Division 2 Quarterfinal Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Elite Eight of Division 2 feels like a very open field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending champs are still alive, along with a recent power, but the rest of the field has a lot to prove and is looking to make a big splash in the title picture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This should lead to some intriguing quarterfinal matchups on Tuesday. Here's predictions for all four contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Milan vs. Dearborn Divine Child</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both programs have to be feeling good about their postseason run as they get set to meet in a quarterfinal at Chelsea. Divine Child knows the feeling of getting to Kellogg Arena last year, which could come in handy on Tuesday. Milan has played a competitive schedule, but not quite been able to break into the D2 rankings. The Big Reds have an athletic 6-foot setter in sophomore <strong>Madison Slack </strong>that has been able to spread the ball around and keep the offense balanced. That will be important against Divine Child, which has a lot of senior experience. <strong>Katie Reising </strong>has been playing on another level as of late on the outside. If she gets hot on Tuesday, DC could be making its way back to Battle Creek</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Milan over Divine Child in five</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Ludington vs. Grand Rapids West Catholic</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ludington has won a lot of matches this season, but the Orioles have struggled getting past teams from the Grand Rapids area. That could be an issue against West Catholic, which has played a very challenging schedule to be ready for this time of year. The Falcons will have their hands full with Ludington senior <strong>Maddy Vaara</strong>, who has been one of the top players in the state. However, Ludington will need someone else to step up on Tuesday. West Catholic showed a lot of offensive balance in the regionals behind <strong>Lana Cowen</strong>, <strong>Emma Tuttle </strong>and <strong>Brooke Tietz</strong>. Having more offensive options gives West Catholic a slight advantage over Ludington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>West Catholic over Ludington in four</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>North Branch vs. Frankenmuth</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Broncos remain the favorite to win the state title, but their path to Battle Creek hasn't come without its challenges. Now they have to focus on slowing down Frankenmuth's power arm in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153672' first='Audrey' last='Geer']</strong>. Geer has been the foundation of Frankenmuth for years. Now, sister <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226896' first='Madison' last='Geer'] </strong>is raising her play to give Frankenmuth a real 1-2 punch on the outside. North Branch is clearly a well-balanced and complete team. Behind an elite libero in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110301' first='Hailey' last='Green']</strong> and an elite setter in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110302' first='Adrienne' last='Greschaw']</strong>, the Broncos have the most hitting depth in the state. Frankenmuth will have to play a lot of mistake-free volleyball to stay in the mix. I'm not sure they can do that. This is also new territory for Frankenmuth, which brings another level of pressure. It is a pressure the Broncos have experienced plenty of the last two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>North Branch over Frankenmuth in three</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Grand Rapids Christian vs. Edwardsburg</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like North Branch, GRC has had to beat a lot of strong teams to reach the quarterfinals. The Eagles are playing some outstanding volleyball right now, as it's a total team effort. GRC is technically sound behind setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110324' first='Grace' last='Spoelma'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110284' first='Hanna' last='Bredeweg']</strong>, along with libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156322' first='Madison' last='Peal']</strong>. The Eddies will hope to test GRC's defense with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='274528' first='Drew' last='Glaser']</strong>, one of the top hitters in the state that people don't talk enough about. She can really bring the heat and go toe-to-toe with any hitters in D2. The key will be for Edwardsburg to give Glaser enough good looks to be successful. GRC's skillset will allow it to make that difficult and should ultimately be the difference in the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Grand Rapids Christian over Edwardsburg in three</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->