Four Marquee Matchups In Week 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the 2023 prep volleyball season is getting into the meat of things, we are going to start seeing some prime 1-on-1 matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whether it be a solid non-conference collision or a big league matchup, this week has four marquee clashes we think should be great viewing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>South Lyon East at Clarkston, Wednesday, 7 p.m.</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":451908,"width":231,"height":245,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/08/DSC_8038.jpg?w=965" alt="" class="wp-image-451908" style="width:231px;height:245px" width="231" height="245" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='156284' first='Gabriella' last='Babinski']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams haven't been shying away from top competition. Clarkston just hosted Northville last week in a thrilling four-set battle. Now, it welcomes in South Lyon East. The Wolves are solid all around the court, but coach Ali Smith wants to see a little better execution and chemistry within the offense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110288' first='Cayla' last='Cogan']</strong> is already taking on a big offensive workload while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442995' first='Marlie' last='Smith']</strong> is a freshman outside that can finish from anywhere on the floor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179732' first='Isabelle' last='Henry'] </strong>was impressive in the middle against Northville, but will face a big test in the South Lyon East front line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156284' first='Gabriella' last='Babinski']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156340' first='Addison' last='Williams'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156309' first='Lauren' last='Johnson'] </strong>play well above the net and put up a big wall with each well over 6 feet. This match is likely to come down to the defensive play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442967' first='Addison' last='Stepp'] </strong>has been an impressive freshman libero for East, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110299' first='Kiley' last='Gallagher'] </strong>is as good of a libero as you can ask for for the Wolves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Lowell at Lakewood, Wednesday, 6 p.m.</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a bit of a down 2022, Lowell is looking like its back to being in the mix for Division 1 in 2023. Lakewood is always a strong Division 2 program, but the Vikings have really turned some heads with their level of play early in the year. Lowell won a two-set matchup over a week ago thanks to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110321' first='Piper' last='Risdon'] </strong>putting down 13 kills with her impressive .524 hitting. <strong>Brax Baker </strong>also was a steady option for the Red Arrows. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='237538' first='Annalise' last='Clark'] </strong>was a difference maker with nine digs and four aces. Lakewood isn't a team that is going to get taken advantage of from the service line often. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110318' first='Carley' last='Piercefield'] </strong>is as good as its gets as a libero and is going to be ready to step up the effort. The Vikings have better offensive execution his fall with junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='224597' first='Abby' last='Pickard'] </strong>leading the way as a setter/outside option. Expect Lakewood to be better prepared for Wednesday's matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Mattawan at Portage Northern, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two had a razor-thin matchup on Aug. 22, with Portage Northern getting an 18-25, 25-23, 15-10 victory. Now in a best-of-five setting, it should be a lot of competitive action. The Huskies are looking like a polished team early with a lot of strengths around the floor. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443896' first='Sydney' last='Bates'] </strong>has got the offense running really smooth, bringing out the best in hitters like <strong>Taylor Butler</strong>, <strong>Kiera Sims </strong>and <strong>Hanna Garrison</strong>. The defensive play is also top-level behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='288963' first='Marley' last='Onken']</strong>. The Wildcats are testing themselves against the best of the best right now. While not quite up to their best yet, having a lot of experience on the floor is going to pay off over time. <strong>Macey Brown</strong> and <strong>Kendall Coon</strong> can be a powerful 1-2 punch of hitters set up by junior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='487136' first='Kylie' last='Anderson']</strong>. For the offense to keep clicking, <strong>Anya Ciesielski</strong> needs to keep playing at a high level at libero to keep the team in-system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Hartland at Brighton, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There will be plenty of big KLAA matchups throughout the year. Brighton hosting Hartland is a great one to dive into early in the year. It's fair to say that Brighton is the most positively surprising team in D1 thus far. Hartland already earned a big four-set win over Novi last week for a league matchup. Can it follow it up with a win at Brighton? The Eagles quietly have one of the most efficient offenses in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110304' first='Cameron' last='Herman'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261152' first='Grace' last='Cooney']</strong> lead the team in kills, with Cooney hitting nearly .400. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172202' first='Kaitlyn' last='Schram'] </strong>is also hitting near .400 while <strong>Emerson Seog</strong> is another senior arm that is showing a lot of power. Schram also runs the offense and makes a lot of great decisions, especially when calling her own number. Brighton has more matches under its belt and also hitting nearly .250 as a team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110298' first='Lea' last='Gage'] </strong>is also a dynamic setter/hitter option that is hitting over .400 and is someone Hartland will have to gameplan for. She's getting a lot out of experienced hitters like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='459254' first='Abby' last='Mainka']</strong> and <strong>Alyssa Swanson</strong>, while freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442976' first='Cynthia' last='Ockerman']</strong> and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226884' first='Faith' last='Cullen']</strong> have brought extra hitting depth this fall. This is a matchup that seems to be about Hartland and where it fits in the D1 picture. It would be a major victory for the Eagles right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->