2021 Standouts at the Mt. Morris Regional

<p>I wasn’t sure whether I was at a regional playoff match or if I was watching a grueling defensive clinic.</p> <p>The Mt. Morris regional was not one for the weak. If you were going to score, these teams were going to make you earn it!</p> <p>A regional full of cannon-armed hitters and ruthless ’bros, here were some of the standouts in Mt. Morris.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="110287" first="Kayla" last="Chingwa"] (2024) | 6-2 MB | North Branch</p> <p>Chingwa quickly made her presence known this week. In the Bronco’s battle with former Tri-Valley Conference foes, Garber and Birch Run, Chingwa was easily a difference maker. The raw middle blocker was a force at the net with 11 blocks over six sets. In the championship, Chingwa was near unstoppable hitting over .500 with 10 kills in the sweep.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="110301" first="Hailey" last="Green"] (2024) | 5-1 L | North Branch/Michigan Elite<img class="size-medium wp-image-130322 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/Hailey-Green.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>When you watch Green play, you are fooled to think you’re watching a veteran defender. This player showed no sign of youth despite only being a sophomore. She was every attacker’s worst nightmare to play against. No matter the shot, no matter the heat on the ball, Green played it with ease. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="66297" first="Kalliann" last="Cook"] (2023) | 5-3 L | Birch Run/Michigan Elite</p> <p class="p1">Cook is one of the top ‘bros in division 2 volleyball alongside Green and showed why this week. The scrappy defender was rock solid on defense and relentless in her pursuit. Cook leads an impressive Panther defensive line that tires out their opponents and was key to their upset over Frankenmuth in the district final. Cook was especially impressive against the heat of Powers Catholic on Tuesday. </p> <p>Logan Martinus (2022) | 5-10 OH/MB | Birch Run</p> <p class="p1">Birch Run’s defense may receive a lot of the credit for their success, but Martinus showed there was much more there. The senior outside/middle combo was lights out. She quickly made an impression with a wicked line shot that was almost impossible to defend against Powers Catholic. A regional stocked full of youth, Martinus’ mature play was impactful in Birch Run’s run in the tournament.</p> <p class="p1"><span class="Apple-converted-space">[player_tooltip player_id="172187" first="Emma" last="Dufresne"] (2023) | 5-8 OH | Essexville-Garber/Five:1</span></p> <p>Garber put up a big fight against North Branch, in large part to Dufresne’s steadiness. The springy attacker was solid all night. In-system or out-, Dufresne made plays on the ball that were eye popping when watching an attacker her size. Her all-around play was impressive as her passing was spot on throughout the contest. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="172188" first="Ashlee" last="Lenhard"] (2023) | 5-10 MB | Essexville-Garber/Five:1</p> <p>Lenhard was a great compliment to Dufresne in the semifinals. Being another undersized player for her position, she was very clever in her attack. Running combinations in the gap or behind the setter, Lenhard was able to move around the tough Bronco defense to find great scoring success. Between Lenhard and Dufresne, the 50 win season is not only impressive but made total sense with these attackers.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="91611" first="Madison" last="Gebhardt"] (2022) | 6-2 OH | Powers Catholic/Michigan Elite</p> <p>Gebhardt was easily one of the toughest attackers in this regional. The Central Michigan commit can pack a real punch in her swings. She was a consistent force for the Chargers against Birch Run. While the attacker was a little more error-prone on Tuesday, they were all off of aggressive swings and close calls. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>