreider was also chosen as the organization’s Miss Volleyball Player in 2023 and has signed a contract to continue her volleyball career at Michigan Technological University next season.
While Kreider was a driving force behind the Frivers’ success in recent years (she was promoted to the varsity team as a freshman), Kingsford had an important balance between players, from play to personality.
Specifically, Flivars had the lively energy of Larson and Bortolini. “Hype Girl” Nash’s motivation, Viau’s sense of stability, and Sundquist’s determination.
Larson and Bortolini were like peas in a pod. The two were known as fun talkers who brought skill and personality to the team.
“They keep everyone positive and make sure everyone is having fun.” Sundquist said during the season. “And when we’re playing (flat) as well, they bring the energy level up.”
One of the common sights at Friver games was when Bortolini was almost violently shoved by his teammates in celebration after making a goal-scoring play.
The thing is, Bortolini could have done as well as he got.
“She and Alyssa are so much fun.” Coach Kreider said this after the win against Marquette. “They have a lot of energy, they celebrate their teammates well, they celebrate their successes well.
“Their response keeps things positive.”
For Bortolini, finding fun in a tense and emotionally charged game was part of the secret to his team’s success.
“One of the things we’re good at is laughter.” She said after Marquette’s win. “I love that when we made some plays, we were able to stay excited and laugh during them.”
Larson played an important role as a second setter, allowing Kreider to become a hitter for several rotations. Larson was also an outside hitter during his playing days, and was a player with a big smile and a warm personality.
When she was promoted to the varsity team as a sophomore, Larson struggled with self-criticism as she adjusted to the speed of the varsity team, to the point where her teammates told her that she had a “bad personality.” “puppy” The face often looked embarrassed when making a mistake.
However, by the time she became a senior, Larson had become a very capable player and much more comfortable. Her confidence brought out her usual charming personality.
On the poster of the seniors posted on the wall of the Fribar Gymnasium, five of them were standing holding volleyballs. Larson, in the center, had the lean muscles of a bodybuilder.
After the season, Larson was named first team All-UP Division 1-3 by the UPPSA.
Larson played a controlled game while Bortolini played at 160 mph. Small but athletic, the three-sport standout hit hard, jumped high and reacted quickly.
Her nature as an outside hitter was to slam the ball. She was often erratic in her early years, but became more consistent in all aspects during her senior season.
“About Anna, she has a lot of energy.” Coach Kreider said this during the season. “She’s very fast, she’s a good jumper and she’s an excited kid.
“If you can get her to make one block, if she’s controlling the shot, it’s game over.”
After the season, Bortolini was named to the All-UP Division 1-3 team.
The most overlooked players on a volleyball team are the liberos and other back-row defenders. In Flivers, those roles were filled by Nash and Viau.
A volleyball team cannot function without the ability of the back row players to dig the ball accurately and pass it to the setter. When a team goes out of system (a term used when the first pass is too far from the net for the setter to play the second ball or there is only one set option), its offense scrambles and I have a hard time running something like: aggressive attack.
With five of the seniors playing in the back row (Sundquist was the only player rotated out), Nash and Viau were the two most anticipated on defense, digging and passing.
Interestingly, the two approached their work with very different personal styles. Nash was often the first to yell enthusiastically when he entered a game, when his team was playing well, or when a teammate made a noteworthy play. Viault always had a steady, calming influence.
Nash was a libero during his junior season, but became a full-timer this year. She played at a consistently high level throughout the season, but near the end she stepped forward with incredible stability and a variety of serving styles, allowing her to float the ball all the way to her opponent’s near sideline and return it in a way that was difficult to read. He also performed a difficult serve. .
“She’s excited about what she can do and is very positive.” Sundquist said of Nash: “She’s a great libero. She launches a ton of balls. If I was there, the balls would be falling in front of me left and right.
“(And) she gives our setters a great boost.”
However, Viau’s calm personality on the court was a good balance in a team full of excited players. Although Viau remained mentally calm, he displayed reckless play, throwing his body on the court. Throughout the season, Viau made seemingly impossible saves, often turning them into precise passes to setters Kreider and Larson.
By the second half of the season, Viaud was suffering from hip problems due to the nature of her all-out style, which caused her to dive frequently in the middle.
Nash was selected to the All-Up Dream Team and Viau was named honorable mention on the All-Up D1-3 Team.
The only drawback to the senior class was the lack of height among the middle and outside hitters. For the past two seasons, Flibers has relied on Sundquist, a quick jumper and strong hitter, but a diminutive middle blocker and hitter who almost always plays against taller opponents.
She was a big person who wasn’t big.
“When I get closer to the net, it’s obviously a little bit intimidating when you have girls six or seven inches taller playing against me.” Sundquist said after a midseason game. “But try to keep it out of your head and just play your game and execute.”
And she did. Sundquist was the Frivers’ top blocker, and Kingsford was at its highest level offensively when she and Kreider or Larson were active offensively as batter-setters.
After the season, Sundquist was named honorable mention on the All-Up D1-3 team.
With so many players, some might think the team basically took care of itself. But they need a steady, deft, wise hand to teach them, push them, and guide them, and that’s where Jaclyn Crider shined.
Kreider has worn many hats as a coach, teacher, motivator, psychologist, and mother to two of the team’s key players.
She accomplished all of this with great skill and was named UP D1-3 Coach of the Year.
Editor’s note: Iron Mountain Daily News correspondent Jerry DeRoche followed the Kingsford Freeverse volleyball team throughout the 2024 season, observing practices and conducting interviews from the preseason through the day after the final game. Part 2 of this article, covering the regular season, postseason and finale, will appear in the Tuesday, Dec. 3 edition of the Daily News.
