Top Performers in the Division 1 Final Four

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It may be a snow storm outside, but in Kellogg Arena, it is red hot with GREAT volleyball!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 MHSAA Final Four continued on with the Division 1 matches. While the opener in Division 1 went the way of a sweep, the second match versus Saline and Northville proved to be a barn burner! Five sets of epic volleyball made to be played in Kellogg Arena.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday will see the rematch of the Beast of the East championship, an all-Mustang affair, between the Mustangs of Marian and the Mustangs of Northville. Marian is looking for their third straight championship in a row while Northville looks to play spoiler.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In case the snow kept you home yesterday, here's what you missed and here are the top performers from the Division 1 Final Four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='156287' first='Isabelle' last='Busignani'] - Marian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a performance like this, [player_tooltip player_id='156287' first='Isabelle' last='Busignani'] makes herself a pretty impeccable case for Most Outstanding Player honors. A big reason for the sweep of Forest Hills Northern came off the arm of Busignani. With a 20+ kill performance while hitting over .300, Busignani was unstoppable. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa'] - Marian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She's going for her third straight and showing no signs of being denied a trio of state titles. [player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa'] was dialed in and in full force in the Division 1 opener. Her connection with Busignani was like clockwork and so deadly. Sarafa also showed off some stellar defense in the sweep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='66330' first='Ella' last='Schomer'] - Marian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An injury may have sidelined [player_tooltip player_id='66330' first='Ella' last='Schomer'] for the latter part of the regular season, but is looking to be back in her prime for the Mustangs. The mighty southpaw had a grand double-double performance with 10 kills to go along with a team high 14 digs! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='66314' first='Kennedy' last='Louisell'] - Forest Hills Northern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Behind the arm of [player_tooltip player_id='66314' first='Kennedy' last='Louisell'], Forest Hills Northern has managed to become one of the top teams in the state. Despite being slowed down in the sweep, Louisell still put up some stellar numbers with 14 kills in the match. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='110305' first='Kendall' last='Hopewell'] - Forest Hills Northern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another powerhouse for the Huskies, this six rotation middle blocker was putting in the work last night. A heavy offensive load, big time blocking and a steadfast defender and receiver, [player_tooltip player_id='110305' first='Kendall' last='Hopewell'] showed she was the real deal. Hopewell put up an impressive double-double performance with 11 kills to go with 12 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='173606' first='Lauren' last='Hallas'] - Forest Hills Northern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An unsung hero for this team, as the hitters take up so much attention. [player_tooltip player_id='173606' first='Lauren' last='Hallas'] showed some serious growth and that she could hang with the big dogs in this semifinal match. Hallas can run a dynamic offense and was rock solid throughout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='66325' first='Abigail' last='Reck'] - Northville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Touted as one of the best matches to ever take place in Kellogg Arena, a huge reason was behind the arm of [player_tooltip player_id='66325' first='Abigail' last='Reck']. A huge presence on the court offensively, this may have been Reck's best outing defensively and in reception. Reck put down a match high 22 kills and 13 digs in the barn burner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs'] - Northville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you have a setter like [player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs'], a championship appearance is more than expected. Craggs continues to shine as a Mustang this season and as one of the top setters in the state. A calm and collected presence, nit much can rattle her. Along with her 45 digs, Craggs just missed the mark on a triple-double, notching 8 digs and 7 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='108714' first='Taryn' last='Rice'] - Northville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another calm and collected presence on Northville's court, you could not get [player_tooltip player_id='108714' first='Taryn' last='Rice'] down. This semifinal was a showdown between two of the top liberos in the field and Rice was dominant from start to finish. Rice brought up 28 digs in the five setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='110315' first='Avry' last='Nelson'] - Northville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cementing herself as one of the top middle blockers in the Division 1 Final Four, [player_tooltip player_id='110315' first='Avry' last='Nelson'] was a menace all night long. To go along with her 11 kills on a .368 hit percentage, Nelson was all over the net, putting down four blocks in the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio'] - Saline</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This semifinal performance shows that [player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio'] is just getting started. Not only was Laurio the leading attacker for the Hornets, but she was a defensive dynamo. Along with her 21 kills and 4 aces, Laurio was everywhere in the back court, bringing up 18 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='172207' first='Olivia' last='Behen'] - Saline</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right along with [player_tooltip player_id='108714' first='Taryn' last='Rice'] for Northville, [player_tooltip player_id='172207' first='Olivia' last='Behen'] proved to be one of the best liberos in the Division 1 semifinals. A steadfast receiver, Behen has been particularly scrappy on defense in this last month or so. Continuing her ways, Behen notched down 25 digs in the five setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='140484' first='Anna' last='Hesse'] - Saline</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's no relief when it comes to the Hornet's left side offense. Out goes Laurio, in comes [player_tooltip player_id='140484' first='Anna' last='Hesse']. Hesse near matched Laurio, just needing two kills for a 20 kill performance. Hesse was a solid presence throughout the match limiting any unforced errors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='288961' first='Mallory' last='McFarlane']</strong> - Saline</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is not everyday you see a Junior Varsity pull up get inserted into the state semifinal lineup. Not very often you see them shine either. Saline, needing an answer in their pass and defense, looked to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='288961' first='Mallory' last='McFarlane']</strong> off the bench. And to say McFarlane delivered, is an understatement. While six digs through four sets seems pretty mild, McFarlane led the field in her reception rate. Passing a 2.67 on 12 attempts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Join us at the<a href="https://prepdig.com/2022/09/the-prep-dig-top-250-expo-series-is-back-2/">&nbsp;Prep Dig Top 250 Expo</a>! Use code LShotPDExpo250 for 10% off your registration fee</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->