D1 Quarterfinals Breakdown And Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have officially reached finals week for the 2022 postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things get started on Tuesday with the quarterfinals, where four teams from each division will punch a ticket to Battle Creek.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Division 1 has some great matchups on the horizon, with the potential for some surprising upsets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>No. 1 Marian vs. No. 9 Clarkston</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This match will take place from SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron. These two have met twice during the season, with Marian winning all four sets. The first encounter was a 25-17, 25-15 victory for the Mustangs, while the second encounter was a more competitive 25-22, 25-19 result. Clarkston really struggled with Marian's offensive speed in the first meeting, but handled it better the second time around. The Wolves come into this quarterfinal feeling more confident with their overall offensive depth. Senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140487' first='Emma' last='Larkins'] </strong>wasn't available in the previous two meetings and she's been providing a big spark offensively and defensively in the postseason. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226022' first='Annabelle' last='Keller'] </strong>has also emerged in the last week as a consistent finisher on the outside to compliment <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66303' first='Paige' last='Giehtbrock'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110288' first='Cayla' last='Cogan']</strong>. The Wolves will have to finish points, as giving Marian multiple swings isn't a winning formula. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa'] </strong>has a great connection with her hitters and the Mustangs have finishers all over the floor in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66330' first='Ella' last='Schomer']</strong>, <strong>Izzy Busignani, [player_tooltip player_id='152524' first='Molly' last='Banta']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66329' first='Reagan' last='Sass'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108790' first='Mckenzie' last='Swanson']</strong>. Both teams also have great liberos in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110299' first='Kiley' last='Gallagher']</strong> for Clarkston and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66305' first='Lauren' last='Heming'] </strong>for Marian. For Clarkston to end Marian's hopes at a 3-peat, the Wolves will have to start strong and ride the momentum early to put Marian's back against the wall. Ultimately, I think the Mustangs have too much depth to see their season end in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Marian over Clarkston in 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>No. 14 Rockford vs. No. 3 Forest Hills Northern</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This quarterfinal will be held at Cedar Springs High School. FH Northern came through a tough regional bracket, besting Hudsonville in four sets to reach the quarterfinal. Rockford has looked pretty dominant throughout the postseason, but gets a big step up in competition on Tuesday. The Rams lost six of seven sets against the Huskies during the season, but most of the sets have been pretty competitive. Rockford has great offensive depth, but needs to finish points more consistently, as FHN will come at them with a lot of powerful arms in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66314' first='Kennedy' last='Louisell'], [player_tooltip player_id='110305' first='Kendall' last='Hopewell'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110295' first='Elana' last='Erickson']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173606' first='Lauren' last='Hallas'] </strong>does a great job mixing up the attack as well. Rockford has a great mix of experience and youth. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140476' first='Meredith' last='Simmons']</strong> is a dynamic senior outside that has been joined by freshman <strong>Liv Hosford</strong> as a great 1-2 punch. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156337' first='Layla' last='Visser']</strong>, freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226943' first='Sienna' last='Wolfe']</strong> and senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66315' first='Lizzie' last='Macintosh'] </strong>have all been steady offensive contributors as well, making freshman setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226887' first='Izzie' last='Delacher']'s </strong>job much easier to manage. In this quarterfinal, with both offenses so talented and deep, the team to handle the serve receive better is likely to have the edge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>FH Northern over Rockford in 5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Gull Lake vs. No. 13 Saline</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two will meet from Mason High School on Tuesday. After some bumps in the road near the end of the regular season, Saline has gotten back on track during the postseason. It easily dispatched Okemos in the regional final after Okemos bested 2021 runner-up Skyline. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio']</strong> has definitely established herself as one of the top hitters in the Class of 2025 with her performance this season. With senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140484' first='Anna' last='Hesse'] </strong>a compliment on the outside and great leader for Laurio to learn form, the two have the pins handled for Saline. <strong>Beth Ann Ford</strong>, a senior middle, has really come on in the second half of the season as well and had a great regional performance. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173605' first='Laney' last='Burns'] </strong>has the Saline offense moving quicky, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172207' first='Olivia' last='Behen']</strong> has been a workhorse defensively in the back row. The Hornets now draw a Full Lake team that has quietly been going about its business all season, racking up wins. Its playoff victories list is impressive with wins over the likes of Mattawan, Portage Northern and Lakeview. The Blue Devils have been tough at the service line, led by senior <strong>Grace Wood</strong>. She's also part of a offensive cluster in junior <strong>Bree </strong>Eklund, senior <strong>Elle Green</strong>, junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172199' first='Sophie' last='Crawford'] </strong>and senior <strong>Amelia Colosky</strong> that will look to go toe-to-toe with Saline's powerful arms. Sophomore libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156291' first='Taygan' last='Corstange'] </strong>will play a key role if Gull Lake is going to find itself getting another victory on Tuesday. Saline was a team that looked like a legit title contender at points in the season. The Hornets are back to looking that way now and I give them the edge in this quarterfinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Saline over Gull Lake in 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>No. 2 Northville vs. Berkley</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This matchup will be held in Royal Oak. Berkley has been a great story, winning its first regional championship on Thursday by defeating Grosse Pointe South in four sets. The 38-win Bears have two very dynamic hitters in seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173607' first='Ava' last='Beard'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173600' first='Sawyer' last='Jones']</strong>. When they get rolling, they can take Berkley far. However, the Bears are jumping into the deep end on Tuesday against Northville. The Mustangs have been very impressive during this postseason run with wins over Novi and Mercy. Northville is the lone team to hand Marian a loss this season and the Mustangs don't really have a weak spot. <strong>Abby Reck </strong>is the clear offensive leader, but Northville has <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110327' first='Ava' last='Thomas']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110315' first='Avry' last='Nelson']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='230898' first='Lauren' last='MacKellar']</strong> and others all finishing points consistently. Sophomore setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs'] </strong>has definitely been a difference-maker to help Northville get to the top of Division 1. Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108714' first='Taryn' last='Rice'] </strong>is as good as they come at libero, but she also has great support from DS options <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110300' first='Ashlee' last='Gnau'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110313' first='Greta' last='McKee']</strong>. Berkley is a great Cinderella story, but Northville is the clock striking midnight for the Bears.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Northville over Berkley in 3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->