Who’s Shaking Up The Rankings In September?

The Michigan Top 250 Expo is going to be taking place on Sunday, Dec. 1 in Pontiac. You can <a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/1300/register/michigan-top-250-expo">sign up now</a> to be a part of the event. Get $10 off your registration by using promo code “EllisExpo2024”   Stats found through MaxPreps   The 2024 MHSAA season is well underway and there's been a handful of teams that are surprising many across the state.   Each division has at least one team that some may not have seen having the impact they are at this point in the year.   Here's a look at one team in each division that is shaking up the 2024 rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 1 – Grand Rapids Northview</h2>   The top teams in Division 1 have been pretty predictable, but Grand Rapids Northview has definitely been the team shaking things up. Northview is No. 8 in the latest MIVCA D1 poll. The Wildcats already have key wins over Grand Haven, South Christian, Lakewood, Hudsonville, Marian and more. Northview has a good among of juniors leading the way to keep the team balanced and hard to predict. Nevaeh Plaster is an athletic hitter/setter combo that has come through with some big points for Northview. She's joined in the setting by senior [player_tooltip player_id='732260' first='Vanessa' last='Walker']. Walker puts up a smooth ball and is getting high finishing rates out of her hitters. Zella Hutching is an imposing senior middle that plays very long at the net. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='490351' first='Quinn' last='Hanna'] is also coming through with some timely digs to help the Wildcats pull out the tight sets. Come the postseason, Northview is up against some strong opponents while hosting the district. Most notably, it will have to contend with No. 5 Rockford.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 2 – Forest Hills Eastern</h2>   The Grand Rapids era is stacked with talent and FH Eastern has the tall task of playing a lot of higher-division and higher-ranked teams. But, the Hawks are breaking through this year and showing it can contend in Division 2. Eastern sits No. 8 in the latest MIVCA D2 rankings. This squad is led by its athletic senior libero in [player_tooltip player_id='156339' first='Layna' last='Waselewsky']. She's been able to step up as a hitter in the past, but is committed to Eastern Michigan as a libero and excelling at that position this fall. She's a dig machine that keeps the FHE offense in-system. From there, [player_tooltip player_id='224598' first='Adelee' last='Kaiton'] is putting the ball down at a high level on the outside. These two seniors are leading a pretty young squad. [player_tooltip player_id='490380' first='Emily' last='Wolter'] is a sophomore setter that looks very capable, while sophomore middle [player_tooltip player_id='523859' first='Avery' last='Jones'] and right side Elsa Kleff are contributing alongside junior middle Cora Lee. Eastern has also utilized freshman middle Olivia Peters to give this team a lot of depth at the net. Things are shaping up nicely for the Hawks to be a real player come the postseason.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 3 – Elk Rapids</h2>   Elk Rapids is sitting No. 6 in the latest MIVCA rankings for Division 3. The Elks have already picked up some solid wins against the likes of Calumet and McBain. The Elks have also been winning with balanced play. The offense is getting consistent kills from Caroline Best, Rhielynn Skrocki and Gaby Morton. Haleigh Yocom and Ashley McCann split the setting duties and are running the offense efficiently. Mattea Ball has been a big defensive asset in the lineup as well. Elk Rapids has suffered a loss to 2023 runner-up Traverse City St. Francis. It will need to be prepared to avenge that when it hosts a district that features the Gladiators.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 4 – Reading</h2>   The Rangers are making some noise early in the season. They find themselves currently ranked No. 8 in the MIVCA Division 4 poll. This team is senior-led, with their top five kill leaders all being in their final year. Abby Affholter and Maggie Santure handle the outsides while senior Aubree Ervans is handling the setting and getting good swings out of her teammates. The defensive play is balanced, as Santure and Ariana McDowell are covering a lot of ground. The team has also been handling its business from the service line, challenging opposing back rows. Reading is growing in confidence, which it will need come the playoffs when it heads to No. 4 Hillsdale Academy for its district.

The Michigan Top 250 Expo is going to be taking place on Sunday, Dec. 1 in Pontiac. You can sign up now to be a part of the event. Get $10 off your registration by using promo code “EllisExpo2024”