Four eye-opening teams to start the 2020 season

<p>The 2020 prep season is still in its early stages, but some teams are making waves in their respective divisions, trying to break through the traditional powerhouses.</p> <p>Here’s a look at the teams making a splash to start the year.</p> <p><strong>Division 1 </strong></p> <p><strong>Byron Center</strong></p> <p>The Bulldogs had high expectations coming into 2020 and they have proven why thus far. They are coming off a big 5-set win over Lowell last week with a 16-14 victory in the final frame. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24859" first="Taylor" last="Humphrey"] </strong>put down 26 kills in the win and has racked up 140 on the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50308" first="Anna" last="Butler"] </strong>has been a block machine with 30 in the young season, while <strong>Cierra Laska </strong>has been on point at setter and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14165" first="Abby" last="Boyle"] </strong>is a composed libero.</p> <p><strong>Other notable: Traverse City West </strong>has put together a nice run as of late, including a sweep of Grand Haven, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20. That avenged a previous 5-set loss to the Bucs from earlier this year.</p> <p><strong>Division 2</strong></p> <p><strong>Montague</strong></p> <p>The Wildcats have been able to play since the start of August and have built up a 16-1 record. Their lone loss was to D1 Holland West Ottawa in a quad. With powers like Grand Rapids Christian, Lakewood and Notre Dame Prep looking strong, Montague is hoping to crash the party. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="89365" first="Reilly" last="Murphy"] </strong>has put down 223 kills while hitting over .300 in 2020. <strong>Raegan Murphy </strong>has been setting a great ball and is approaching 600 assists already this fall. Senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="89350" first="Allison" last="Hall"] </strong>has been a force at the net, picking up 39 blocks with 142 kills.</p> <p><strong>Other notable: North Branch </strong>is certainly not an under-the-radar program, but the Broncos have had their fair share of the injury bug since last winning the state title in 2016. The 2020 roster looks to be ready to contend for another run to Battle Creek. Their losses are to top D1 and D2 programs and freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="110291" first="Alana" last="Deshetsky"]</strong> looks to be a star in the making.</p> <p><strong>Division 3</strong></p> <p><strong>Charlevoix</strong></p> <p>Charlevoix wasn’t able to work its way too far in the 2019 postseason, but the Rayders have been shot out of a rocket to start 2020. Following a quad sweep last week, Charlevoix got out to a 17-1 start to the year. The offense has a balanced attack, led by the setting from <strong>Zoe Brodin</strong>. She spreads the ball out very well to hitters like <strong>Taylor Petrosky</strong>, <strong>Avery Zipp</strong>, <strong>Claire Scholten </strong>and <strong>Grace Lentz</strong>. Brodin also has been able to finish at the net as well.</p> <p><strong>Other notable: North Muskegon </strong>has played a competitive schedule and shown the makings of being a contender. The Norsemen earned a win over D4 power Mendon, while playing very competitive matches with Western Michigan Christian and Montague.</p> <p><strong>Division 4</strong></p> <p><strong>Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes</strong></p> <p>Looking at their record (3-6), you might wonder why the Lakers would be on this list, but the Lakers have played some of the best in the state like Marian and Notre Dame Prep. Playing bigger programs has led to solid CHSL wins and will help the Lakers come postseason time. <strong>Alexis Koenig </strong>is a powerful outside that can take over a match. <strong>Brooklyn Robak </strong>is a competitive setter that plays with a lot of fire. She’s got a lot of chemistry with her hitters, including sophomore middle <strong>Quinn Robak</strong>.</p> <p><strong>Other notable: Fowler </strong>is racking up the wins early in 2020 and has a standout player in outside <strong>Sarah Veale</strong>. She’s hitting over .300 and has shown the ability to take over a match, which can go a long way in D4. She’s leading the Eagles in kills, aces and digs.</p>