This is the second of our two-part preview of boys high school volleyball season.
Monday, we featured Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawai’i, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky:
Michigan
Michigan expanded its playoffs to two divisions last year. In Division 1, Hudsonville made it back to back, beating Grand Haven for the second straight year. In Division 2, Lowell defeated South Christian.
Top Programs
1 — Grand Haven
2 — Hudsonville
3 — Lowell
4 — Northville
5 — Saline
Players to Watch
OH — Gavin Barber (Lowell)
OH — Brendan Buntley (Grand Haven)
OH — Troy Jones (Sparta)
OH — Ryder Roberts (Hudsonville)
OH/S — TQ Setla (Northville)
Noteworthy: Michigan has yet to sanction boys volleyball, but it continues to grow. There were four teams when it started in 2018 and there were 60 last spring.
Quoteworthy: “As our programs gain more experience, the level of play continues to improve at a very fast rate. Hudsonville and Grand Haven have established themselves as top programs in the state and there are a number of programs who will challenge them this year, including Lowell, Saline, Northville and Forest Hills Eastern. West Michigan has been the hub volleyball, however the east side of the state is key in our growth of our sport and looks ready to explode with new teams.” — Grand Haven coach Aaron Smaka.
Minnesota
Last May, Minnesota got the votes it needed to have the first sanctioned high school season in 2025. For the 2024 season the state has recognized boys volleyball with emerging sport status.
Top Programs
1 — Andover
2 — Bloomington Jefferson
3 — Eden Prairie
4 — Rogers
5 — St Michael Albertville
Players to Watch
MH – Parker Butterfass (Shakopee)
OH – Reed Johnson (Bemidji)
S — London Kassulke (Maple Grove)
S – Trevor McClenahan (Lakeville South)
L – Will Schneiderman (Mound Westonka)
Noteworthy: It was reported that 183 teams, including 1,974 boys, competed in the 2023 high school club season.
Quoteworthy: “The competition just keeps improving. So many teams are at higher levels overall this year which will make for some great competition. I am incredibly proud of the efforts put forth in all our participating communities to make boys volleyball happen in MN.” – Krista Flemming, MN Boys High School Volleyball Association
Nevada
Shadow Ridge is the two-time defending state champion in 5A but needs to fill some big vacancies to key positions. This season could one of the most…
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