2024 MHSAA Week 6 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The MHSAA season is now getting into some key rivalry matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With that, we are seeing some players really step up in pressure situations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's 10 players that had big moments during Week 6 of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Stats provided by MaxPreps/Hudl/Email. Coaches/players can provide stats to </em><a href="mailto:drewaellis1982@gmail.com"><em>drewaellis1982@gmail.com</em></a><em> to be included in season-long updates.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The Michigan Top 250 Expo is going to be taking place on Sunday, Dec. 1 in Pontiac. You can </em><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/1300/register/michigan-top-250-expo"><em>sign up now</em></a><em> to be a part of the event. Get $10 off your registration by using promo code “EllisExpo2024”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156345' first='Taylor' last='Cook'], Sr. OH St. Johns</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a busy week for St. Johns, as it went 6-1-1 over eight matches. Cook remained busy as the offensive leader for the Redwings. She had at least nine kills in seven of the eight matches, tallying 88 kills on the week. For the season, Cook is up to 259 kills while hitting .301. She's definitely proving she can handle a big offensive workload and finish at a high rate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs'], Sr. S Northville</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs had a key KLAA matchup with Brighton last week and came through with an impressive sweep. Northville's offense was a well-oiled machine in the win, thanks to the Miss Volleyball finalist. Craggs recorded 42 assists over three sets and had Northville hit .355 as a team. She also added eight digs and four kills of her own. Northville looks to still be one of the best in the state, with Craggs playing at an elite level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226897' first='Charlotte' last='Gramzow'], Jr. OH Lutheran Northwest</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gramzow and the Crusaders are trying to prove they can be a top D3 contender this year. Though it was a quiet week overall, the team picked up a key 4-set win over Inter-City Baptist last week. All four sets were very close and Gramzow came through with 17 kills to lead Lutheran Northwest in the win. The junior had a number of high-pressure kills to help swing momentum in her team's favor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156302' first='Finley' last='Helm'], Sr. OH Mt. Pleasant</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Helm led the Oilers to a five-set thriller victory over Davison last week in a match that felt like a coin-toss. Helm put up 20 kills, 15 digs, four aces and three blocks in the victory. On top of that win, Helm would go on to record 58 kills, 51 digs, eight aces and eight blocks over seven matches. Helm has been able to come through for the Oilers time and again over her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio'], Sr. OH Saline</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laurio led Saline to four solid wins last week, highlighted by a sweep of Ann Arbor Skyline last Thursday. In that win, Laurio put down 17 kills over the three sets and was just unstoppable on the attack. Laurio was finishing from all over the court and she was able to get over the top of the ball and give Skyline defenders little chance to slow her down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226909' first='Kayla' last='Nwabueze'], Jr. MH Bloomfield Hills</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nwabueze is putting up some really impressive kill numbers this fall and last week was a prime example. In just two matches, a total of eight sets, the junior had 47 kills while hitting well over .400 against the likes of Stoney Creek and Country Day. She's really hitting a new gear with her explosiveness and finishing ability. She's got 283 kills on the season, averaging 5.1 per match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='467951' first='Rylee' last='Paddock'], So. OH/DS Jenison</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paddock helped Jenison pick up a hard-fought, five-set, win over Caledonia last week. It was a showcase of a lot of talented players, but Paddock shined with her all-around play. She had nine kills while hitting .375, to go with 13 digs, three aces and four blocks. As a sophomore, Paddock has shown consistently that she can handle high-pressure situations for one of the top teams in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='472798' first='Cassidy' last='Pratley'], Sr. OH/MH Harper Creek</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's no surprise to see Pratley on the list again. The Miss Volleyball finalist has Harper Creek ranked No. 1 in D2 for a reason. Last week, Harper Creek added eight more wins, including a major 2-1 win over ranked Plainwell. In that victory, Pratley put down 23 kills in three sets, hitting .447 in the process. It was a dominant effort. She finished the week with 92 kills, hitting over .400 in five of her eight matches. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226936' first='Lexie' last='Stotenbur'], Jr. S FH Northern</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a big week for the Huskies, as they tallied wins over Grand Rapids Christian, Forest Hills Central, Marian, Lowell and Lake Orion. The Huskies used a balanced attack offensively to pick up the wins, which is a credit to the play of Stotenbur. She's taken on an offense that didn't have a lot of experienced hitters and developed it into one of the strongest in the state. Stotenbur makes the right decisions often and knows when to find the hot hand.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='732266' first='Paige' last='Thelen'], Jr. OH Fowler</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles picked up a major win last week, defeating rival Pewamo-Westpahlia in a five-set battle that could have gone either way. Thelen was a driving force for Fowler's victory, as she was very disruptive defensively while adding 19 emphatic kills on offense. Thelen has been one of the top hitters in the Lansing area and last week gave her a chance to step up and prove it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->