BATTLE CREEK >> Making its first-ever appearance at Kellogg Arena for Friday’s Division 2 semifinal, the Birmingham Detroit Country Day volleyball team didn’t quite get a neutral-court experience.

Taking on Battle Creek Harper Creek, which is located just five miles from the venue, Country Day was up against a packed house of Beaver fans.

But, that didn’t rattle this 2024 Yellowjacket squad, which has maintained composure in the biggest pressure situations.

DCD went about its business and sent the Kellogg Arena crowd home disappointed, as it bested Harper Creek 25-14, 24-26, 25-17, 25-23 to advance to Saturday’s championship match.

“I am so proud of this team and how they managed to stay steady,” Country Day coach Kim Lockhart said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. Obviously, (Harper Creek) is an amazing team, but the crowd was loud and it was in their hometown, so we knew if we gave them some energy, it might be tough to come back from it. But, the girls did a great job of staying steady and being able to maintain energy on our end. I’m just so proud of them.”

Country Day (32-1) didn’t let the home crowd get going as it jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the opening set and led throughout. Senior hitter Olivia Grenadier set the tone with four kills in the first eight points. It was relatively smooth sailing from there for the set.

The biggest adversity for Country Day came in the second set, when it saw a 24-21 lead disappear as it had a chance to go up two sets. The Beavers (52-5) scored five straight points thanks to four kills from senior Cassidy Pratley to take the set, 26-24 and even the match.

The large crowd was hoping that might be what set the Yellowjackets off their path, but they continued to win up front and take a 10-4 lead early in the third that led to the 25-17 victory.

The fourth set was the most competitive throughout, as the two teams were tied on 11 different occasions. The final tie came at 23-23, but Country Day shut the door with a kill from Elise Hiemstra, followed by a block from Leah Green and Payton Woodruff.

“I loved this experience. I loved having all the people here. We clearly didn’t have that many fans here and Harper Creek did, but we didn’t let that bother us and tuned them out,” Woodruff said. “It fueled us to win this game.”

Woodruff, a freshman, was a bright spot in the victory. She tallied 50 assists and six digs, while getting the Jackets to hit .291 as a team.

“She made some incredible sets and plays today,” Lockhart said of Woodruff.

Woodruff got 20 kills out of Grenadier, who hit .462, while Hiemstra finished with 17 kills.

“They communicate really well and tell me what they need from me,” Woodruff said of her hitters. “I think that has been really key for me. Communication is very important between a hitter and a setter.”

Woodruff played with a lot of composure in a high-pressure situation, but Lockhart says that’s something the freshman has been doing more and more throughout the season.

“She’s so talented, but it takes time to get acclimated to playing with 18-year-olds. She’s only 14,” Lockhart said. “At her age level, she knew how to shine, but it’s a different story when you get to playing at the varsity level at that age. But, credit to her, because she just keeps getting better and better.”

Defensively, Hiemstra had 19 digs to lead DCD on the night, while Grenadier and Demi McCoy each had 15.

Pratley had 20 kills to lead Harper Creek, while Camille Robinson had 15.

With the win on Friday night, Country Day advances to its first Division 2 state final. It will face No. 7 Tecumseh on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Tecumseh defeated Essexville Garber in five sets to reach the final.

When asked about a strategy for Saturday, Lockhart kept it simple.

“Rest, rest, rest,” Lockhart said of preparing for the D2 final in under 24 hours. “We are going to sleep and try to come down from this win. Then we will bring our best to the court and be ready to face another really good team.”