Division 3 Semifinals Breakdown & Predictions

<p>We have finally reached Battle Creek and Kellogg Arena. The first division up for this weekend’s semifinals and finals is Division 3 and the matchups are very intriguing. Here’s a closer look at how the four teams play out and who we think will be competing for the hardware on Saturday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Semifinal 1: No. 8 Unionville-Sebewaing vs. HM Traverse City St. Francis</strong></p> <p>The eighth-ranked Patriots went to five sets with No. 19 Brown City on Tuesday night, trailing 2-1 before rallying for the victory with a 15-8 third set. <strong>Rylee Zimmer </strong>was outstanding in the win with 30 kills, 21 digs and three blocks. <strong>Nichole Schember </strong>racked up 56 assists and four aces as well. These two will be key to Thursday’s Noon match with St. Francis.</p> <p>St. Francis got past HM Beal City in its quarterfinal match in four sets. After dropping the first set, the Gladiators took over. They won 25-14, 25-15, 25-17 over the next three sets to advance to Battle Creek. St. Francis continued to use its depth at the net to overwhelm the Aggies. <strong>Molly Mirabelli </strong>had 20 kills while <strong>Brenna Poole </strong>tallied 12 and <strong>Kaylin Poole </strong>had eight and <strong>Maddie Connolly </strong>had six. They are making things easy for <strong>Hannah Sidorowicz</strong>, who had 61 assists in four sets.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Semifinal 2: No. 1. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. No. 2 Bronson</strong></p> <p>With all due respect to the first semifinal matchup, this one feels like a state championship battle. It’s hard to argue when you have to top two teams in Division 3 playing one another. SMCC had run through the playoffs, but were pushed to the brink on Tuesday against No. 5 Manchester. The Kestrels were down 2-sets-to-1 but rallied for a 25-21 fourth set and a 15-7 fifth set to advance. SMCC certainly didn’t play its best game in the win, as made a number of uncharacteristic errors, but they still found a way to win. <strong>Mikayla Haut </strong>continued her great 2018 season with 19 kills while <strong>Maddie Haut </strong>added nine and <strong>Abbie Costlow </strong>had 10. <strong>Sarah Reicker </strong>had 25 assists while <strong>Jessica Long </strong>had 23. Costlow and <strong>Kylie Barron </strong>were big at the net defensively with five blocks each.</p> <p>Bronson looked very impressive in a sweep of No. 12 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian on Tuesday by scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-13. The Vikings will bring one of the best defenses of any division to Battle Creek thanks to Miss Volleyball finalist <strong>Kiera Lasky</strong> at libero. When it comes to offense, <strong>Keona Salesman </strong>is a great outside and <strong>Ashton Wronikowski</strong> is steady in the middle. <strong>Megan Lasky </strong>is a consistent setter as well that will keep SMCC guessing.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central has been my gut feeling for Division 3 all season, but certainly Tuesday raised some eyebrows. Will the Kestrels handle the bright lights of Battle Creek well against a three-time defending champion in Bronson? The Vikings have a lot of championship experience and I think they will study the tape of Tuesday’s quarterfinal to see what Manchester did so well. In the other semifinal, USA was able to grow a lot in the five-set win over Brown City. The Patriots have one of the top players in the field and I think they will be too much for St. Francis.</p> <p><strong>State Championship: Bronson vs. Unionville-Sebewaing</strong></p>