Division II Region 7 Top Seeds

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some of Ohio's top Division II teams will potentially compete before the region round. Likely the toughest DII district quad, several of the state's biggest arms are on track to battle for a regional seminfinal berth. Here are a few teams to keep an eye in Region 7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Bishop Hartley</em></strong><br>Ohio's top-ranked DII team in the most recent poll is 22-1 overall and led by one of the country's top prospects in the class of 2023 in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114513' first='Eloise' last='Brandewie']</strong> as the Ohio State commit terminates 4.1 kills per set and is one of the most efficient attackers at .533. Fellow seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227364' first='Jasmyn' last='Crockett']</strong> and <strong>Alex Etienne</strong> are key contributors as well with 2.6 and 2.1 kills per set respectively. The Hawks won their first match 3-0 over Hebron Lakewood and next take on KIPP Columbus on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Lake </em></strong><br>The unbeaten and #4 ranked team in the state, Lake won their first round match easily surrendering just 10 points in their 3-0 win over Scott. They next face Rossford on Thursday. The Flyers are led by the two-way skills of junior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='139287' first='Taryn' last='DeWese']</strong> as she leads the offense at 3.8 kills per set while also distributing half the offense with 287 assists on the season. She is also a team leader defensively picking up 10.7 digs per match. Senior <strong>Ella Vorst</strong> is another big offensive threat with nearly 250 kills on the season and a team leading .402 efficiency. Defensively, junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='169098' first='Sydney' last='Stanley'] </strong>collects a team high 14.6 digs per match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Liberty-Benton</em></strong><br>The Eagles are 20-3 overall and the champions of the Blanchard Valley conference. Ranked #11 in the current DII poll, they are the most recent DIII state champions making the jump to DII for 2022. Penn State bound senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114560' first='Karis' last='Willow']</strong> is one of the best point scorers in the state at 6.6 kills per set. At 6'3, she is a versatile attacker, has amassed over 1,300 kills in her career, and also leads the team defensively with 11.7 digs per match. Her best offensive support comes from 6'0 junior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='494177' first='Lauren' last='Gerken']</strong> and her 2.8 kills per set as she also leads the team at the net with 2.4 blocks per match. This team claimed their opening postseason victory over Rogers and next take on Maumee on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Gilmour Academy</em></strong><br>The reigning DII state champs from 2021 have a tough road ahead if they want to repeat. As usual, they have talent and could certainly find a way given the quality of skill in certain phases. With some senior veterans in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114550' first='Anna' last='Rarick']</strong> (2.9 k/s) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114535' first='Laney' last='Klika']</strong> (20.2 d/m), the remaining top production comes from a talented corps of sophomores. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='151988' first='Ella' last='Jackson']</strong> has veteran experience as a setter, which includes involving two highly capable arms in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152049' first='Kayla' last='Channell']</strong> (*pictured; 2.8 k/s; .463 %) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152066' first='Marlie' last='Davis']</strong>, the team's leader at 3.3 kills per set. Their second postseason match is Saturday versus Buchtel.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Vermilion</em></strong><br>With a perfect 12-0 record in the Sandusky Bay-Lake conference, the Sailors are ranked #13 in the current DII Ohio poll. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='169525' first='Gracie' last='Starcovic']</strong>, a senior outside hitter, leads their offense with 3.9 kills per set. Fellow senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114556' first='Maddie' last='Stout']</strong> is a big contributor at 3.2 kills per set and team highs in total digs with 273 and efficiency at .314. They next face Bellevue in the second round on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Other Athletes to See</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227630' first='Ava' last='Brown']</strong> - Lexington | 2026 | 3.8 k/s; .374 eff.; 7.6 d/m</li><li><strong>Olivia Rust</strong> - Rossford | 2024 | 4.1 k/s; 12.2 d/m</li><li><strong>Cameron Kaufman</strong> - Perkins | 2023 | 18.0 d/m</li><li><strong>Amelia Lutz</strong> - Celina | 2023 | 3.1 k/s; 6.4 d/m</li><li><strong>Allison Schwieterman </strong>- Celina | 17.5 d/m</li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->