Five must-see matches and events for the week of Oct. 21

<p>The 2019 regular season is winding down, with just two weeks remaining until postseason play. This week features some solid conference clashes and a lot of big meetings in Division 3 and Division 4. Here’s a closer look at five marquee matchups for this week.</p> <p><strong>Kalamazoo Christian at Schoolcraft – Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.</strong></p> <p>Top-ranked <strong>Schoolcraft</strong> (No. 1 D3) has a big match on Tuesday night when the Eagles host <strong>Kalamazoo Christian </strong>(No. 3 D3) for a battle of unbeatens in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. These two did meet in a weekend tournament early in the year, with Schoolcraft picking up a 25-11, 25-8 win, but the Comets have improved a lot since then and are eager to get another shot at Schoolcraft to see just how far they have come. Kalamazoo Christian hitters <strong>Carley Broekhuizen </strong>and <strong>Sarah Wenke </strong>will be eager to test themselves against the likes of Schoolcraft’s <strong>Andelyn Simkins</strong> in this matchup.</p> <p><strong>Ann Arbor Skyline at Saline – Tuesday, 7 p.m.</strong></p> <p>It’s a big matchup in the Southeastern Conference Red Division when Saline (No. 10 D1) plays host to Skyline (No. 8 D1). Skyline has a 1-point edge on Saline in the division standings coming into this meeting. These two met back on Aug. 26 as part of the SEC Jamboree, with Skyline winning a best-of-three by scores of 23-25, 25-19, 25-23. You should expect this best-of-five conference match to be just as competitive. Skyline has a great sister duo of <strong>Kendall Murray </strong>and <strong>Harper Murray</strong>, both of whom can be dominant at the net. Saline will need libero <strong>Hannah Blaney </strong>to be on her game so <strong>Julia Blaney </strong>and <strong>Josie Bero</strong> can keep the offense running.</p> <p><strong>Ida at Onsted – Tuesday, 7 p.m.</strong></p> <p>The Lenawee County Athletic Association has two of its best on display Tuesday night when <strong>Onsted </strong>(No. 11 D2) plays host to <strong>Ida </strong>(No. 7 D2). This is the first encounter between the two. Ida has been led by a pair of senior hitters in <strong>Taylor Wegener </strong>and <strong>Kadie Carsten</strong>. Onsted has a pair of hitters of their own in senior <strong>Kinsey Wagner </strong>and junior <strong>Mya Hiram</strong>. These two teams have just six losses between them, so there should be plenty of fireworks on Tuesday night.</p> <p><strong>Lakewood vs. Mattawan vs. Schoolcraft – Thursday, 6 p.m.</strong></p> <p>Fresh off the Beast of the East, both <strong>Mattawan </strong>(No. 4 D1) and <strong>Schoolcraft </strong>(No. 1 D3) get right back into the fire on Thursday when they travel to <strong>Lakewood </strong>(No. 5 D2) for a tri-match. This will be an impressive collection of talent from three schools, including Miss Volleyball finalists <strong>Andelyn Simkins </strong>of Schoolcraft and <strong>Allie Wiese </strong>of Mattawan. These should be three great matches to catch, as each team has the potential to win a state championship in their respective divisions.</p> <p><strong>Oakland Christian at Southfield Christian – Thursday, 6:30 p.m.</strong></p> <p>It will be the second meeting between two of the best in Division 4 and in the MIAC on Thursday as <strong>Southfield Christian </strong>(No. 2 D4) hosts <strong>Oakland Christian </strong>(No. 8 D4). These two met on Oct. 1 with the Eagles picking up a four-set win over the Lancers by scores of 21-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-15. It was the serving of Oakland Christian that gave the Eagles some trouble in the first set and throughout the match. <strong>Anna Frazee, Hailee Ide </strong>and <strong>Katie Hopkins </strong>served aggressively to try and keep Southfield Christian out-of-system. Eventually the Eagles were able to get on track and turn to their powerful outsides in <strong>Emily Van Dyke </strong>and <strong>Caitlin Warnshuis</strong>. It will be interesting to see if the Lancers can make the adjustments needed to stop the red-hot Eagles.</p>