Eisenhower hitting ‘reset button’ and eyeing state tournament run

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — With one quick glance at their shoes, Utica Eisenhower volleyball players are able to clear their minds.

It’s a tactic the Eagles adopted prior to the start of the season when they brought in mental toughness coach Kelsey Gustafson, of Champion Mindset.

“We have these green bow ties on our shoes, and we look at it as a reset button because we always just want to reset,” junior captain Kayla Ostrander said.

Ostrander, an all-region selection in 2023, is the veteran leader alongside junior captain Gina Fedrigo, who both lead a sophomore-filled squad with varsity experience under its belt.

As sophomores and freshman, they were thrown into the fire on a team poised for a state tournament run, which saw Eisenhower reach the regional championship before being eliminated by Macomb Area Conference Red rival Macomb L’Anse Creuse North.

But similar to the initial thought that crosses their minds when they see the green bow tie, this season is a reset for the Eagles, and they’ve shown the rest of Division 1 volleyball that this is not the same team they saw in 2023.

“Last year, we had a lot to kind of work through just because they were so young and handling themselves in big moments,” Eisenhower head coach Caitlin LaPratt said. “They did so great in the postseason, and I think that’s carried through and fueled their motivation this year with them knowing the potential they have.”

Posting a 19-3 record so far and with dominant showings on the tournament and quad scenes, the fire continues to burn for Eisenhower, currently ranked No. 9 in Division 1, with no end in sight.

Along with its returning firepower, Eisenhower also added sophomore captain Lily Tripi, who was sidelined all of last season due to knee surgery.

The 6-foot setter already has 492 assists to her name with 115 digs, 18 aces and 52 kills in her breakout campaign.

It’s rare to see a sophomore, especially one who hasn’t played a varsity minute, earn the captain title, but LaPratt said it speaks volumes about the type of player Tripi is.

“She’s just a mature kid,” LaPratt said. “She has this kind of silent confidence about her where she knows how to command the court. She’s not a super vocal player, but I think the girls trust her and trust her to make big decisions. That carries a lot of weight, and the girls respect her as someone who doesn’t come off the floor in games.”

Ostrander and Fedrigo, both Division 1 college volleyball commits at Eastern Michigan University and Florida International University, respectively, are showing why they’re top players at their positions in the MAC.

Fedrigo, a hitter, currently has 150 kills, 20 aces and a team-high 21 total blocks while Ostrander, a libero, has 273 digs and 227 serve receives.

Teammates at Legacy Volleyball Club, Fedrigo said her and Ostrander’s communication is on a different level.

“Kayla just gets me in a different way,” Fedrigo said. “We’ve been through a lot together through our club seasons — the struggles and the benefits — and we’ve been by each other through it all. I feel like she never leaves me alone, but I love her for it. She’s just someone who will always be one of my closest friends because she just gets me.”

Eisenhower’s success is due to every player making a contribution.

Sophomore Elise Biermann has been a force on the offensive side, totaling a team-high 166 kills to go along with 137 digs and 155 serve receives, while sophomore Olivia Berishaj has added 85 kills and 14 total blocks.

Sophomores Rease Buza and Anna Bellomo have been consistent contributors when they’ve had their numbers called along with junior Liliana Gegovic and senior Nicole Rek. Senior Mia Dodaj, junior Ella Haugan and sophomore Nora Nikollaj have also been impact players.

When going up against some of the top teams in the state such as Warren Regina, Macomb Dakota, Lowell, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Hartland and South Lyon East, and that’s just in one day, the Eagles’ depth needs to shine when LaPratt needs them most, and they have never let her down.

On Sept. 7 at the Program Cup, Eisenhower went 6-0, including a win over No. 4-ranked Marian, to earn first in the tournament, solidifying its status as one of the top teams in the state.

“I was just thinking about that this morning actually with the Program Cup,” LaPratt said. “There were some heavy duty teams that were there. Marian was there, Lowell was there, and Dakota. There were some big programs, so it wasn’t a small feat. It wasn’t like we were overpowering everybody. We earned those wins.”

Winning the Program Cup is a crowning achievement in its own right, but what it showed about Eisenhower was more impressive than earning first.

Just a match before the tournament, Eisenhower suffered a league loss to Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, who currently sits atop the MAC Red.

A league loss like that can eat at you, but most losses in 2023 seemed to put a stop to any momentum the Eagles were building.

Following a loss last year, Eisenhower was 1-6 in its next match, including stretches of three, four, and five-straight losses.

Forget the memory of that, because LaPratt said she hasn’t seen a glimpse of it this year.

“I see maturity in the sense that they don’t let a set loss dictate the match,” LaPratt said. “We’re in it point-by-point and we’re not worried about the outcome. I think last year we had a loss when we lost our first match in league play, and I feel like they let that dictate the rest of the season. They were so deflated after that loss. It was very hard for them to overcome it. Anytime we had a loss after that, it was like it opened the wound again. This time, it’s like, ‘Why did we lose this match?’”

Eisenhower will have another shot at L’Anse Creuse North before its league play schedule ends with the Eagles still in the hunt for a MAC Red title, but LaPratt’s squad is still taking it one game at a time.

Ostrander said it’s all about making the boat go faster, attributing the analogy to Gustafson and what she told the team prior to the season.

If you watch Eisenhower take the court together, Fedrigo said you can see the chemistry in real time.

“Everything flows and everything moves, and we all know that someone is going to watch our back and cover us on the court,” Fedrigo said.