Division I Region 2 Semifinals Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>#4 Steele vs. #8 Highland</em></strong><br>Highland, out of Medina, has battled well through the first few rounds of the postseason having started with two five-set wins before pulling off a big 3-1 upset of Olmsted Falls to advance to the regional round. Their 3-2 win over Wooster in the district semifinals included a 19-17 fifth set. At 22-3 overall, they finished 14-0 in Suburban-American conference play. Senior pin hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114557' first='Alayna' last='Tessena']</strong> provides a big arm as she is just shy of 1,400 career kills. She currently averages 4.0 kills per set and is hitting at a career best efficiency of .388. Her skills and athleticism provide production as well as help create energy and momentum. She contributes nine digs per match and has 245 total service aces in her career as well. Junior outside hitter<strong> Izzy Shank</strong> adds 2.1 kills per set to their offense as the second best point scorer on the team. Sophomore <strong>Ashley Shefferly</strong> and senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141707' first='Megan' last='Scavuzzo']</strong> share the setting role as Scavuzzo leads the team with 5.5 assists per set and is approaching 900 assists for her career. She also leads the team in service aces with 67. Senior <strong>Corrine Mutch</strong> provides a team high 11.6 digs per match and has been terrific as of late, performing above her season average through the late regular season and playoffs so far. If Tessena can get some offensive help and there is some balance to their attack, then Highland could have a shot to advance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Steele, they cruised through their first two postseason matches 3-0 before facing a tough #3 seeded St. Joseph Academy team. It was a complete team effort in taking down SJA 3-2 as three Comets' attackers reached double figure kills in the win. It was their defense that shined in the win though as they held advantages in total blocks (16-3) and digs (84-65). It were the senior veterans that provided the biggest spark for Steele as libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='169502' first='Lindsey' last='McConihe']</strong> had a match high 22 digs and a team high three service aces. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227389' first='Ava' last='Haddix'] </strong>dished a match high 46 assists to help create the balance across the Comets' three biggest producers offensively. Senior outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114531' first='Nia' last='Hall']</strong> has carried a big workload for Steele all season and has been very productive and successful at over six kills per set and hitting at a career high .450 efficiency. She also added 16 digs and three blocks in the district finals. As senior<strong> Isabela Gotsis</strong> provided 10 kills against SJA, some of the best overall production came from junior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='169112' first='Cecily' last='Waynar']</strong> as she terminated 13 kills while hitting .346. On the defensive side she was terrific with eight total blocks helping contain SJA's offense to a .195 efficiency. Hall and Waynar are the primary options offensively as the Comets will look for them to do their thing while also getting another big effort in their defense to slow down Tessena. Prediction: Steele wins 3-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>#1 Northview vs. #5 Perrysburg</em></strong><br>Northview has dropped just one set so far this postseason as the #12 ranked Wildcats are 20-5 overall. They have a core trio of arms that can score in a variety of ways and will need balance and efficiency to take down league rival Perrysburg. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141687' first='Kamryn' last='Hunt']</strong> leads the offense at over four kills per set and has all the tools to be a high impact performer each match. She gets a lot of opportunities and can score with good range and power. Also on the left pin is senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153894' first='Sydney' last='Hires']</strong>. She provides 3.0 kills per set and complements Hunt's point scoring well as she can bring big heat through a variety of attack points. On the right side is the left-handed opposite <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152116' first='Natalie' last='Kerchevall']</strong>, a recent rankings stock riser and one that has potential to terminate just as effectively as her power pin teammates. She also guides half the offense and contributes 5.9 assists per set in doing so. Her setting counterpart and fellow junior <strong>Hannah Schoen</strong> adds 4.9 assists per set. Recent 2024 rankings addition <strong>Jordyn Pakluski</strong>, a 5'5 junior libero, leads the defensive effort with 13.9 digs per match. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Perrysburg Yellow Jackets finished league play with an identical 12-2 league record as Northview as the two split victories in conference play. Perrysburg won the most recent match 3-1 in mid October. Senior <strong>Josie Hubbard</strong> has nearly 300 kills on the season and averages 3.5 per set to lead this squad. She has a big arm on the left side as highlighted by the 30 kills across the two previous matches versus Northview. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141688' first='Sara' last='Pahl'] </strong>is also over three kills per set as the 5'10 outside hitter can get on top of the ball with her high elbow action at the top of her jump. Junior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232959' first='Wrigley' last='Takats']</strong> provides 2.6 kills per set and is hitting at a .328 clip. At 6'2, Takats is great on the defensive side at 3.5 blocks per match. The key element for Perrysburg though may be in the skilled and savvy play of senior setter <strong>Giana Frayer</strong>. She can set the full range of the court well with good location and variety. At 10 assists per set, the 5'7 senior is approaching 2,200 career assists. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141686' first='Avery' last='Adamski']</strong> has nearly 1,500 career digs and picks up 15.8 per set. These two teams know each other well and it will likely come down to do can execute their game plan better. Prediction: Northview wins 3-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->