Four Marquee Matchups In Week 9

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are getting near the close of the regular season already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just a handful of weeks remain, which means some marquee conference battles will be taking place in Week 9.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's also Beast of the East Week, which is the biggest tournament of the year.</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>Croswell-Lexington at North Branch</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Branch still is the clear favorite to repeat in Division 2, but the Broncos will get a little test of what is ahead come the postseason when it hosts Croswell-Lexington on Tuesday night in a battle of Blue Water Area Conference unbeatens. The Broncos are stacked, hitting .287 as a team behind the trifecta of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222361' first='Clara' last='Gyomory']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110291' first='Alana' last='Deshetsky']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226888' first='Aubree' last='Deshetsky']</strong>. If that's not enough they may have the top setter (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110302' first='Adrienne' last='Greschaw']</strong>) and top libero (<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110301' first='Hailey' last='Green']</strong>) in the state. Where the Pioneers may be able to attack is in the middle behind senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261161' first='Isabella' last='Edwards']</strong>. She's hitting .382 this season and has good back up on the outside in junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156346' first='Ava' last='Oleski']</strong>. Senior libero <strong>Riley Robertson</strong> will play a key role as well. She's going to have to come through with tough digs and extend rallies if the Pioneers are to have a shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bloomfield Hills at Clarkston, Tuesday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After disposing of Lake Orion last week, Clarkston now hosts the only other OAA Red unbeaten on Tuesday in Bloomfield Hills. The Black Hawks have a lot of talent and hitting depth, like Clarkston, but its time to show they can compete on the big stage. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226909' first='Kayla' last='Nwabueze']</strong> is the top-ranked sophomore in the state and has been a force everywhere on the floor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219684' first='Kora' last='Nicolanti'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523642' first='Natalie' last='Petrucci'] </strong>are great compliments to her at the net and will make Clarkston's defense have to be prepared. Clarkston has Miss Volleyball finalist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110288' first='Cayla' last='Cogan']</strong> bringing the power, while freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442995' first='Marlie' last='Smith']</strong> is arguably the top impact freshman in Michigan this year. Mix in great balance with middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179732' first='Isabelle' last='Henry']</strong>, libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110299' first='Kiley' last='Gallagher'] </strong>and setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110309' first='Emery' last='Kuebler']</strong>, and Clarkston doesn't have much for weaknesses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Frankenmuth at Swan Valley, Wednesday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two top Tri-Valley Conference teams meet up this week as Frankenmuth looks to keep the momentum train rolling when it heads to Swan Valley. The Eagles have only suffered setbacks against some of the very best in the state. The Tri-Valley area has belonged to them behind the leadership of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153672' first='Audrey' last='Geer']</strong>. She's truly one of the top players in the state that still gets somewhat overlooked. Swan Valley brings some talent that should be able to challenge Frankenmuth. <strong>Mia Robinson </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595372' first='Sydney' last='Kuhn']</strong> are a solid 1-2 punch behind the setting of <strong>Marli Robinson</strong>. Swan Valley will have to be at its best to hand Frankenmuth its first TVC loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Beast of the East, Saturday</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's weekend tournaments, then there is Beast of the East. Every year this event puts together the best collection of teams to battle it out for a day. Winning this event takes a lot of endurance and mental toughness. This year's event includes the likes of Northville, North Branch, SMCC, OLSM, Rockford, Grand Rapids Christian, Mercy, Marian, Grand Haven, Frankenmuth and more. This event is likely to feature some of the matches we could see at Kellogg Arena next month. A collection of the top players at all positions will be on display in Pontiac. It's a can't miss tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->