Four Marquee Matchups In Week 4
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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. Whether it be a solid non-conference collision or a big league matchup, this week has four…
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Continue ReadingNow 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.
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.
South Lyon East at Clarkston, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
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. Cayla Cogan Cayla Cogan 5'10" | OH Clarkston | 2024 State #96 Nation MI is already taking on a big offensive workload while Marlie Smith Marlie Smith 5'10" | S Clarkston | 2027 State MI is a freshman outside that can finish from anywhere on the floor. Isabelle Henry Isabelle Henry 6'1" | MB Clarkston | 2025 State MI was impressive in the middle against Northville, but will face a big test in the South Lyon East front line. Gabriella Babinski Gabriella Babinski 6'1" | RS South Lyon East | 2025 State MI , Addison Williams Addison Williams 6'2" | MB South Lyon East | 2025 State MI and Lauren Johnson Lauren Johnson 6'2" | MB South Lyon East | 2025 State MI 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. Addison Stepp Addison Stepp 5'8" | DS/L South Lyon East | 2027 MI has been an impressive freshman libero for East, while Kiley Gallagher Kiley Gallagher 5'5" | DS/L Clarkston | 2024 State MI is as good of a libero as you can ask for for the Wolves.
Lowell at Lakewood, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
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 Piper Risdon Piper Risdon 5'11" | MB Lowell | 2024 State MI putting down 13 kills with her impressive .524 hitting. Brax Baker also was a steady option for the Red Arrows. Sophomore Annalise Clark Annalise Clark 5'4" | DS/L Lowell | 2026 State MI 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. Carley Piercefield Carley Piercefield 5'4" | DS/L Lakewood | 2024 State #90 Nation MI 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 Abby Pickard Abby Pickard 5'10" | S Lakewood | 2025 State MI leading the way as a setter/outside option. Expect Lakewood to be better prepared for Wednesday’s matchup.
Mattawan at Portage Northern, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
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 Sydney Bates Sydney Bates 5'11" | S Portage Northern | 2025 State MI has got the offense running really smooth, bringing out the best in hitters like Taylor Butler, Kiera Sims and Hanna Garrison. The defensive play is also top-level behind Marley Onken Marley Onken 5'7" | DS/L Portage Northern | 2025 State MI . 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. Macey Brown and Kendall Coon can be a powerful 1-2 punch of hitters set up by junior setter Kylie Anderson Kylie Anderson 5'8" | S Mattawan | 2025 State MI . For the offense to keep clicking, Anya Ciesielski needs to keep playing at a high level at libero to keep the team in-system.
Hartland at Brighton, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
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. Cameron Herman Cameron Herman 5'11" | OH Hartland | 2024 State MI and Grace Cooney Grace Cooney 6'0" | MB Hartland | 2025 State MI lead the team in kills, with Cooney hitting nearly .400. Kaitlyn Schram Kaitlyn Schram 5'9" | S Hartland | 2024 State MI is also hitting near .400 while Emerson Seog 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. Lea Gage Lea Gage 5'10" | S Brighton | 2024 State MI 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 Abby Mainka Abby Mainka 5'11" | OH Brighton | 2024 State MI and Alyssa Swanson, while freshman Cynthia Ockerman Cynthia Ockerman 6'3" | MB Brighton | 2027 State MI and sophomore Faith Cullen Faith Cullen 5'10" | OH Brighton | 2026 State MI 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.