Division 4 quarterfinals breakdown & predictions

<p>Division 4 has a great mix of eight teams remaining, with programs all over the map.</p> <p>There’s some big-time matchups on Tuesday night, while a few others are looking to shock the Division 4 world.</p> <p>Here’s a look at the four quarterfinal pairings set to take place tonight.</p> <h4><strong>Ironwood vs. Indian River Inland Lakes at Munising HS</strong></h4> <p>There’s not a lot of info out there about Ironwood, so I have to admit they are a bit of a mystery to me. The Red Devils have dropped just one set in the postseason and their defensive play has looked strong over the last two weeks. Ironwood has managed to win a lot of sets that have been decided by 5 points or less, which shows the team is able to play well under pressure. For Inland Lakes <strong>Natalie Wandrie </strong>is a big-time finisher, who had 23 kills in the team’s regional final win over Rudyard. <strong>Olivia Monthei </strong>is another solid finisher with a strong defensive games as well, alongside libero <strong>Ryann Clancy</strong>. Defense will be important this week and the team that is able to come through with the long rallies will likely come out the winner. <strong>Prediction: </strong>Inland Lakes over Ironwood in 4</p> <h4><strong>Traverse City Christian vs. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart at Chippewa Hills HS</strong></h4> <p>No. 5 TC Christian takes on No. 10 SHA in this quarterfinal. The story of this game will be how the Irish can hope to contain the Sabres’ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24866" first="Emma" last="Mirabelli"]</strong>. She joined the 2,000-kill club this season and is a dominant player in Division 4. She’s got the power that’s tough to stop, but also has a high court IQ to make plays in a variety of ways. Sacred Heart will hope to counter with <strong>Maddie Munley</strong>, an impressive middle that put down 21 kills in a regional final win over Tri-unity Christian. The Irish do have some size to compete with the Sabres, but will have to rely on a team effort to come away with a win. <strong>Prediction: </strong>TC Christian over SHA in 5</p> <h4><strong>Battle Creek St. Philip vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian at Portage Central HS</strong></h4> <p>It doesn’t get much bigger than this, with No. 1 Lenawee Christian taking on No. 2 St. Philip, the defending D4 state champs. Lenawee Christian owns a two-set win over St. Philip from earlier in the season, but that was back on Sept. 3. Lenawee Christian has a lot of arms to work with as <strong>Isabelle Kirkendall </strong>and <strong>Kelsie Lilly </strong>have both been consistent finishers. The defensive effort is strong for LC as well behind <strong>Josie Mineff, </strong>Lilly and <strong>Olivia DiMarco</strong>. St. Philip is led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24854" first="Brooke" last="Dzwik"]</strong>, one of the best D4 has to offer. She’s got a complete game and plays with a lot of fire. The Fighting Tigers lost just one senior from last year’s championship team, so they are very experienced and poised. <strong>Rachel Myers </strong>is a veteran setter that keeps the team calm on the floor, while <strong>Baily Fancher </strong>is a great defender. This should be a great matchup with a lot of momentum swings. While Lenawee Christian won the first meeting, there’s a lot more pressure in this meeting. <strong>Prediction: </strong>St. Philip over Lenawee Christian in 5</p> <h4><strong>Allen Park Inter-City Baptist vs. Ubly at Fenton HS</strong></h4> <p>No. 8 Inter-City Baptist came through with some big wins last week and now draws No. 7 Ubly in a great matchup. This is new ground for ICB, while Ubly is making a third straight quarterfinal appearance after falling at this stage in 2020 and 2019. The Tigers have a lot of experience to work with and a balanced attack behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="152527" first="Lindsey" last="Guza"]</strong>, <strong>Carly Guza </strong>and <strong>Emma Smalley</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id="152527" first="Lindsey" last="Guza"] is a major blocking force as well for the defense, while <strong>Nora Franzel </strong>is very quick to the ball in the back row. Inter-City Baptist is balanced offensively as well behind <strong>Bethany Estell</strong>, <strong>Madison Handyside </strong>and <strong>Ali Bettinger</strong>. Setter <strong>Evelyn Karamon </strong>mixes up the attacks effectively and will be a key player in Tuesday’s matchup. I always have to side with experience in these close calls. Ubly has to be very motivated to correct the losses of past years. <strong>Prediction: </strong>Ubly over Inter-City Baptist in 4</p>