Takeaways and standouts from the Division 3 & 4 Showcase
Saturday was a good chance to get a look at some contenders in Division 3 and Division 4 in the state of Michigan as part of the D3 & D4 Showcase at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy. The field included a…
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Continue ReadingSaturday was a good chance to get a look at some contenders in Division 3 and Division 4 in the state of Michigan as part of the D3 & D4 Showcase at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy.
The field included a number of teams on our current rankings and there were plenty of takeaways from the eight teams that wound up competing for the Gold Bracket title.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central
The Kestrels were the big fish in the pond on Saturday, putting on a dominant performance to secure their spot atop our D3 team rankings. SMCC has a lot of hitting to work with, but it’s easy to see that Mikayla Haut is a special player. Currently our third-ranked player in the Class of 2021, Haut can do it all. She passes well, she has a tremendous serve and she hits with authority. Surrounded by other hitters like Maddie Haut, Abbie Costlow and more, SMCC will certainly be a team to reckon with come the postseason. Making them even more challenging will be their 6-2 system behind setters Sarah Reicker and Jessica Long.
Riverview Gabriel Richard
A pretty veteran team, the Pioneers reached the finals on Saturday and may improve on their No. 13 ranking in D3. Behind the leadership of senior outside Sydney Kusiak, senior middle Sharmaye Becraft and senior setter Alexa Cosgrove, the Pioneers started to find their groove on Saturday and they may be able to ride that toward the postseason where another potential matchup with SMCC awaits in district play. Junior libero Isabella Kandes will be vital going forward as Gabriel Richard faces some tough hitters.
Plymouth Christian
The two-time defending Class D champs are currently fifth in our Division 4 rankings and the Eagles held their own on Saturday in a largely-D3 event, reaching the semifinals before losing to SMCC. Plymouth Christian is still working on finding its lineup and coach DJ Kellogg knows his team hasn’t reached its potential yet. The Eagles will be a handful in D4 due to their hitting ability. Senior middles Elise Miera and Morgynn Vallieres combine with outside Gabriella Kellogg to make a powerful trifecta at the net.
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
Making the long trip to Warren, WMC reached the semifinals on Saturday before falling to Gabriel Richard. The Warriors were not at full strength on the day, losing a setter to mono and an outside to an ankle injury. Still, WMC performed well. Senior middle Anna Sytsema was joined by junior outsides Meghan Heiss and Claudia Kingma to pick up the slack. At full strength, the Warriors should look more like their No. 4 ranking.
Harbor Beach
The Pirates had the toughest pool in the event and emerged with a pair of wins of Oakland Christian and West Michigan Christian. Their day ended with a quarterfinal loss to Plymouth Christian. Currently 18th in our Division 3 rankings, coach Stephanie Weiss was happy to see her team compete with some of the best in the field and used the day as a litmus test for the potential her Pirates have. Junior Amber Pleiness really shined with her all-around ability. She attacks well in the middle while being a steady presence in the back row. She also has a great jump serve that posed problems for opponents. Junior Makayla Roberts has been a great tournament player for Harbor Beach this year and that continued on Saturday. She was a consistent block on defense and finished off some big points.
Brown City
The Green Devils had a chance to force WMC into three sets in the quarterfinals, holding a 24-20 lead in the second set. However, things fell apart and they exited the day on a down note in a 26-24 loss. Still, our 22nd-ranked team in Division 3 had some high points and got a chance to compete against SMCC on the day. The pieces are there for Brown City, the Green Devils just need to finish when the opportunity is there. To do that, they will continue to need the leadership of setter Alexis Wiltse, who plays at a high level and brings a lot of energy to the team on the floor. Kendal Muxlow is coming off an ACL injury last year, but you wouldn’t know it by watching her. She makes plays all over the court for Brown City.
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
Currently 10th in our D4 rankings, the Lancers are comprised of entirely freshmen and sophomores. While they took their lumps during the day, the Lancers earned a nice win over Charyl Stockwell Academy, which sits seventh in our D3 rankings. They also gave Gabriel Richard a competitive match in the quarterfinals. As these young players continue to develop on the floor, Oakland Christian should be in line for some very successful postseason runs for years to come. Sophomore libero Hailee Ide has a lot on her plate on this team, facing all the tough hitters without a lot of size to provide her help defensively. Oakland Christian doesn’t have a single player above 5-8. Despite that, the Lancers win behind defense and Ide’s play. Sophomore setter Katie Hopkins also does a nice job moving the ball to her outsides, sophomore Kaylee Page and freshman Micah Tison.
Reese
The Rockets were the lone unranked team to reach the quarterfinals. They drew the unenviable task of taking on SMCC in the opening round of bracket play. Consistency has been an issue for Reese during the season and the Rockets showed their good and bad on Saturday. When falling behind early, they lacked the enthusiasm to fight back at times. However, Reese was able to get on some nice runs to show they have the potential to be a factor over the final two months. Madison Thompson and Savannah Comstock are a pair of senior hitters the Rockets will rely on for leadership the rest of the way. Freshman Maddi Osantowski shows a lot of promise in her first year in the back row.