<p>The countdown to the start of prep practices is under a month now, which leaves us eager to continues to contemplate which teams will be bringing the most pop to the court in 2021.</p>
<p>Here’s a look at five teams we expect to be among the top offensive teams this year.</p>
<h4><strong>Detroit Country Day</strong></h4>
<p>The Yellowjackets bring forth their best team in 2020, with a number of experienced senior hitters. Leading the way is First Team All-State middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24870" first="Serena" last="Nyambio"]</strong> in the middle. Perhaps the most explosive player in the state, Nyambio can’t be stopped when at her best. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24862" first="Morgan" last="Lockhart"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24869" first="Nyla" last="Muskovin"] </strong>are fellow All-State hitters on the outside, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66291" first="Laurece" last="Abraham"] </strong>is another explosive junior middle to be paired with Nyambio. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66300" first="Paige" last="Elliott"] </strong>can play setter and moved to the back row, but her experience and leadership will go a long way to help this DCD offense find its full potential.</p>
<h4><strong>Notre Dame Prep</strong></h4>
<p>The Fighting Irish return all of their offensive pieces from a team that reached the state semifinals once again. Leading the way will be setter and right side hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24844" first="Alyssa" last="Borellis"]</strong>, a do-everything player for the Irish that continues to find ways to sharpen her game and improve on her leadership skills. Fellow setter <strong>Margo Sudzina</strong> returns as well to give the Irish the ability to run a two-setter system again. When it comes to hitting, NDP will have plenty of experienced options. Along with Borellis, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24857" first="Bianca" last="Giglio"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137573" first="Sophia" last="Sudzina"] </strong>are back on the outsides, while <strong>Sara Nouhan, Abby Nellis</strong> and <strong>Grace Wenaas </strong>are also hitting options. Many of these players can also shift to the middle.</p>
<h4><strong>Grand Rapids Christian</strong></h4>
<p>The Eagles lost some big pieces from 2020’s championship team, but they are a program that appears can reload as opposed to having to rebuild. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24853" first="Evelyn" last="Doezema"] </strong>looks to be very capable taking on the role of primary hitter. She’s got the size and power to be a dominant hitter. <strong>Alyssa DeVries </strong>performed very well in her first season as starting setter in 2020. She comes back for her senior year with a lot of confidence and the task of helping develop new hitting options.<strong> Kate Breems </strong>is a middle with some experience from last season, while <strong>Makenzie Ritsema</strong> is a promising junior talent in the middle that should get her chance to shine this fall.</p>
<h4><strong>Lakewood</strong></h4>
<p>The Vikings have been one of the top offenses in Division 2 for years and should be again in 2021 despite losing one of their biggest weapons in middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14185" first="Aubrey" last="O’Gorman"]</strong>. The 6’2” MSU product was a dominant force on the court and replacing her will be impossible. However, Lakewood still has her 6’4” sister on the outside, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24871" first="Maradith" last="O’Gorman"]</strong>. Accustomed to a lot of defensive attention already, the future Spartan will have all eyes on her this season. She returns setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66296" first="Skylar" last="Bump"]</strong>, who is one of the top junior setters in the state. <strong>Ellie Possehn </strong>and <strong>Kenzie Wells </strong>have a chance to really shine this season with a big opportunity opening up in the offense. The same can be said for some young middles, as the Vikings will have to address the loss of fellow middle <strong>Sophie Duits </strong>as well.</p>
<h4><strong>Coopersville</strong></h4>
<p>Coopersville suffered a big loss with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50295" first="Abby" last="Olin"] </strong>moving on to college, but head coach Shane Balcom has a lot of confidence in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108716" first="Emily" last="May"]</strong>, a junior that has become a dominant outside with a lot of upside, touching 10’2”. May has a strong setter working with her as well in <strong>Haylee Wegener</strong>, who will be making her varsity debut this upcoming season, but was a varsity setter at Grant as a freshman. The Broncos also have a lot of other arms that can shift around the net that are eager to showcase their skills this season. While somewhat unproven, Coopersville should once again bring a powerful attack to the net in Division 2.</p>
