D2 Semifinal Recap & Standouts: DCD, Tecumseh Grind Out Wins

The Division 2 semifinals featured a lot of new blood for this time of year.   Three of the four teams had never appeared in a state final, and the fourth had come up short in its one appearance.   What it resulted in was four hungry teams vying for two spots in Saturday's final.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">No. 7 Tecumseh def. HM Garber, 3-2</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/Garber-vs-Tecumseh-12.jpg?w=910" alt="" class="wp-image-723343" style="width:308px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='726472' first='Emma' last='Eldred']</figcaption></figure>   Tecumseh mustered a lot of resiliency to get past Garber on Friday night.   The Indians dropped the first two sets of the match, but rallied to win the next three to best the Dukes, 18-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 15-13.   “I am so, so overwhelmed. To be able to pull off a reverse sweep in the state semifinals, against a team as good as them, and with the matches being so competitive. It was insane,” Tecumseh coach Morgan Skelton said. “For us to be able to fight, and keep going and going, after being down two sets, is something I'm so unbelievably proud of.”   The match probably looked over to many in the packed Kellogg Arena after the second set. Tecumseh got out to a 10-1 lead and looked to be on its way to evening the match when it went up 16-6. But, the Dukes slowly chipped away, even fighting off a set point before scoring three straight to win 26-24.   Many teams may have let the second-set swing get to them, but Tecumseh only got stronger from it.   The Indians utilized their three weapons up front in [player_tooltip player_id='726472' first='Emma' last='Eldred'], [player_tooltip player_id='721446' first='Alli' last='Zajac'] and Maddy Vanblack to keep Garber on its heels.   By the time the fifth set came together, Tecumseh had the confidence it needed to finish off the match. It trailed 12-11, but scored four of the next five points. Two of those points came on kills from Eldred, who finished with a match-high 30.   Eldred also had 12 digs in the win, while Zajac finished with 18 kills and Vanblack had 11 to go with 19 digs. Lily Gnodtke added 51 assists, while Ashlyn Moorehead had 14 digs and eight aces.   [player_tooltip player_id='553153' first='Audrey' last='Ball'] led Garber with 27 kills while hitting .442. She also had nine digs. [player_tooltip player_id='458372' first='Jeana' last='Lenhard'] put down 26 kills and 10 digs for the Dukes, while Ella Kokaly had 51 assists and 17 digs, and Rylee Jatczak had 24 digs.   Tecumseh moves to 48-1-1 on the season with the win, while Garber concludes its season at 43-13-2.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">No. 2 Country Day def. No. 3 Harper Creek, 3-1</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/DCD-vs-Harper-Creek-15.jpg?w=905" alt="" class="wp-image-723362" style="width:288px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elise Hiemstra</figcaption></figure>   Two teams that have been near the top of the rankings all season met in the second semifinal.   Though Kellogg Arena is a “neutral floor,” Friday's semifinal was a packed house for the Beavers, which are located just five miles from the venue.   Despite that, Country Day sent the crowd home in a somber mood, picking up a 25-14, 24-26, 25-17, 25-23 victory.   “I am so proud of this team and how they managed to stay steady,” Country Day coach Kim Lockhart said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. Obviously, (Harper Creek) is an amazing team, but the crowd was loud and it was in their hometown, so we knew if we gave them some energy, it might be tough to come back from it. But, the girls did a great job of staying steady and being able to maintain energy on our end. I'm just so proud of them.”   Country Day controlled the majority of the match, as it got out to a quick start in the first and didn't look back.   The Yellowjackets looked as if they would go up two sets on the Beavers, leading 24-21 in the second before Harper Creek rallied behind senior [player_tooltip player_id='472798' first='Cassidy' last='Pratley']. She put down four kills that was part of a five-point rally to give the Beavers the second set.   Country Day didn't flinch though, as it bounced right back and dictated the pace of play behind freshman setter [player_tooltip player_id='574175' first='Payton' last='Woodruff']. She worked a great connection with hitters [player_tooltip player_id='156299' first='Olivia' last='Grenadier'] and Elise Hiemstra, while sprinkling in kills from role players.   Altogether, DCD hit .291 as a team thanks to 50 assists from Woodruff.   She also came through to close out the match. Her 50th assist to Hiemstra broke a 23-23 tie in the fourth. She then joined [player_tooltip player_id='450415' first='Leah' last='Green'] for a block to earn the match-ending point.   Grenadier finished with 20 kills while hitting .462 for the Yellowjackets. She also had 15 digs, while Hiemstra tallied 17 kills and 19 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='442977' first='Demi' last='McCoy'] added 15 digs in the win.   Pratley led Harper Creek with 20 kills and five digs, while [player_tooltip player_id='493481' first='Camille' last='Robinson'] had 15 kills and six digs. Addison Woodruff had 28 digs, while Taegen Anderson recorded 40 assists.   Country Day improves to 35-1 on the season with the win, while Harper Creek ends its year 52-5.

The Division 2 semifinals featured a lot of new blood for this time of year.