By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
BATTLE CREEK — The Mountaineers of Clarkston Everest Collegiate left the Kellogg Arena as repeat state champions with a 3-1 win over St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake in the MHSAA Division 4 Volleyball State Final, Nov. 30.
“I was very proud of the girls for pushing through the adversity of the pressure,” said Danielle Walker, head coach, adding there was a lot of outside pressure questions the possibility of the Mountaineers being back-to-back champions.

“The girls really pushed through that pressure to be successful. I was really proud of them for being able to do that because it’s not easy. We went in trying not to be overconfident and just playing to have fun, finishing out the year, playing for each other. We have a heavy senior team. We have eight seniors so they just wanted to go out one last time and play together, have fun and obviously win,” she said, adding the mindset going into the last game was to have fun.
Everest won the first two sets, 25-23 and 25-21. They lost the third set, 25-21.
“They were very determined,” Walker said about the mindset as they headed into the fourth set. “They said they didn’t want what we did last year to happen to us this year because we won in a reverse sweep last year. They came out that fourth set on fire, ready to go to make sure it didn’t happen.”
The Mountaineers won the final set and the state championship title, 25-13. Senior Sarah Bradley had 28 kills and 16 digs; senior Madelyn Krappmann had 16 kills and 14 digs; senior Erica Walker had 45 assists and 14 digs; senior Addison Pearce had ten kills and five blocks; and senior Samantha Pietras had 14 kills.
E. Walker, Krappmann and Bradley shared what it meant to them to win a back-to-back championship for Everest.
“It’s an incredible feat,” Bradley said. “Winning the state championship my junior year was something that we weren’t completely expecting. Going into this year, we knew it was something that we could accomplish.
“I really think that our coaches focused on slowing down and really enjoying the moment because the pressure was really there for us,” she added. “I think really slowing down enjoying the moment really helped to boost our confidence and just play together more as a team. Winning back-to-back championship is something a lot of people won’t ever be able to accomplish in their high school, but we can say that we did.  It would not have been possible without the entire Everest community’s support. Thank you!”
“It still hasn’t completely sunk in yet,” Krappmann said. “I didn’t even realize how much of a feat winning the first one was until right before we went to states this year. I was sitting down and thinking about it and was like, ‘well yeah, it’s going to be a lot of tough competition.’ I wasn’t stressed out about it, but I was just thinking about it and about what a big feat it would be to go back to back. I’m really grateful that we were able to accomplish it twice because I know it’s not something that most teams get to do.”
E. Walker added it was a different feeling this year.
“We were the underdogs last year going into the championship,” she said. “It came down to the very last point. So last year was super exciting and very thrilling. This year, the feeling is just a little bit different because we were expected to win. Last year, we only had one senior graduate and this year and there were eight of us. It was bittersweet because we won the state title, but we were also losing a lot of seniors. For a lot of those girls volleyball is their passion. They were sad to have it been our last game, but we were still super excited that we were able to end our season on a win.”
As the trio finishes the rest of their senior year they offered advice for younger Mountaineers including to work hard and enjoy every moment.

“What you put into it, you are going to get out of it,” said E. Walker. “Even if they don’t have the experience of being able to win a state championship, the class bonding memories that they make, the practices they have together, when they see each other in school – all of those create great memories, too. Sometimes it’s not always about winning, but it’s about the memories that you make along the way.”
“I know it’s very special. I am a youth group leader through Everest for the eight graders and I have been with them since fifth grade,” Krappmann shared. “I think about them and I want them to know it’s going to go by fast so just enjoy the moment. It’s really easy to look forward to everything in the future especially when you’re in high school. The smallest moments were the best parts it has been that way for volleyball, too. When we were looking at the future and at the state final, everything got kind of fast and chaotic and you could tell our mentality wasn’t as focused. When we focused on the moment, it made our team so much better.”
She added to find balance using free time to spend time with friends and getting work done.
Everest graduates eight seniors.
“They leave a wonderful legacy of just the fun that we had the past two years, to bring the intensity and the competitiveness, they set the bar really high for the incoming girls,” said D. Walker. “I also think they brought a lot of attention to our volleyball program in the sense the younger grades. The elementary level is excited and wants to know how the girls are playing and who they are and bringing more attention to the sport at our school.”
Bradley, Krappmann and E. Walker shared in turn Everest and the volleyball program made an impact on them.
“It’s definitely taught me to be a more selfless player and not focus on what I’m doing and how it’s making me look, but to focus on building up my teammates,” said Krappman. “It’s a really good perspective to take with you anywhere you go. I’ve been at Everest since Kindergarten. It has given me the most amazing friendships, which is super special. It formed me in my faith, and centering my life around faith has been super impactful because I know for some people they go off to school that kind of goes away. With the school I’m going to that was something I looked for. I wanted it to be very centered around faith and I wanted the team to be centered around each other.”
Everest taught Bradley to be a great leader.
“It’s not just being the best player. It’s really about being there for your team and uplifting them in their moments of struggle and knowing that you are there for them,” she said. “Everest really helped me realize that even though I love volleyball so much and I’m going to play in college, my identity is not in volleyball. My identity is in Christ and our motto last year and this year was ‘All for Him, All for Christ.’ It really showed me that even if I have a bad day that doesn’t define who I am and that helps me the next day to play better. Everest did a great job of making sports not just about the sport but the development of the whole person.”
“It definitely pushed me both physically and mentally because some days I was really exhausted and weren’t necessarily feeling like going to volleyball,” said E. Walker, who also competed with the cross country team and finished All-State. “It taught me to always give my best and to push through those hard times because it makes you stronger each time. I think it’s true with life too – every time you push yourself to a higher standard, you become a better person. Also, being able to become friends with a group of girls that weren’t necessarily my best friends coming into volleyball, but being able to form different relationships has also helped. Having to be able to experience difference friendships has been a great blessing.”
The Mountaineers finished the season as Catholic High School League champions, district champions, regional champions and state champions with an overall record of 38-0-1. The team also achieved the honor of All-State Academic Team with a 3.7 average grade point average.
“We just had so much fun,” D. Walker said about the season. “I know people keep talking about our record. We went undefeated, we had one tie versus North Branch, but that wasn’t the main focus of ours. It just naturally happened. So to end undefeated and to end with a back-to-back state champ, it was just awesome.”
She added the team had milestones for the program and for the school.
“It was pretty fun for the girls,” she said. “They really did work hard. We went to camp this summer at Ferris State together as a team, and we talked about – what are we gonna do each day to hit our goal at the end of the season, where do we want to be at the end of the season, and what are we going to do every day to get there? So, I think they worked really hard and had that end goal in mind. I’ve just been so thankful and blessed to be able to coach these girls. I love them.”
“I am incredibly grateful that I got to play for Everest,” Krappmann said. “I’m happy that I stayed where I was at because it has felt like home the last four years. I think being able to grow with the volleyball program was a huge privilege. I’m incredibly grateful for my teammates and my coaches and for the whole student body for supporting me and supporting the team through all it.”

  Everest Athletics, MHSAA, MHSAA State Championship, Volleyball