Beast of the East Standouts: Pins (Pt. 1)
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One of the most stacked field of teams we may have ever seen at Beast of the East, these teams came in ready to play and it made for an epic day of volleyball! With such a stacked field, we…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most stacked field of teams we may have ever seen at Beast of the East, these teams came in ready to play and it made for an epic day of volleyball!
With such a stacked field, we saw a lot of most talented pin attackers in the state. A heavy mix of Miss Volleyball nominees and the big names of tomorrow, they were all on display at Beast of the East.
Here were some of the top pin attackers from this weekend’s Beast of the East.
Paige Giehtbrock Paige Giehtbrock 6'0" | OH Clarkston | 2023 State MI & Cayla Cogan Cayla Cogan 5'10" | OH Clarkston | 2024 State #96 Nation MI – Clarkston
Clarkston is on a real hot streak lately and had a great showing at BOE. A huge reason for the success came from the left side combination of Paige Giehtbrock Paige Giehtbrock 6'0" | OH Clarkston | 2023 State MI (Rider) and Cayla Cogan Cayla Cogan 5'10" | OH Clarkston | 2024 State #96 Nation MI (George Washington). The two gave Clarkston a consistent presence on the pins and were very efficient scoring about anywhere on the court. The two combined for 77 kills on the weekend and earned top honors in Pool G.
Emily May Emily May 6'1" | OH Coopersville | 2023 State MI – Coopersville
When you think of the name Coopersville Volleyball, you often think of the play of Emily May Emily May 6'1" | OH Coopersville | 2023 State MI (Ferris State). Dynamic, powerful and a game changer, May continued showcasing her prowess this weekend. The Ferris State bound attacker can really elevate to the clouds and bring down some thunderous swings.
Emma Thamarus Emma Thamarus 5'11" | OH Dakota | 2023 State MI & Bella Austin Bella Austin 6'0" | OH Dakota | 2023 State MI – Dakota
There were power duos aplenty this weekend on the pins and you couldn’t find quite better than the duo of Emma Thamarus Emma Thamarus 5'11" | OH Dakota | 2023 State MI (Mount Vernon) and Bella Austin Bella Austin 6'0" | OH Dakota | 2023 State MI (Long Island). The two seniors lit up the Beast of the East this weekend coming out victorious in Pool H. Both Thamarus and Austin hold a steady game, playing six rotations and can be big threats coming out of the back court as well.
Kennedy Louisell Kennedy Louisell 6'0" | OH Forest Hills Northern | 2023 State #140 Nation MI & Elana Erickson Elana Erickson 5'10" | OH Forest Hills Northern | 2024 State #79 Nation MI – Forest Hills Northern
Another huge duo on the left side, Kennedy Louisell Kennedy Louisell 6'0" | OH Forest Hills Northern | 2023 State #140 Nation MI (UNCG) and Elana Erickson Elana Erickson 5'10" | OH Forest Hills Northern | 2024 State #79 Nation MI continue to be the it-girls in the volleyball world. Proving why this weekend, Louisell and Erickson lifted the Huskies to an undefeated pool record and a great run into the gold bracket rounds. Louisell continues proving her prowess at the net and a serious contender for Miss Volleyball, meanwhile Erickson is making herself quite the case for her own nomination next season.
Remi Madison Remi Madison 5'9" | OH Grand Blanc | 2023 State MI – Grand Blanc
Remi. Remi. Remi! There’s no escaping this player as she is just so strong! She’s a well-known presence offensively, but Remi Madison Remi Madison 5'9" | OH Grand Blanc | 2023 State MI also dialed up her defensive game this weekend too! No ball was dropping on her side of the court and nothing was getting in her way. It was because of her defense that Grand Blanc was able to mark a huge upset victory over Saline in pool play.
Rowan Cebulski – Grand Rapids Christian
Grand Rapids Christian came into the tournament seeded third in Pool G and ended up playing spoiler to second seed Mattawan to advance to gold. The Eagles came close to playing spoiler in Dakota’s run too! A lot of this is due to the play of All-Tournament team member, Rowan Cebulski. A dynamic player with some great leaping abilities along with some stellar defense, Cebulski was as tough as nails.
Isabelle Busignani Isabelle Busignani 6'1" | OH Marian | 2025 State #73 Nation MI & Molly Banta Molly Banta 6'0" | OH Marian | 2023 State MI – Marian
Just narrowly missing out the repeat finish at Beast of the East, a lot of the success was to the credit of the pins for Marian. Led by sophomore OH Isabelle Busignani Isabelle Busignani 6'1" | OH Marian | 2025 State #73 Nation MI and senior OH Molly Banta Molly Banta 6'0" | OH Marian | 2023 State MI , Busignani was the go-to all day, especially towards the end. After an injury to senior OPP Ella Schomer Ella Schomer 6'0" | RS Marian | 2023 State #142 Nation MI and MB Reagan Sass Reagan Sass 5'10" | OH Marian | 2023 State MI , Banta stepped up her game immensely to fill in the gap.
Cece Pelak Cece Pelak 5'10" | RS Mattawan | 2023 State MI – Mattawan
As previewed, Cece Pelak Cece Pelak 5'10" | RS Mattawan | 2023 State MI was one of the top performers on Saturday and was super effective. Despite just narrowly missing out on a top two finish in pool play, Pelak was a key piece to Mattawan’s success throughout the day. No matter where along the net or from the back court, Pelak was readily available and delivered every time.
Angie Butler Angie Butler 5'10" | OH Mercy | 2024 State MI – Mercy
The theme of the day was injuries. Mercy saw the loss of their leading scorer Ella Shields Ella Shields 5'5" | DS/L Mercy | 2023 State MI early in pool play and had to call upon a new name to lead the way. Angie Butler Angie Butler 5'10" | OH Mercy | 2024 State MI got the call and delivered quite nicely in the name of Shields’ absence. Butler has been spending a majority of her time on the right pin this season and looked quite comfortable on the left pin.
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