Cheboygan’s Steiner Named 2025 High School Volleyball player of the Year
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A remarkable career culminated in accolades for Cheboygan’s Makaela Steiner, who has been named the Cheboygan Daily Tribune’s 2025 high school volleyball player of the year. Steiner, a senior setter for the Cheboygan Chiefs, orchestrated a dominant season, leading her team to a triumphant season marked by 29 victories and a runner-up finish in the Northern Shores Conference.
A Season of Teamwork and Resilience
“It was great – we all worked together amazingly,” Steiner said, reflecting on the team’s dynamic.”We wanted what was best out of the season we could get,and we pushed hard for that every single day,and even throughout the games we were down,we would come back,and there was never a sense of us giving up. I think everyone kind of being there for each other, everybody wanting to get better and work together definitely helped and made it a great season.” The Chiefs also secured two weekend invitational championships,solidifying their position as a top team in the region.
Steiner’s journey wasn’t without its challenges.A important ankle injury early in her junior season presented a setback,but she demonstrated resilience by completing her junior year,participating in travel ball,and dedicating herself to enhancement during the offseason. This dedication was particularly focused on enhancing her defensive skills.
Statistical Dominance and Leadership Evolution
The 2025 season saw Steiner reach a career milestone at the Pellston Invitational, surpassing 2,000 career assists. Throughout the campaign, she showcased her versatility, contributing not only as a setter but also as an attacker, recording 107 kills. Her final season statistics were impressive: 785 assists, 107 kills, 72 aces, and 337 digs, earning her a well-deserved spot on the Northern Shores first team.
Beyond the numbers, Steiner’s leadership evolved throughout her high school career. The typically reserved player stepped into a more vocal role, positively impacting her teammates. “I was talking out there constantly, I was being loud, and I was cheering everybody on, but I think some of the girls looked up to us seniors just because we have been playing for a while, we knew how things worked, and we knew how we wanted it to be to have the season that we wanted,” Steiner explained.
A Program-Defining Impact
cheboygan coach Jordan Barrette highlighted Steiner’s “go-with-the-flow” mentality as a key factor in the team’s success. “She handled everything with such grace as a player,” Barrette stated. “She is just a phenomenal athlete, but she is such a great person that this program just needed. She wanted every single player to reach the goals and the accomplishments that they wanted. It was not that she was setting one player; she wanted to make every player better. That’s the big thing she’s leaving behind is that this is a team sport, and she really proved it was a team sport, that it took every single girl on that court and that bench to make it happen.”
Over her four-year varsity career, Steiner amassed remarkable career totals: 2,747 assists, 1,406 digs, 359 kills, 277 aces, and 29 blocks.
Looking Ahead: A Legacy of Team Spirit
While proud of her accomplishments, Steiner expressed that the friendships forged with her Cheboygan teammates would be the most cherished takeaway from her experience. “I think that the friendships you make on the court and experiencing all the ups and downs of volleyball is an amazing experience to have,” she said.
Replacing Steiner will be a significant challenge for Barrette. “She had court awareness unlike any other setter I’ve ever seen,” Barrette noted. “She never felt pressure on the court. That’s not something every setter can take because they do feel that pressure, which is completely understandable, but it’s going to be hard.” Steiner leaves behind a legacy of exceptional performance, inspirational leadership, and a profound understanding of the importance of teamwork within the Cheboygan volleyball program.
