2018 Beast of the East Tournament Preview

<p>Every year, Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy hosts arguably one of the largest and most competitive tournament of the high school season.  32 of some of the top teams in the state compete for the right to be called the Beast of the East. This is the 10th Beast of the East and each year it never let's the volleyball competitive fan down.  This season looks to be as action packed as before.  Based on our top 25 rankings in each class, Beast of the East will host 20 teams in their respective divisions top 25 rankings.  Here is our preview of the event.</p> <div> </div> <div>Tournament Favorites:</div> <div> </div> <div>Mattawan (#1 in D1) - Right now, the only blemish is a 3 set tournament loss to Rockford early in the year.   Led by 6'5 MH Natalie Foster &amp; OH Taylor Rutgers, Mattawan is looking to be the first west side team to win the Beast of the East.</div> <div> </div> <div>Mercy (#2 in D1) - We all know that Mercy is probably the most complete team in the state.  Can they separate themselves from the rest of the top teams in this field?  The combo of Jess Mruzik and Julia Bishop are going to be hard to stop.</div> <div> </div> <div>Grand Rapids Christian (#1 in D1) - Grand Rapids Christian continues to mow through the competition but this is the first time they have ventured across to the other side of the state.  Look for setter Jordy Gates to stand out this weekend for Grand Rapids Christian.  Scary thing is, they should be better next year.</div> <div> </div> <div>Lake Orion (#6 Lake Orion) - Although ranked #6 in the state, Lake Orion, when healthy, is fierce.  Led by setter and leader Wren Macauley, she will need to lead Lake Orion offensively in order to finish as The Beast of the East.  Outside Paige Briggs will also need to be at the top of her game for 6-7 matches this weekend.</div> <div> </div> <div>Other Teams to Watch - Marian, Northville, Stoney Creek, North Branch, Clarkston, and Flushing.</div> <div> </div> <div> <div>Players to Watch in the tournament - Natalie Foster (Mattawan), Ella Lochbiler (Dakota), Alexa Rousseau (Bloomfield), Charotte Brecht (Grosse Pt. North), Jess Mruzik (Mercy), Marissa Durand (Utica Eisenhower), Abbey Herrmann (SH Stevenson), Mikai Quan (Salem), Grand Rapids Christian (Jordy Gates), Jessica Robinson (Troy), Gabriella Kellogg (Plymouth Christian), Wren Macauley (Lake Orion), Taylor Wendling (Flushing), Emily Smith (Anchor Bay), Christine Audette (Marian), Chloe Idoni (Fenton), Northville (Hannah Grant), Ryann Jaqua (Portage Central), Kate Stration (Stoney Creek), Allyson Severance (North Branch)</div> <div> <div> </div> <div>Predictions</div> <div> </div> <div>Format is 32 teams in 8 pools of 4.  Top 2 teams go to the pre-determined seeded Gold bracket.  </div> <div> </div> <div>Pool A (Mattawan, Dakota, Bloomfield, &amp; Grosse Pt. North) - Mattawan coasts through the field.  Bloomfield and Dakota go 3 with Bloomfield taking 2nd in the pool.  </div> <div> </div> <div>Pool B (Mercy, Ike, SH Stevenson, and Salem) - Mercy goes 3-0, Ike and Stevenson battle it out for the right to move on in the Gold.  Stevenson wins in 3.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pool C (Grand Rapids Christian, Troy, Plymouth Christian, Flint Powers Catholic) - Troy gives GRC a scare but finishes 3rd in the pool behind GRC and Plymouth Christian.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pool D (Lake Orion, Flushing, Anchor Bay, and Kalamazoo Central) - LO takes the pool with ease.  Flushing finishes 2nd.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pool E (Marian, Fenton, Canton, and Detroit Country Day) - Marian goes 3 with Fenton but holds seed.  Detroit Country Day upsets Fenton and Canton to take 2nd in the pool.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pool F (Northville, Portage Central, L'Anse Cruese North, &amp; Seaholm) - Another 1 seed holds their seed as Northville wins the pool fairly easily.  Portage Central has a couple of scares with LCN and Seaholm but moves on.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pool G (Stoney Creek, South Lyon, Romeo, and Lakeland) - After going 2-0 over Romeo and Lakeland, Stoney Creek and South Lyon give us our best pool play match as South Lyon wins 18-16 in the 3rd set.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pool H (Clarkston, North Branch, Charyl Stockwell, and South Christian) - Probably the toughest pool in the tournament, North Branch slips by Clarkston to take over the 8 seed in the tournament.  </div> <div> </div> <div>Bracket Play (16 Team Gold Bracket)</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div>Pre-Quarters</div> <div> </div> <div>Mattawan vs. SH Stevenson - Battle of the middles as Wichita St. .bound Natalie Foster goes up against Western Michigan bound Abbey Herrmann.  Mattawan has the edge and pulls out a two set win.</div> <div> </div> <div>North Branch vs. Stoney Creek - In a battle of last week's Marian tournament where Stoney won in 3, look for Stoney Creek to roll in two sets to send North Branch home early.</div> <div> </div> <div>Lake Orion vs. Fenton - Lake Orion continues to roll as they take our Fenton in 2 to move on.</div> <div> </div> <div>Marian vs. Portage Central - Marian continues to be tested as Portage Central pushes them to the limit but Marian prevails in 3 sets.</div> <div> </div> <div>Grand Rapids Christian vs. Flushing - GRC is just too much for Flushing.  GRC in 2.</div> <div> </div> <div>Northville vs. Detroit Country Day - Northville, coming off the Marian tournament win, beats Country Day in 2.</div> <div> </div> <div>South Lyon vs. Clarkston - South Lyon just seems to match up well with Clarkston.  South Lyon beats Clarkston in 3.</div> <div> </div> <div>Mercy vs. Bloomfield - Surprisingly, Bloomfield pushes Mercy but doesn't have the firepower to beat.  Mercy in 2.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div>Quarters</div> <div> </div> <div>Mattawan vs. Stoney Creek - Stoney has the middle presence to compete with Mattawan but Taylor Rutgers will be too much to handle for Stoney.  Mattawan in 3.</div> <div> </div> <div>Lake Orion vs. Marian - In a battle of two of the best D1 setters in the state, Wren Macauley and Lake Orion take out Marian and Maddie Dowd in 3 close sets.</div> <div> </div> <div>Grand Rapids Christian vs. Northville - Jordy Gates runs GRC's offense on point.  Look for GRC to beat Northville with speed and defense.</div> <div> </div> <div>South Lyon vs. Mercy - South Lyon's strong day ends with a two set loss to Mercy.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div>Semi Finals</div> <div> </div> <div>Mattawan vs. Lake Orion - The battle of #1 vs. #6 in Division in division 1, Mattawan just can't stop the combination of Paige Briggs and Wren Macauley.  Lake Orion in 3.</div> <div> </div> <div>Mercy vs. Grand Rapids Christian - If you plan to get out to Michigan Elite on Saturday, this match would be worth the trip.  Mercy and GRC battle as D1 and D2 favorites in November.  Look for Mercy to win in 2 close sets to advance to the final.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div>Finals</div> <div> </div> <div>Lake Orion vs. Mercy - Lake Orion is 1-1 vs. Mercy but 0-1 when Mercy has Jess Mruzik.  Look for the trend to continue as Mercy beats Lake Orion to capture the 2018 Beast of the East championship in 3 sets.</div> </div> </div>