Farmington Hills Mercy claimed the MHSAA Division 1 district championship with a three-set sweep of Livonia Stevenson.
The top-ranked Marlins now turn to the regional semifinal Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at Bloomfield Hills Marian High School, where they face Detroit Renaissance.
Mercy finished the district final with 12 service aces, according to the school’s athletics recap. Cate Verkeyn, Laura Aubrey, Catie Kuchta and Kate Berghoff accounted for two apiece.
Kaelyn Easton recorded 17 assists, with another eight from Kaisa Nurkala.
Verkeyn’s eight kills led Mercy’s attack, and she hit .800. Aubrey finished with six kills and a .750 hitting percentage. Kate Kalczynski and McKenzie Andrews recorded five and four kills, respectively.
Published team records differ. The MHSAA’s Nov. 9 regional preview lists Mercy at 28-3. MaxPreps lists Mercy at 40-6.
MHSAA lists Renaissance at 29-2-2 and reports that the Phoenix won their first district title since 2019. MaxPreps lists the Phoenix at 27-1-2.
Mercy and No. 2-ranked Marian would meet in the regional final if both advance. The two rivals have met four times this season, with Mercy holding a 3-1 edge, including a win Oct. 24, according to MHSAA.
Marian (40-5) faces Grosse Pointe South (8-27-2) in the other regional semifinal. Regional finals are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12.
