Four Marquee Matchups In Week 8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pinning down four matchups this week was very difficult.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 8 of the 2023 MHSAA season has a lot of marquee contests happening, including some of the top rivalries in the state, and one matchup that has two of the best in their respective divisions colliding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PrepDig is putting on the Michigan Top 250 Expo for Class of 2024-27 prospects on Dec. 9 in Pontiac.&nbsp;</em><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/914/register/michigan-top-250-expo"><em>Click here</em></a><em>&nbsp;to sign up for the event. You can use promo code “EllisExpo2023” for $10 off your registration.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Rockford at Hudsonville, Tuesday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hudsonville has just two losses on the season, and one of them came at the hands of Rockford back in August. Now the two meet up in a best-of-five match that should bring a lot of fireworks. The Eagles struggled at the net defensively in the loss, putting up just one block against the Rams. That game Rockford a hitting advantage of .200 to .157 for Hudsonville. The Eagles will need a little more out of the block this matchup as Rockford comes loaded with the 1-2 punch of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226900' first='Liv' last='Hosford']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='467901' first='Mallory' last='Wandel']</strong>. They attack early and often. Hudsonville has a pretty good feel for its offense, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172198' first='Isabelle' last='Swiercz']</strong>, who also is a standout defender in the back row alongside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110279' first='Gianna' last='Bender']</strong>. The two Miss Volleyball finalists can certainly live up to their billing with a strong performance on Tuesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Mercy at Marian, Wednesday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rivalry matchups don't get much bigger than this. Marian and Mercy used to meet up twice during the regular season, but with the addition of new teams to the CHSL out of Ohio, this featured pairing now comes just once during the regular season. This year, it happens on Wednesday at Marian. The Marlins and Mustangs did square off during a tournament earlier in the year with Mercy getting a two-set win in an evenly-matched game. I would expect more of the same in this best-of-five setting. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156295' first='Campbell' last='Flynn'] </strong>being back for Mercy has added another dimension, understandably, to their play. She's getting the best out of young hitters like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442987' first='Kate' last='Kalczynski'], [player_tooltip player_id='226944' first='Maya' last='Zarow']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226899' first='Cree' last='Hollier']</strong>. Marian will counter with power arms in junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156287' first='Isabelle' last='Busignani']</strong> as well as freshmen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454352' first='Calli' last='LeFevre']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='436889' first='Sophia' last='Smith']</strong>. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222362' first='Danielle' last='Mertz'] </strong>has also been stepping up as of late, bringing a veteran arm to the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Lakewood at SMCC, Wednesday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's a special treat happening in Monroe this week as SMCC welcomes Lakewood to town for a non-conference, best-of-five matchup featuring two of the best in their respective divisions. MIVCA's No. 1 in D3 hosts No. 3 in D2. This game should be a technically-sound contest as both programs are well-coached and have a large pedigree of success. SMCC has two of the most productive juniors in the state to rely on in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156292' first='Jessica' last='Costlow'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156321' first='McKenna' last='Payne']</strong>. Mix in sophomore power arm <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226889' first='Madeline' last='Dettling']</strong> and the Kestrels have the ability to compete around the court with anyone. Lakewood has defensive ace <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110318' first='Carley' last='Piercefield']</strong> as a Miss Volleyball finalist leading the way. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='224597' first='Abby' last='Pickard'] </strong>is a veteran junior setter/outside option that has helped develop some of the inexperienced hitters on this team to make it a very balanced squad that is hard to prepare for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Clarkston at Lake Orion, Thursday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talking about rivalries, Clarkston and Lake Orion are certainly one of the top ones in the state as well. This pairing has routinely decided an OAA Red championship or a district championship. The Dragons need this win as they have a league loss already and it's a chance to play spoiler for Clarkston while potentially getting into the co-champion discussion. These two met back August with Clarkston getting a 2-sets-to-1 victory. This time around, Lake Orion has started to tap into freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454367' first='Isabelle' last='Lawhorn']</strong>'s potential. She's a great compliment to senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110285' first='Devin' last='Brunk']</strong> and junior <strong>Charlotte Peplowski</strong>. The Dragons will need to finish points as they face a fierce attack and defense in Clarkston. The Wolves are very balanced with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110299' first='Kiley' last='Gallagher']</strong> as a veteran libero that has a lot of big-match experience. The same goes for setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110309' first='Emery' last='Kuebler']</strong>, who is getting a lot of big swings out of Miss Volleyball finalist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110288' first='Cayla' last='Cogan']</strong>, as well as freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442995' first='Marlie' last='Smith']</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179732' first='Isabelle' last='Henry'].</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->