D4 Preseason Title Poll: Top 5 Votes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our 2023 preseason championship polls were open throughout the week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We close out things with <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/08/vote-who-wins-the-d4-state-title-in-2023/">Division 4</a>, where one team managed to run away with the voting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at the five teams that collected the most votes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. <strong>River Valley (53.12%)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>River Valley is coming out in full force during our preseason polls. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='192444' first='Ashley' last='Strefling'] </strong>won our <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/07/d4s-player-of-the-year-voting-results/">D4 Player of the Year</a> preseason poll last month. She will be the driving force for the Mustangs in the 2023 season. Strefling is the ultimate competitor and will need to do her part to establish new go-to hitters if River Valley is going to succeed this fall. <strong>Hanah Lynch </strong>is a returning middle that Strefling has some experience and chemistry with, as is <strong>Natalyn Heckathorn</strong>. <strong>Emily Reitz </strong>is a returning outside that could be in for a bigger role this fall. If the defense can play at a high level, and new hitters can emerge to step up in key moments, River Valley could be a real handful in the D4 picture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. <strong>Everest Collegiate (31.28%)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everest Collegiate comes in second and the Mountaineers are going to have a scrappy offense that will be able to compete with most teams in the division. On the outside, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='288958' first='Madelyn' last='Krappmann'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261206' first='Sarah' last='Bradley'] </strong>are a pair of juniors that could arguably be the top 1-2 punch in the division at the pins. Both have big power, solid consistency, and can impact the game defensively as well. <strong>Addison Pearce </strong>is also a returning junior that can handle the middle, or shift to the outside if needed. With the offensive firepower CEC brings to the table, it just needs its defense to keep the team in some tough rallies. The Mountaineers won't need many swings to finish points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. <strong>Marlette (10.04%)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marlette was a regional finalist in Division 3 last season and now is making the move to Division 4 for 2023. <strong>Gabby Martinez</strong> will be leading Raiders in 2023. The senior middle was an All-Region selection last fall and was a dominant force at the net offensively and defensively. Her blocking ability really impacted the game. She is joined at the net by senior outside <strong>Adilyn Ruggles</strong>, who shows a lot of craftiness in her attack, as well as <strong>Olivia Findlay</strong>, another strong senior outside. <strong>Emma Heussner </strong>returns as a senior setter to lead the offense, while <strong>Dalaney Gage </strong>is a returning senior defender. This team is going to have a lot of experience to rely on and was successful last year in D3. There's no reason to believe they can't be successful in D4 as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. <strong>Mendon (2.10%)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mendon isn't far removed from a pair of state titles, but last year saw the Hornets draw Athens in the district opener and Athens went on to finish at the D4 runner-up. This year's team graduated four players from last year, which leaves some big holes to fill. However, the Hornets still have some experience to rely on. <strong>Makennah Mullan </strong>is a senior middle that was able to be an impact player as a junior and will be the team's go-to arm in key points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462076' first='Alicyn' last='Arevalo'] </strong>is also a returning option in the middle and the two will have setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595984' first='Kayla' last='Wenzel'] </strong>back for her junior year. Defensively, Mendon lost its libero, but still brings back a strong DS option in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462081' first='Jadyn' last='Samson']</strong>. She stepped up as a freshman and was a key service weapon as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. <strong>Tri-Unity Christian (1.97%)</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not many teams can say they return a First Team All-State talent in Division 4 this season, but Tri-Unity Christian is one of them. The junior outside/middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='288947' first='Ella' last='Deklyen']</strong> will be one of the players to watch this year in D4. Her ability to flip the switch and become a dominant finisher is pretty impressive. She plays with a lot of energy, which will be contagious to her teammates. Not a lot of info is available on Tri-Unity Christian, but it will have arguably the top player on the floor in each matchup, which can do a lot for the team as a whole.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->