Five Beast of the East Matchups You Have To See

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 Beast of the East Tournament is set to take place this weekend from the UWM Sports Complex in Pontiac.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 32-team field featuring many of the top teams in the state is annually the best collection of prep volleyball teams in Michigan in one event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The eight pools are set that will eventually determine the 16-team gold bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Inside those pools feature some elite matchups that we are very excited about. Here's five you're going to want to see.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Marian (No. 1 D1) vs. Lakeland (No. 11 D1)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a battle of unbeatens when the top teams meet up in Pool A on Saturday. Marian is the undisputed top-ranked team right now at 28-0. The Mustangs are definitely the measuring stick with their balance around the court. Lakeland is 17-0, which is nothing to look past. However, the Eagles will definitely be stepping up their competition when they face Marian. This whole tournament will be a big measuring stick for Lakeland to see just where it stands among the best in the state. The matchup that intrigues me for this contest is the battle in the middle. Lakeland has two very strong middles in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140494' first='Rachel' last='Zurek'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173602' first='Olivia' last='Krill']</strong>. Marian has <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108790' first='Mckenzie' last='Swanson'] </strong>dominating the middle for them. Both teams have setters, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108719' first='Eve' last='Martin'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa']</strong>, that feed them the ball in positions to succeed. If Lakeland is going to compete, or even win, it has to win this battle in the middle and their front has to get a lot of paws on Marian's attacks from the outside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Saline (No. 7 D1) vs. Forest Hills Northern (No. 2 D1)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool C has a great matchup scheduled when Saline and FH Northern meet up. These two collided on Oct. 1 at Hudsonville and split a pair of competitive sets. Saline has been playing really well considering it lost <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110282' first='Mallory' last='Bohl'] </strong>early in the season. She'd definitely be a difference-maker to help the Hornets be near the top of the state right now. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio'] </strong>has come through big for Saline and she led the way against the Huskies a few weeks ago. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173605' first='Laney' last='Burns'] </strong>has upped her game to help make up for the loss of Bohl. FHN is going to bring the heat behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66314' first='Kennedy' last='Louisell']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110295' first='Elana' last='Erickson'] </strong>on the outside and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110305' first='Kendall' last='Hopewell'] </strong>in the middle. The Hornets will have to find a way to slow down that offense to get the upset win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>North Branch (No. 1 D2) vs. SMCC (No. 1 D3)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not often you get to see the top teams in two divisions meet up, but we get that on Saturday in Pool E. North Branch is the clear No. 1 in Division 2 and SMCC is the clear No. 1 in Division 3 right now. The Broncos just have so much depth right now. Everywhere you look on the court, they have a game-changing player. If in D1, the Broncos could still contend for a state title. SMCC has been the measuring stick in D3 for years. While it doesn't have the overall depth of North Branch, it still has top-level talent that can compete with anyone. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156321' first='McKenna' last='Payne'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156292' first='Jessica' last='Costlow']</strong> are going to keep the Kestrels in the mix in this matchup. But, the Broncos have all the arms, one of the best setters in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110302' first='Adrienne' last='Greschaw']</strong> and a top-level libero in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110301' first='Hailey' last='Green']</strong>. I think North Branch will have just too much depth to come up short.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Coopersville (No. 12 D1) vs. Mercy (No. 9 D1)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Pool F, Coopersville gets a chance to show what it can do against the East side of the state when it collides with Mercy. The Broncos have handled themselves well against some of the best in the Grand Rapids area. Now it can show that it can compete with the talent in Oakland County. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108716' first='Emily' last='May'] </strong>can prove she's one of the best hitters in the state when she goes into this event this weekend. Mercy has had all of its losses come against top-ranked teams in D1 and D2, including three to Marian. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156295' first='Campbell' last='Flynn'] </strong>can hold her own with anyone. She's an elite setter/OPP that is arguably one of the best in the entire Class of 2025 nationally. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66333' first='Ella' last='Shields'] </strong>has been quietly having a strong season on the outside as well to give the Marlins someone to rely on other than Flynn.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Dakota (No. 10 D1) vs. Novi (No. 16 D1)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool H features Dakota and Novi meeting up in a battle of two teams with the capability of getting to Battle Creek, but still seeking for that consistency of elite-level play. The Wildcats have taken sets from many of the best in D1, just haven't found to formula to win the matches. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66340' first='Sarah' last='Vellucci']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66308' first='Kaitlyn' last='Hoffman']</strong> are tireless workers offensively and defensively. Their effort is a big reason why Novi is as strong as it is. Dakota has all the size and the arms. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108718' first='Erin' last='Madigan'] </strong>runs a great offense and has great instincts as a setter and a hitter. The Cougars are hitting over .300 as a team right now. The question for this match is what will shine more? Will it be Dakota's power, or Novi's technique?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->