Week 3 Match-ups to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 1 and 2 matches are in the books and we have already seen teams with impressive starts, lack luster takeoffs, and some surprising upsets. We will have our first official rankings coming out after this week. So let's get another awesome week underway!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>8/23 Edmond North @ Deer Creek</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North had a tough first two weeks. They started the season with a sweep of Southmoore before heading into the tough Norman High Invitational. They beat Mustang and Santa Fe day one before losing to Community Christian and Broken Arrow for the second time on day two. This game could be a great game to bounce back and get steered in the right direction again. Deer Creek is off and running already. They have started 5-1 and their only loss so far to Community Christian was avenged later in the tournament. They really put some quality wins on the resume early. This could be another opportunity to solidify themselves as a top five team in the first rankings. Players to watch in this match up: Jenna Houck is an OH for Deer Creek who has already committed to SWOSU and teams will see a heavy dose of her swing. [player_tooltip player_id='145978' first='Brynlee' last='Birney'] and [player_tooltip player_id='145986' first='Julia' last='McLendon'] really impressed me last season. I think they will continue to step up big for Deer Creek. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>8/25 Piedmont @ Lawton Mac</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will likely be a top 5 matchup, as well as a rematch from the Coweta tournament. Piedmont's only loss was to Lawton Mac in that tournament. I predict Lawton Mac makes it 2-0 against them behind their sheer size and athleticism. Look for these key match ups: Outsides, [player_tooltip player_id='145962' first='Kaylie' last='Marshall'] VS [player_tooltip player_id='156861' first='Bailey' last='Lowder']. Lowder has a little more pop on the ball and loves to go line but Marshall is utilized in all 6 rotations. She isn't afraid to swing from the back row as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Middle Blockers, [player_tooltip player_id='205948' first='Alayna' last='Vines'] VS [player_tooltip player_id='206198' first='Aleeyah' last='Hamblin']. Hamblin has great control of her swing and Vines puts up a huge block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setter Mariah Gaede can track down a ton of balls and put up a very consistent ball for her hitters. Macy Lee and Mayli Whetter are the duo that run the 6-2 offense. This allows for more more hitting option for the Wildcats. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>8/25 Rejoice Christian @ Catoosa</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here will be a solid small school match up. Catoosa is class 4A and Rejoice is class 3A. Rejoice sits at 7-2 and has had some success early. Catoosa has already played 15 matches and sitting at 8-7. They went 2-5 in the Regent tournament this past weekend. This a great opportunity to add a quality win to the resume and help one of them to move up in the rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 2 is officially in the books. Plenty of great matches have already been played. More will be played in week 3. Tournaments to watch for week 3 will be coming out in the next day or so. We will also be discussing the upcoming rankings and what they mean for each class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->