SHELBY – The storied high school volleyball career of Shelby’s Navea Gauthier is nearing an end, but the senior is still climbing her way through the record books. Gauthier became just the fourth athlete in the history of Michigan high school volleyball to reach 3,000 career kills, adding a 3-0 win over Mason County Central in the process.
As they do in nearly every match, Shelby turned to Gauthier Tuesday, Sept. 10, early and often to lead their offensive attack. While MCC put up a good fight defensively in the first set of the night, it wasn’t enough to stave off the velocity of Gauthier’s right arm.
Shelby battled even with the Spartans in the first set, struggling to truly claim an advantage until late. That was more so a reflection of the Tigers’ own shortcomings than it was of MCC’s abilities. Time and time again, Shelby watched their momentum killed by mistakes. Serving was not precise in the early going and many balls found the net on attacks.
Nevertheless, Shelby found a way to cruise to a 25-19 win over the Spartans in that set, setting the tone for what would be another dominant performance.
The second set featured a much closer score at 25-20, but it seemed MCC’s magic finally ran out in the third and final set. The Tigers quickly took control and never looked back in that one, claiming a 25-14 victory and walking out of the gym with a 3-0 win overall.
Gauthier was the star of the night statistically, notching 32 kills, two aces and 25 digs – all of which led the team. Brylee Friedman added nine kills and two aces, Audrey Horton led with 41 assists, freshman Jayna Burmeister had 14 digs and Kylie Brown finished with two blocks.
Along with her monster statline, Gauthier became just the fourth player in Michigan high school volleyball history to reach 3,000 kills. Alisha Glass of Leland holds the top spot at 3,584 with Meredith Norris of Corunna in second with 3,126 and Maria Mallon of New Baltimore Anchor Bay in third with 3,1110.
At the rate Gauthier records kills, it can be considered a lock that she’ll pass both Norris and Mallon. The top of the mountain could be a challenge, but a talent like Gauthier should never be counted out.
A perfect start to the season continues for Shelby as they now boast a 9-0 overall record and a 2-0 mark in conference play.
