Season Preview: Breaking O-K Gold, O-K Green and O-K Blue
It’s hard to find a conference in the nation with more variety and depth than the O-K Conference. Seven divisions make up this deep conference and all have some strong volleyball talent in the state picture. The 2019 season should…
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Continue ReadingIt’s hard to find a conference in the nation with more variety and depth than the O-K Conference. Seven divisions make up this deep conference and all have some strong volleyball talent in the state picture.
The 2019 season should feature some exciting conference races. Let’s dive into what to expect this season. Due to the mass of the conference, we will look at three divisions now and four in the next installment.
O-K Gold Breakdown
Jordyn Gates
Similar to 2017, Grand Rapids Christian ran the table in 2018 with a 12-0 record while East Grand Rapids finished in second place at 10-2. The Eagles turned that perfect conference season into a Division 2 state championship and are the preseason favorite to repeat as champs in 2019. GRC lost some key talent in Maria Bos and Olivia Nedd, but still return some of the best talent in the state. Jordyn Gates (Arkansas) is a senior leader at setter alongside senior Ayva Kooistra in the middle. Addie VanderWeide and Lauren Peal are junior outsides that earned All-Conference honors last year as well. EGR brings back some strong senior talent as well in libero Gracie Gorsline and outside Olivia Bergsma. Forest Hills Eastern came in third in the division last year at 8-4 and is the dark horse in 2019. The Hawks return a big class, including three All-Conference players in senior libero Mary Cate VanSolkema, junior setter/libero Riley Hoffman and junior middle Eliza Thelen. EGR and Eastern both will be competitive with anyone they face this year, but Grand Rapids Christian is just too talented and too experienced to overcome in this conference race.
O-K Gold Prediction: Grand Rapids Christian
O-K Green Breakdown
After placing third in 2017, Hamilton jumped up to champion in 2018 with an 11-1 record. Byron Center came up a game shy at 10-2 while Holland Christian and Zeeland West were also in the mix. Hamilton became a D2 quarterfinalist before losing to eventual champ, GR Christian. This year’s Hawkeyes team looks very impressive on paper. While losing five seniors, Hamilton returns three All-League players and four All-Region talents. Senior setter Shelby Kraft will lead an impressive group of junior hitters that consists of Allison Ediger, Justine Bronkhorst and Corbyn Wayner. Byron Center used a lot of underclassmen in 2018 and still took a match from Hamilton in the conference race. This year’s squad should be plenty experienced as junior libero Abby Boyle and junior middle Anna Butler were both All-Region picks in 2018, while sophomore outside Taylor Humphrey was All-League as a freshman. Holland Christian lost a lot of experience on the floor, but returns All-League player Hannah Luurtsema to lead the way. Zeeland West could be the team to rock the boat in the O-K Green this year, as it brings back a big senior class. Libero Kaylee Baker is one of the top 2020 liberos in the state and she is joined by returning All-League seniors Karah Hecht and Tara Achterhof. This race may be the best one in the O-K Conference as the majority of the teams have an argument to win. Don’t expect a clean sweep this year. I like the experience of Hamilton and Byron Center, but I give the edge to the champs due to their strong postseason run. That big-match experience should go a long way this year in these competitive league contests.
O-K Green Prediction: Hamilton
O-K Blue Breakdown
Coopersville cruised to a 12-0 conference record in 2018, besting the rest of the field by four games. Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Spring Lake were both in second at 8-4 while West Catholic was fourth at 7-5. The scary part for the O-K Blue is that Coopersville could be even stronger this year. The Broncos graduated just three seniors from the 2018 team and return four All-League players, including three All-Region talents. Katelynn Fritz is a strong and versatile outside that will lead the team alongside middle Abby Olin. Aubrey Bates will run the offense at setter while Kaitlin Breen holds down the back row. CC, Spring Lake and West Catholic all have big production players to replace, so I expect the Broncos to roll on to another title in 2019.
O-K Blue Prediction: Coopersville
2019 MHSAA Season Preview Content