Postseason Notes: Southwest Ohio Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The postseason schedule has been announced and several southwest Ohio teams will begin their journey this week towards regional and state rounds in the coming weeks. Here are some top-seeded teams in all four divisions of Southwest Region action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Division IV</em></strong><br>Russia is a top seed in Southwest 1. They are 17-5 overall and are led by the big arm of senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='169490' first='Kate' last='Sherman'] </strong>at 3.7 kills per set. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114545' first='Miah' last='Monnin']</strong> is approaching 700 assists this season as the Raiders are averaging nearly 12 kills per set collectively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Southwest 2 bracket is Fort Loramie, with an identical 11-1 record to Russia in the Shelby County conference. Junior 6'0 pin hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='494188' first='Summer' last='Hoying']</strong> is the team's offensive leader at 3.2 kills per set. She had 12 kills in their recent 3-1 win over Russia and has over 560 kills for her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson Center is a top seed in Southwest 3 and feature a young talent in sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='718909' first='McKinley' last='Reichert']</strong>. The multi-sport athlete has amassed 313 kills on the season and is averaging 4.5 per set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Division III</em></strong><br>Southwest 1 features Versailles and senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227372' first='Kirsten' last='Bomholt']</strong>, a big contributor with her arm at 5.3 kills per set and defensively as she is a team leader with her 10.4 digs per match. Junior libero <strong>Brooke Briscoe</strong> leads the team in the back row with 11.4 digs per match. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Preble Shawnee is a favorite to get through this portion of the district round in Southwest 2. At 20-1 overall, their offense is led by junior setter <strong>Bella Agee </strong>who is distributing 9.5 assists per set in this her first significant season of play at the varsity level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Southwest 3, the Southern Buckeye-National leaders in Williamsburg earned a first-round bye. At 18-4 overall, it has been junior <strong>Avery Neth</strong> and sophomore <strong>Ella Sunderman</strong> leading the Wildcats' offense with big numbers at 5.5 and 3.4 kills per set respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Division II</em></strong><br>Mercy McAuley is poised to make a deep run in the postseason after a grueling schedule in both conference and non-conference play. They are a top seed in Southwest 1 and are led by Bradley commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114574' first='Maria' last='Drapp']</strong>, the Wolves' setter. She runs a great offense through a solid corps of young hitters and is averaging 10.7 assists per set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Badin is the premier team in Southwest 2. League champs and 20-1 overall, the Rams get great defensive effort from senior <strong>Alyvia Hegemann</strong> and her 10 digs per match average. She supports the team's big offense in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141723' first='Sarah' last='Newberry']</strong> and <strong>Lauren Trusock</strong> well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roger Bacon was at the doorstep of a state title in 2021, falling just short in the DII state championship match. They feature one of the best 1-2 pin duos in the greater Cincy area in junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114590' first='Kelsey' last='Niesen']</strong>, a Xavier commit, and sophomore high potential prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179022' first='Mariah' last='Gaines']</strong>. Gaines leads the team at 3.6 kills per set as Niesen is close with 3.1 per frame. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152056' first='Ally' last='Hughes']</strong> dishes 10.7 assists per set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Division I</em></strong><br>Centerville, the GWOC champions are led by transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114599' first='Reese' last='Wuebker']</strong>, an Ohio State commit. She terminates 4.4 kills per set. The addition of her to a roster that already featured good size and action across all positions creates an opportunity for the Elks to get a shot at the regional round. Also in Southwest 1 is Mount Notre Dame, a perennial power and playing their best volleyball late in the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southwest 2 is arguably the deepest section of the early rounds in Region 4. ECC champs Kings with big-time middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114584' first='Elise' last='Marchal']</strong> are a top seed. However, #2 and #3 in the ECC are here as well in Milford and Kings. Add Seton, #6 in the most recent Division I state poll, and first-year sensation <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227615' first='Callie' last='Combs']</strong>, and we have potentially some of the best matches in the coming days. Combs has been great in her last few matches at 3.5 kills per set, well above her season average of 2.2 kills per set. Junior <strong>Alli Kirch </strong>leads Seton at 3.4 kills per frame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Ursula stands out as the favorite in Southwest 3. The #3 ranked Division I team in Ohio are led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141697' first='Ava' last='Siefke'] </strong>(3.2 kills/set; 2.9 blocks/match) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114568' first='Addy' last='Brus'] </strong>(3.0 kills/set). Senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141709' first='Ivey' last='Stocks']</strong> adds 2.3 kills per set on offense and leads the team defensively with 3.2 blocks per match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ursuline, the states top-ranked Division I team should not see much resistance as they work their way through the Southwest 4 bracket. As this team features some of the state's best prospects, junior defensive specialist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='494158' first='Maya' last='Brausch']</strong> is one to feature given the 12.3 digs per match she contributes. She had a career high 20 digs in their recent 3-2 win over league rival Seton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->