Five teams that should again be D4 contenders in 2022
Division 4 saw the queens of the court reign once again in 2021. As we look ahead to 2022, it’s far from a forgone conclusion that St. Philip will find its way to another three-peat. While the Tigers will be…
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Continue ReadingDivision 4 saw the queens of the court reign once again in 2021.
As we look ahead to 2022, it’s far from a forgone conclusion that St. Philip will find its way to another three-peat.
While the Tigers will be a contender, the number of challengers should be many and should be very strong.
Here’s five top teams from 2021 that should contest for the title once again next fall.
Lenawee Christian
The Cougars took St. Philip to five sets in the D4 quarterfinals this past season and could be a potential preseason favorite for 2022. Lenawee Christian will have a very powerful offense led by 2023 outside Isabelle Kirkendall, one of the top players in D4 this past season as a junior. In the middle 2024’s Hannah Baker gives Lenawee Christian a dynamic 1-2 punch at the net. The Cougars also return both setters in Gabby Bryja and Sarah Pfister, along with dig leader Josie Mineff. This is a team that should be able to hit the ground running next August.
Battle Creek St. Philip
After the 2020 season, it was pretty much a given in most minds that St. Philip would return to Battle Creek in 2021. Not only did the Tigers do that, they repeated as state champs. Looking ahead to 2022, the Tigers have a much bigger challenge ahead. However, you can never look too far past Vicky Groat and her program. They are the standard in D4 for a reason. While graduating its libero, St. Philip should still be strong defensively behind Rylee Altman and Kate Doyle in the back row. Maddie Hoelscher was a consistent presence in the offense as well as a middle and will be a senior leader in 2022. At setter, the Tigers brought up Charlie Greger to the finals roster as an eighth grader. That must mean Groat has big plans for her in the future.
Inland Lakes
Inland Lakes played every part of the Cinderella role throughout the 2021 D4 playoffs. However, their run to the state final should give the Bulldogs plenty of confidence that a similar run can be done again in 2022. There will be some big holes to replace from graduating seniors, but Inland Lakes still has dynamic outside hitter Natalie Wandrie and energetic libero Ryann Clancy coming back next fall. Those two are great foundation pieces to build off of.
Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
The Irish have been knocking on the door of getting to Battle Creek for years, and finally got into Kellogg Arena in 2021. While SHA graduates a big senior core, it still will bring back some explosive hitters. Angel Brown and Lillie Laney will give the Irish plenty of pop to work with as they fill holes around the rest of the lineup. SHA has enough of a program pedigree that it should be able to quickly reload, as opposed to needing multiple seasons to rebuild.
Athens
A regional finalist that fell to St. Philip in five sets, the Indians will be another team loaded up offensively for the 2022 season. Setter Alaina Brubaker returns for her senior season to run the offense, and she will have outside Kylie Quist and middle Kamryn Parlin to work with once again. Brubaker provides a lot of vocal leadership on the floor as well, which should be a big asset. As long as Athens can put together some defensive pieces, it should be a top contender once again.