Potential Division 3 Regional Upsets

<p>Plenty of tight closely seeded teams making upsets in the first round throughout all divisions.  Who is on the upset radar in Division 3? Let’s take a look!</p> <p><strong><u>Division 3</u></strong></p> <p><strong><u>Sectional 1-</u></strong></p> <p><strong>#6 Unity @ #3 Saint Croix Falls</strong></p> <p>This will be a really good match!  Unity took down Falls, 3-0, at the beginning of September.  Falls then beat Unity, 3-1, at the end of September.  Falls will try to repeat their last meeting, and Unity will try to hang on and extend their season another round.</p> <p><strong>#6 Cashton @ #2 Melrose-Mindoro</strong></p> <p>These two haven’t played each other, but they’ve beaten the same teams.  Cashton upset #3 Arcadia on Tuesday in a 5-set thriller.  Melrose-Mindoro is on a 9-match win streak after winning the Dairyland Conference but has little experience going past 3 sets, and this will probably be a very back and forth match.</p> <p><strong><u>Sectional 2-</u></strong></p> <p><strong>#8 Manawa @ #1 Oconto</strong></p> <p>Manawa is 23-8 while Oconto is 26-8.  Oconto went 9-2 to win the Packerland Conference this year.  I think this will be a every tight match; but if Manawa starts strong, they could take this match.  If they let the match go into the 4^th or 5^th set, Oconto has a history of finishing those matches strong.  Oconto is powered by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80713" first="Cora" last="Behnke"] </strong>(2021 – 6’0 – Outside Hitter), <strong>Mara Allen </strong>(2019 – 6’1 – Middle Blocker), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33332" first="Aubree" last="Bucheger"] </strong>(2020 – 5’7 – Defensive Specialist), and <strong>Baleigh Gering </strong>(2020 – 5’7 – Setter).</p> <p><strong><u>Sectional 3-</u></strong></p> <p><strong>#9 Mineral Point @ #1 Wisconsin Heights</strong></p> <p>Mineral Point hasn’t had a great overall season, but they did just come up with an upset on Tuesday. Point took down #8 Parkview in a tight 4-set match.   Point will have to deal with Height’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80223" first="Ashlee" last="Adler"] </strong>(2020 – 5’10 – Outside Hitter), <strong>Kelsi Handel </strong>(2020 – 5’8 – Middle Blocker), <strong>Taylor Kraemer</strong>(2019 – 5’10 – Middle Blocker), and <strong>Jada Wood </strong>(2020 – 5’7 – Setter).</p> <p><strong>#6 Darlington @ #3 Belleville</strong></p> <p>Darlington takes a little bit to warm up, but once they are warm, watch-out!  While Belleville has played more matches, they still have minimal experience going into a 5^th match, and I think this one may go into a deciding set.  Darlington will have to deal with Belleville’s <strong>Rachael Heittola </strong>(2019 – 6’2 – Middle Blocker), <strong>Erin Kittleson </strong>(2020 – 5’6 – Outside Hitter), and <strong>Sydney Gentilli </strong>(2019 – 5’2 – Libero).</p> <p><strong>#6 Necedah @ #3 Markesan</strong></p> <p>These two haven’t gone head-to-head yet.  Markesan did beat both Northland Pines and Pardeeville in August.  Necedah lost to Northland Pines in August and beat Pardeeville in the first Regional match. Both teams seem to be very up and down, but if Necedah can establish a strong start, they may be able to upset Markesan.  But if this match goes into the 4^th and 5^th sets, Markesan has the advantage with a better record in the late sets.  Necedah will be relying on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80229" first="Miah" last="Hansen"] </strong>(2020 – 5’6 – Middle Blocker/Setter/Outside Hitter), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33168" first="Faith" last="Tunks"] </strong>(2019 – 5’6 – Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter), and <strong>Hannah Horak </strong>(2020 – Libero).</p> <p><strong><u>Sectional 4-</u></strong></p> <p><strong>#6 Saint Mary’s Springs @ #3 Manitowoc Lutheran</strong></p> <p>While Springs is the lower seed, they enter this match with a 28-4 record.  These two haven’t played each other, but they have both beaten Mayville and Winnebago Lutheran.  Springs takes a little while to warm up, but if they can push the match to the 4^th or 5^th set, they can be quite dangerous.  Manitowoc’s strength is in their offense, led by <strong>Maddie Gorte </strong>(2019 – 6’1 – Outside Hitter) and <strong>Grace Melso </strong>(2019 – 5’8 – Setter).  Springs’ strength is in their defense, led by <strong>Isabelle Coon </strong>(2022 – Setter/Outside Hitter) and <strong>Katie Baker </strong>(2019 – Libero/Defensive Specialist).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>