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<p>The 2023 season keeps on rolling and we keep seeing more and more standout performances.</p>
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<p>Last week saw a healthy balance of underclassmen and seniors stepping up to get their name in the spotlight.</p>
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<p><em>*Stats were provided through MaxPreps and Hudl. Tag @PrepDigMI on Twitter with your stat leaders and highlights if you have a worthy candidate.</em></p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='271120' first='Ava' last='Acre'], Sr. MH Lutheran North</strong></h2>
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<p>It's hard to ignore the dominant presence Acre has been this season. The 6'2” middle is hitting .404 on the season with 102 kills while also racking up 66 blocks through 45 sets. Acre has had at least two blocks in 14 consecutive matches, while slowing down countless dozens of other opposing attacks. Acre is proving to be a real game-changing player offensively and defensively.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='438529' first='Mckenna' last='Boykin'], So. MH Portland</strong></h2>
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<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/07/743-McKenna-Boykin.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-437780" style="width:191px;height:178px" width="191" height="178"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='438529' first='Mckenna' last='Boykin']</figcaption></figure>
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<p>One of the prospects to catch our eye during our most recent showcases was Boykin, an athletic middle with a lot of promise. That promise is starting to show as she's quickly become a consistent finisher for the Raiders and coming off one of her best performances yet, a 10-kill outing against Alma where she hit .435. Where she's also getting better is her blocking instincts. Boykin recorded six blocks in a league sweep of Potterville last week.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227580' first='Alyssa' last='Carson'], Jr. OH/MH Buchanan</strong></h2>
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<p>Buchanan is off to a great start in D3 this year and Carson has been a highlight for the team. She's able to hit from anywhere on the net and finish with a lot of power. She's got a second gear on her swing that allows her to finish at a sharp angle that makes it tough for defenders to deal with. Carson also has good hang time and a long wingspan. She's definitely someone to keep an eye on as Buchanan continues to find success.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226885' first='Allie' last='Davison'], So. S Marian</strong></h2>
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<p>Davison had big shoes to fill in taking over the Marian offense. She also had to work up with a lot of young hitters. While the Mustangs had some struggles early, they are starting to make strides as a team. Davison is a big part of that. As her play improves, the young hitters get better. She's averaged double-digit assists in nine of their last 17 sets. She now has 378 assists on the year.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='449093' first='Skyye' last='Frailey'], So. OH/DS Troy Athens</strong></h2>
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<p>Frailey is a sophomore working hard to have a breakout 2023 season. She's really been impactful for Troy Athens thus far and only seems to be getting better with each match. Frailey has recorded double-digit kills in three of her last four, with the only one coming up short saw her get nine. All of those came in two-set contests as well. She's also leading the team in aces while being one of the team leaders in digs.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='224272' first='Cambria' last='Gaier'], Jr. OH Caledonia</strong></h2>
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<p>Caledonia is a team that we expected to be a contender this year and everything we have seen thus far confirms that. The powerful offense is being led by Gaier, who is sitting at 187 kills on the season. She's showing a lot of progress as a junior, with her finishing rate up over .100% thus far. This weekend saw her put together four matches of nine kills or more, including 13 against Allendale and 11 against Forest Hills Central. Gaier is also at 153 digs through 50 sets of work, approaching a career-high already in the stat.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Lauren Riedel, Sr. DS/L Fruitport</strong></h2>
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<p>Fruitport has been taking on a lot of powerful teams this season and that requires Riedel to be on the move a lot. She's been doing her part to get to any ball she can, racking up an impressive 226 digs on the year. She average double-digit digs per set in two matchups this weekend and has an impressive 6.1 digs per set on the season.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462081' first='Jadyn' last='Samson'], So. DS/L Mendon</strong></h2>
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<p>Mendon is looking like a D4 contender once again this season and its standout play from libero Jaydn Samson has to be part of the reason. In a pair of wins on the road last week, Samson put up 24 digs and five aces. She's consistently putting up double-digit dig counts in matches and keeping the Hornets in-system offensively.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='457446' first='Mackenzie' last='Scheid'], Sr. OH Coldwater</strong></h2>
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<p>Scheide is quickly climbing up state leaderboards for kills. Just in her last three matches she put up 36 over six sets of work, averaging six per set. On the season, the senior is up to 187 and that has quickly pushed her on the bring of 1,000 for her career. Her hitting percentage has improved, and her defense is looking solid with 117 digs. Scheid is amassing a lot of impressive numbers quickly.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172198' first='Isabelle' last='Swiercz'], Sr. OH Hudsonville</strong></h2>
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<p>A Miss Volleyball finalist, Swiercz had a big milestone last week when she recorded her 1,000<sup>th</sup>-career kill while leading the Eagles to three wins in a quad. The Eagles are having an impressive start to 2023 and it's not surprise that Swiercz is a big reason why. She's sitting with 151 kills over 35 sets this season, which gives her 1,026 for her career. If that's not enough, she's added 133 digs and 25 aces as well.</p>
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The 2023 season keeps on rolling and we keep seeing more and more standout performances.
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