Top Four Teams to Watch in Division 4

We have conquered the top three divisions in MHSAA Volleyball and now its time to look at Division 4! This division is just as entertaining as the rest of the divisions, made up of the small schools in Michigan, a lot of these athletes are multi-sport athletes and with this diverse style of play brought in from other sports make it a lot of fun and a different style of volleyball.   Last year saw the perennial powers of Battle Creek St. Philip take yet another crown behind the prowess of [player_tooltip player_id='24854' first='Brooke' last='Dzwik'] (Michigan Tech), topping Inland Lakes in three dominating sets. But with the loss of Dzwik and the somewhat lackluster ending from Inland Lakes, both are still contenders for the 2022 crown and there's some others to throw into the mix as well   Let's take a deep dive into Division 4 and check out what teams you need to see this season.   <h2>Battle Creek St. Philip</h2>   it's most fitting we take a look at last year's champions off the bat. Kellogg Arena is practically the home gym to the Tigers and they use home field advantage near annually. Last year saw the Tigers have a tough road to the finals as in the regional rounds, saw St. Phil on the brink of elimination by two extremely talented local rivals in Athens and Lenawee Christian. (Side Note: MHSAA, when are we going to implement a seeding system to ensure the best teams are in the finals regardless of region? I digress.) After the Regional rounds, it was smooth sailing for St. Phil as they would only drop a single set in the final two games.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8940-1024x999.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-171425" width="211" height="206"/><figcaption>[player_tooltip player_id='24854' first='Brooke' last='Dzwik']</figcaption></figure>   They lose a big hammer on the left pin with Dzwik as well as a bulk of its lineup but return a good, young group of talent to uphold the yearly expectations. Of the top returners are MB [player_tooltip player_id='209470' first='Maddie' last='Hoelscher'] and S Charlie Greger, Greger was only an eighth grader in last year's championship run. Four more years of her running the show could be trouble.   <h2>Adrian Lenawee Christian</h2>   Riding off of the reigning state champs, let's talk about a team that should have been in the final four teams, or even in the championship. If seeding/regional alignments allowed it, that would've been the case in 2021, because this team was super talented and will continue to be this season, one of my favorites to see their time in the limelight of Kellogg.   Last year saw the team just edged out in the quarterfinals by St.Phil by a fifth set tiebreaker. From that uber talented team last season, the Cougars return every single statistical leader from last season including kills leader [player_tooltip player_id='173609' first='Isabelle' last='Kirkendall'] and digs leader Josie Mineff. In all reality, they only lose one contributor in Kelsie Lilly, second on the team in kills, digs and serving. This team returns a lot of firepower and defensive dandies that should be fired up to make a statement in 2022.   <h2>Athens</h2>   I have to continue on with the theme we are on because Athens should've been another one of those teams in the final four last year but were eliminated by St. Phil in the Regional Final in another fifth set decider. This team has annually been a top contender for at least the last decade or so now but due to regional constraints are limited to the regional rounds, but always leaving a battle. What a match we continue missing out on, on the biggest stage by ignoring a change to seeding teams. Oh well, this team comes into 2022, still a favorite to make an impressive run.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/11/Inland-Lakes-12-Natalie-Wandrie-587x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-166034" width="173" height="302"/><figcaption>[player_tooltip player_id='216118' first='Natalie' last='Wandrie']</figcaption></figure>   Last year's team saw the swan song of one of the top liberos in the state, Sarah Nobach (Penn State Behrend). The team probably has a larger group of departures from last season than the previous two but as stated, are always restocking and reloading talent on the floor. Of their top returners are S Alaina Brubaker and OH Kylie Quist.   <h2>Indian River Inland Lakes</h2>   Last year's Runner Ups are nothing to scoff over this season, they return a bulk of their roster and they return a huge size advantage over much of the field in Division 4. Of those big guns on the Inland Lakes roster is 2021's kill leader, [player_tooltip player_id='216118' first='Natalie' last='Wandrie']. Wandrie was a force to be reckoned with last season and should return for an even more explosive senior season. Joining her in the march back to Kellogg Arena will be right side Taylor Jones, who brings a huge presence at the net as she stands tall at 6'0, head and shoulders above a lot of her opponents.   However, Inland Lakes does lose some key pieces including their assists and block leaders, Alyssa Bryne and Emily Van Daele. Someone to the size of Jones gives me a feeling the blocking department will be in fine hands, but Bryne's departure leaves a big question mark on the next show runner for this squad. A position that can make or break a team.

We have conquered the top three divisions in MHSAA Volleyball and now its time to look at Division 4! This division is just as entertaining as the rest of the divisions, made up of the small schools in Michigan, a lot of these athletes are multi-sport athletes and with this diverse style of play brought in from other sports make it a lot of fun and a different style of volleyball.