2022 D4 Semifinal Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, if there is one thing that was made clear on Tuesday night, it's that I don't have much of a feel for the Division 4 postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three of my four quarterfinal picks were wrong and we head to Battle Creek with the D4 title completely up for grabs between the remaining squads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The four will kickoff a great weekend of volleyball action with their two semifinal matchups on Thursday at Noon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's get a closer look and see if we can do a little better on our picks this time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>No. 3 Athens vs. No. 10 Lansing Christian – Noon</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athens came through with the most eye-popping victory in D4 on Tuesday, sweeping top-ranked Lenawee Christian. That included a 25-11 second set. Lansing Christian put up the other sweep, besting Portland St. Pats with some comfortability. Athens is making its first trip to Kellogg Arena and is bringing a hard-working defense with a mix of hitters that have a mixture of shots. <strong>Piper Porter, Kylie Quist</strong> and <strong>Jocelyn Hall</strong> each put up double-digit kills in Tuesday's win. Setter <strong>Alaina Brubaker</strong> recorded 40 assists and was locked in all game with her ability to spread the offensive wealth. Hall was a big factor defensively with 26 digs, while Porter and Quist combined for another 32. Lansing Christian has been able to put opponents on their heels with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172210' first='Katelynn' last='Rottman']</strong>, but the Pilgrims have a defense that can compete with most anyone. <strong>Ava Waldron</strong> is a speedy libero that gets to a lot of attacks, while <strong>Eliza Wortz </strong>has provided a strong block to go with some powerful swings. <strong>Maddy Rottman </strong>is also able to impact the game with her setting and offensive choices. In this matchup, I think the depth that Athens has been showing, and showed against Lenawee Christian, should provide it with a lot of confidence. Both teams are new to Battle Creek, so nerves can't factor in too much one way or another.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Athens over Lansing Christian in 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>No. 5 Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart vs. Crystal Falls Forest Park – 2 p.m.</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":172962,"width":197,"height":236,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/SHA-23-Angel-Brown-2-860x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-172962" width="197" height="236" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='173615' first='Angel' last='Brown']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of these teams won in four sets. Sacred Heart dispatched perennial D4 power, Leland, to punch its second consecutive ticket to Battle Creek. Forest Park got past last year's D4 runner-up, Inland Lakes. <strong>Lillie Laney </strong>came through with 11 kills and three blocks for the Irish in Tuesday's win, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173615' first='Angel' last='Brown'] </strong>powered her way to eight kills. <strong>Bridget Ruiz </strong>was a workhorse in the back row with 22 digs while helping lead an aggressive serving effort by SHA. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595955' first='Sophie' last='Hauck'] </strong>and <strong>Eliza Pieratt </strong>combined for the setting effort and also were key contributors to the defense. Forest Park showed a lot of grit. It dropped its opening set 25-13 before rallying to the win over the next three sets. The Trojans were strong from the service line and kept the Bulldogs from getting in-system consistently. When in-system, Forest Park has been able to use the likes of <strong>Leah Feldhausen,</strong> <strong>Ema Stepien </strong>and <strong>Ava Fischer </strong>to finish points. <strong>Charlie Larson </strong>is spreading the ball well amongst them at setter, while <strong>Ashlynn Kannich </strong>has led the defensive charge. The Trojans also have a strong block that the Irish will have to contend with. I like Sacred Heart to have enough in the tank to win on Thursday. The Irish learned a lot from last year's loss and should come in more confident and sure of itself this time around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Sacred Heart over Forest Park in 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->