The volleyball team at Orchard Lake St. Mary's has spent the last four seasons dominating the Catholic League's Cardinal Division. Now, the Eaglets are preparing for a new challenge.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s is moving into the Catholic League’s Bishop Division this season and will face powerhouses Farmington Hills Mercy and Bloomfield Hills Marian. The division will also welcome defending Division 2 state champion Birmingham Detroit Country Day, which will join the Catholic League after operating independently since 1985.
The move comes after the Eaglets won four straight Cardinal Division championships, dating back to 2022, and went undefeated in league play last season.
Senior captain Avery Kapeller is ready for the team’s newest challenge.
“I
think it obviously shows that we’re ready to bring it at that next level and we showed that in our Cardinal Division, we can compete, but we need some better competition,” the 17-year-old Georgetown commit said last month at the Michigan Elite 17U and 18U tryouts. “So I just think everyone’s excited to play some better teams.”
Marian coach Mayssa Cook said the addition of St. Mary's and Country Day strengthens the division while better showcasing some of Michigan's top volleyball programs.
“As much as I like the schools that are from Toledo, it’s not ideal to be having a Bishop Division in Michigan for the Catholic League and three of those five teams are Ohio schools,” Cook said. “I think the fact that Orchard Lake St. Mary’s has been added, and Detroit Country Day has been added to our Bishop Division, it gives it more of a Michigan representation.”
Country Day has played against St. Mary’s since 2022, giving coach Kim Lockhart a front-row seat to the program's rapid rise.
“They have become a very competitive team; disciplined. They’re a force to be reckoned with,” Lockhart said.
Earning respect
The Eaglets' ascent has been swift. St. Mary's first admitted girls in 2020, and volleyball was among the sports introduced for the school's inaugural class of 48 female freshmen. The varsity team made its debut the following season.
Kapeller arrived on campus in 2023 knowing the program was still young, but the opportunity to help shape its future was one of the reasons she chose St. Mary's.
“I kind of wanted to be one of those founding people who really started up the program,” Kapeller said. “I think coming here and just being able to make an impact as a younger program, I think it’s super special.”
Yet, despite the team’s success, she believes St. Mary’s still has to prove it belongs among the established powers in the Bishop Division.
“I think we kind of get looked down on with the teams like Mercy and Marian," Kapeller said. "St. Mary’s doesn’t usually come up, so we really want to make a name for ourselves there and just be able to compete with those teams and just grow as a team,” Kapeller said.
Teammate Alexis Donovan said the move to the new division gives the Eaglets an opportunity to prove they belong in that conversation.
“I definitely think that this is going to be a really good opportunity for all of us to get put on the map because we are a really good team,” the 16-year-old said.
Destination: Battle Creek
The Eaglets have another goal this season: becoming the first girls program in school history to win a state title.
The school has amassed more than 40 MHSAA state titles across a plethora of sports. But none have come from a girls team.
Second-year head coach Ross Talbott believes this season’s team can reach the finals at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, but it won’t be easy.
“We have our work cut out for us because we’ve only been around for five years or six years, where all these other programs have been established,” Talbott said. “So us being the new kid on the block, we’re getting the talent now. Now we really just got to prove ourselves and we got to really got to make the girls believe.”
Last season, St. Mary’s went 37-6 and advanced to the regional semifinals but lost to eventual Division 1 champion Farmington Hills Mercy.
Talbott said regular season matches against Mercy, Marian and others will give the Eaglets valuable experience against the teams they hope to beat in the postseason.
Kapeller isn't ready to rule the Eaglets out as contenders this season.
“I think even though we are a young program, we are definitely one of the stronger ones, so saying, ‘Maybe a state championship isn’t [a] thing for us right now,’ I think that’s so not true. I think we absolutely could,” she said. “I think [getting to] Battle Creek, we have a really good track and it’s definitely possible for us to get to the final.”
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Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: OLSM volleyball set to compete in Catholic League Bishop division
