Division 2 Semifinals Breakdown & Predictions

<p>The Division 2 playoffs will close out the show in Battle Creek this weekend and that seems like a great choice, because there is a lot of anticipation for a potential 1 vs. 2 showdown. The semifinal field features four teams in our top-12 rankings and a lot of tremendous talent. Here’s a closer look at the two semifinal matchups and my picks for who will reach Saturday’s championship.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Semifinal 1: No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian vs. No. 6 Lakewood</strong></p> <p>The top-ranked Eagles continued their dominant playoff march with a 25-15, 25-14, 25-14 win over No. 8 Hamilton on Tuesday night. Junior setter <strong>Jordyn Gates </strong>continued to spread the ball around to Christian’s deep attacking options. She finished the match with 35 assists. Sophomore <strong>Addie VanderWeide</strong> led the team in kills on Tuesday with 15 while senior <strong>Maria Bos </strong>had 11. Junior <strong>Ayva Kooistra </strong>had just two kills, but had five blocks. Sophomore <strong>Lauren Peal </strong>led the defense with 11 digs.</p> <p>Lakewood was tested early against No. 5 St. Catherine Academy, dropping the first set before taking the final three in a 20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17 victory. The Vikings used their strong serving to keep the Stars out-of-system for long stretches in the match. At the net, Lakewood utilized their sister combo of sophomore <strong>Aubrey O’Gorman </strong>and freshman <strong>Maradith O’Gorman</strong>. Both are Michigan State commits and each had 15 kills in Tuesday’s win. Aubrey stands 6-foot-3 while Maradith is 6-1. Senior <strong>Patsy Morris </strong>also played a great match, racking up 24 digs while dealing with SCA’s powerful hitters.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Semifinal 2: No. 2 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. No. 12 Corunna</strong></p> <p>Notre Dame Prep won the Class B championship last season and the Irish return to Battle Creek looking to claim the D2 title this year. The Irish didn’t really have much of a match on Tuesday, beating out-matched Detroit Communication Media Arts in three by scores of 25-5, 25-3, 25-8. The Irish were able to use up the bench in the win, but the real news of Tuesday was senior <strong>Madeline Chinn </strong>being named Miss Volleyball. The future Purdue Boilermaker has 628 kills this year while hitting .463 and she has over 2,500 kills in her career. She also has 134 blocks this season and 493 digs. <strong>Natalie Risi </strong>was a fellow Miss Volleyball finalist and has one of the best serves in the state. She has 178 aces and 456 service points while also amassing 532 kills and 444 digs. Senior <strong>Maria Famularo </strong>and freshman <strong>Ally Borellis </strong>share the setting duties and the two have combined for nearly 1,300 assists. Famularo has 435 digs and 276 kills while Borellis has 354 digs and 320 kills.</p> <p>Corunna earned a sweep of its own, beating No. 22 Kingsley 25-22, 25-14, 25-19. Junior <strong>Elizabeth Norris </strong>continued her impressive 2018 season by earning 28 of the team’s 39 kills. Norris now had 865 kills on the year. She also managed to lead the team in digs with 21. Sophomore <strong>Lilly Bower </strong>was strong from the service line with six aces while senior <strong>Lexi Mort </strong>had 36 assists and 12 digs. Mort has racked up 1,569 assists for the year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>This is a great four-team field and it’s hard to not look at the possibility of Notre Dame Prep vs. Grand Rapids Christian in the final. The two teams have been the most consistent throughout the year. GRC has a tough draw in Lakewood. The Vikings have a nice pair of hitters and blockers in the O’Gorman sisters and a great defender in Morris, but Grand Rapids Christian just has too many options in their attack for Lakewood to overcome. Corunna has a very impactful player in Norris, but she has had to do it all. We saw how that worked out for North Branch against the Irish. Notre Dame Prep is too skilled for one main attacker to beat them. Corunna will put up a fight with its sound defense, but the Irish will eventually finish off the Cavs.</p> <p><strong>State Championship: Grand Rapids Christian vs. Notre Dame Prep</strong></p>