Section 2A Preview

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Postseason play is right around the corner. With sections set to start in less than two weeks, PrepDig is breaking down each section with teams and players to watch. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Class A State champion has come out of Section 2 each of the last two seasons and it would be a moderate surprise if it didn't happen a third time next month. That's just how far ahead of the pack Mayer Lutheran seems to be at this point. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Favorite</strong>: <em>Mayer Lutheran</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Crusaders are the cream of the Class A crop. With just one loss on the season - to No. 1AA Maple Lake - and six dropped sets all season, Mayer Lutheran is a juggernaut. The Crusaders crushed the competition in the Class A Showcase tournament and sport wins over ranked foes like Bethlehem Academy and Norwood-Young America. Madison Hucky is a terrific setter and has no shortage of top options to disperse the ball to at all times. Sophia Heuer and Madi Beck are two dynamic outside hitters who can overwhelm the opposition at the net. And Mya Chmielewski is one of the top liberos in the state and sets the tone for what is a doozy of an attack. Hucky, Heuer, Beck and Chmielewski give the team a core of high-enders that few in the entire state can match and they'll look to cap off excellent careers with a second-straight state title.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em><strong>Next Up:</strong></em> Waterville-Elysian-Morristown</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Buccaneers have become a consistently excellent program under head coach Crystal Lamont and while WEM doesn't have the kind of top-shelf talent it has in recent years as players like Kate Masberg and Kamryn Kendall have graduated, the Bucs have plenty of talented athletes all over the floor. Paige Pittmann is one of the top setters in Class A and the combination of Alexis Morsching and MaeLea Harmon gives the Bucs a pair of athletic attackers on the outsides.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>In the Hunt</strong>: <em>Cedar Mountain/Comfrey, St. Clair, Alden-Conger</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This section feels fairly predictable though WEM - rated No. 8 in Class A - could have its hands full as it slogs its way through the southern subsection with teams like St. Clair and Alden-Conger. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cyclones will finish the year with more than 20 wins again and in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the subsection. They don't have any one eye-popping win but they've been competitive in their losses and the teams that have beaten them are all good teams. Olivia Drummer is a player to watch for the Cyclones.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alden-Conger will finish with more than 20 wins as well and could certainly push for an extended postseason run. Cedar Mountain/Comfrey looks like the second best team in the north subsection and Makenzie Kerkhoff is a player to watch for them. </span></p>