Power Players In the District Rounds Across Michigan

<h5 class="wp-block-heading"><em>Be sure to follow @lshotvb on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc">Tik Tok </a>and <a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a> for all things volleyball!</em></h5>   <h5 class="wp-block-heading"><em><a href="https://prepdig.com/top-250-expos/">The 2024 Expo Season is here</a>! Sign up for this year's Top 250 Expo using the code <strong>LSHOTExpo2024</strong> for $$ off!</em></h5>   <p>–</p>   <p>And the Road to Kellogg Continues!</p>   <p>The opening rounds of this year's MHSAA tournament were nothing short of eye popping. Stars emerged, records were broken and those who survived, advanced!</p>   <p>The district rounds can be quite a doozy for quite a few teams around the state. We saw top ten match ups in quite a few of the district finals and even saw an unranked upset over in the Ypsilanti Lincoln district.</p>   <p>It's always in these moments, when the season is on the line where the true power players of the game emerge. Here's a look at a few of this past week's top performers in the MHSAA district rounds.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='226888' first='Aubree' last='Deshetsky'] - North Branch</h2>   <p>Nobody quite had the night that [player_tooltip player_id='226888' first='Aubree' last='Deshetsky'] did. Coming into the district finals, this match up was destined for the two Division II titans. No. 4 North Branch and No. 5 Imlay City. The two split their regular season meetings during conference play and this tie-breaker was for all of the marbles. Ready for the challenge, powered on tradition, Deshetsky took charge.</p>   <p>In one of the biggest performances that we may see in this entire post-season, Deshetsky went up for 35 kills on the evening. She not only walked out of the Spartan gym securing her program's 20th straight district title, but Deshetsky also cemented herself amongst the best in program history. </p>   <p>Her 35 kill performance broke a 10+ year record for most kills in a single match. This was set by 2014 Miss Volleyball nominee <strong>Laura Willson</strong>'s 33 kills against Notre Dame Prep in the 2013 Quarterfinals. Coincidently, also on kill 34 of the night, Deshetsky surpassed another Bronco legend, <strong>Allyson Severance</strong> (Miami (OH))'s record for Most Kills in a Single Season with 853 kills, set in 2018.</p>   <p>This is one of the most prominent and prolific programs in all of Michigan volleyball. Acting as one of the top dogs in Division 2 for nearly 20 years, these records being broken gives them that much more significance. Congratulations, Aubree!</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DCPRXInxd4a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linku0026amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='226885' first='Allie' last='Davison'] - Marian</h2>   <p>Coming into this Division 1 District final, it was very much predicted that Marian would go smooth sailing past North Farmington. However, in set 2 and 3, the Raiders were making their case to upset the No. 4 ranked team. This is when you really began to see [player_tooltip player_id='226885' first='Allie' last='Davison'] take control. </p>   <p>In the 3 set match, Davison averaged a crisp 10 assists per set. This is well above her season averaged of 7.2 assists per set. However, this isn't where Davison's game truly shown. It was in her own point production that you saw this setter truly take control of the match. Davison would come up clutch in those tight sets 2 and 3, going 6 for 7 on attacks. She'd back these six points at the net with another three behind the service line. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='156343' first='Navea' last='Gauthier'] - Shelby</h2>   <p>Fresh after securing the MHSAA record for Most Career Kills, [player_tooltip player_id='156343' first='Navea' last='Gauthier'] is making sure that nobody is to touch her newfound record. If the opening round of districts in Division 3 wasn't enough, she'd up the ante in the finals. </p>   <p>In Shelby's opening match of post-season play against Mason County Central, Gauthier would go on a terror, sweeping the Spartans with 21 kills. Just another day in the gym for Gauthier, averaging a <em>brisk</em> 7 kills per set. In the final round, she would put an exclamation mark on her last ever performance in her home gym. With a 33 kill performance, (yes, she averaged over 10 kps here) Gauthier would lead the way to sweep Hart for the title. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/07/DSC00636.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-573544" style="width:356px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='443826' first='Jordyn' last='Hughes']</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='443826' first='Jordyn' last='Hughes'] - Portage Northern</h2>   <p>It was a battle of the southwest titans in Kalamazoo. In hotly contested match between a pair of HM ranked teams in Portage Northern and Mattawan, this one was back and forth. For Portage Northern, taking the win would've been a tough task without their star middle, [player_tooltip player_id='443826' first='Jordyn' last='Hughes']. The UCONN bound middle was absolutely stunning the thriller. As one of the most prolific middles in the state, she could not be stopped. Going down for 21 kills in the five set match, Hughes was huge for the Huskies.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='454351' first='Mallory' last='Johnson'] - Byron Center</h2>   <p>She's not one of the best liberos in the state for no reason. And [player_tooltip player_id='454351' first='Mallory' last='Johnson'] made that very well-known in this tough district week. In both of the semifinal and final matches, Johnson was crucial in the reception game, passing at nearly a 2.5 on a 3 point scale. She then would follow up with a stellar defensive performance, averaging nearly 5 digs per set. </p>   <p>In the five set thriller over Caledonia in the finals, this is where Johnson not only shined, but surpassed a huge milestone. Charged by a tough 17 dig performance for the sophomore libero, she surpassed the 1,000 career dig mark in the match. As only a sophomore, with a lot more season left yet, this is an incredible accomplishment. Congratulations, Mallory.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='288960' first='Reese' last='Lowe'] - Byron Center</h2>   <p>While Johnson is holding it down in the back court, the player putting the balls away was [player_tooltip player_id='288960' first='Reese' last='Lowe']. And man, did she come up huge in that district final match versus Caledonia. Truly a match that went blow for blow between the two squads, Lowe was the one punching hardest. In a career defining game, Lowe would go down with 27 kills on the match to lead the Bulldogs to another Regional Semifinal berth. This Ferris State commit had the midas touch from about every corner of the court.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/15-Skylar-Marteen-2.jpg?w=917" alt="" class="wp-image-481666" style="width:244px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='261208' first='Skylar' last='Marteen']</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='261208' first='Skylar' last='Marteen'] - Northville</h2>   <p>This is the No. 2 team in the state right now and for very good reason. One of those reasons is the depth of talent they have on the bench. Depth in which could fire off a highlight performance at any given time. In the Novi District Final, it was [player_tooltip player_id='261208' first='Skylar' last='Marteen']'s turn to shine on the court. </p>   <p>Marteen seemed to be the clutch woman of the night. Putting up over 10 kills in the sweep over a dangerous South Lyon East squad, it seemed a majority of her kills would come down the stretch of sets. When everything was on the line, when sets were going into overtime, you wanted Marteen on the front lines to fire away. Her performance showed to be a huge spark time and time again for Northville. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='487356' first='Lucy' last='Monahan'] - Bedford</h2>   <p>Bedford is coming and they are coming in hot. Leading the charge is none other than [player_tooltip player_id='487356' first='Lucy' last='Monahan'] in the middle. With the absence of their star in Victoriay Gray, Monahan has taken the opening and launched at the opportunity. </p>   <p>In both of the Mules' sweeps throughout the district rounds, Monahan was lights out. On a hit percentage of .733 (<strong>!</strong>), the burgeoning talent knocked down 23 kills throughout six sets of play. On top of her excellent performance at the net, Monahan brought in another five points via aces behind the service line.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='458372' first='Jeana' last='Lenhard'] - Essexville Garber</h2>   <p>This district final between Garber and Freeland was one of the top games to keep an eye on in Division II. With the emergence of Freeland in the last few weeks, this district title could've gone either way. Going for their second title in a row, Garber put on one heck of a show in the Ogemaw District.</p>   <p>One of the biggest reasons Garber was able to pull this one out was the play of [player_tooltip player_id='458372' first='Jeana' last='Lenhard']. Already in her sophomore year, Lenhard is one of the top players to have ever come through this program. She has broken just about every program kills record this season. In this district title match, it was no different. Lenhard was on fire from start to finish, knocking down 27 kills in the tight four set match. She even rallied on a huge outing behind the service line, picking up five aces as well. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='395923' first='Caitlyn' last='Matelski'] - Petoskey</h2>   <p>It was a historic night for the Petoskey Northmen. And all of it wouldn't of been possible without the play of [player_tooltip player_id='395923' first='Caitlyn' last='Matelski'] on the right pin. This district win had been a long time coming for Petoskey, over 5 years in fact. Breaking the spell, the Northmen's star player proved as to why she is such a shining star for this group. The mighty southpaw would bring down the hammer for 15 kills in the sweep before adding 9 digs and three blocks. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='156282' first='Jessica' last='Lee'] - Ann Arbor Skyline</h2>   <p>This is not something I think anybody saw coming. Saline has become somewhat of the new powerhouse out of the SEC Conference for the last few years. It looked like they were destined for another deep run into the post-season like previous years. Not if [player_tooltip player_id='156282' first='Jessica' last='Lee'] or Ann Arbor Skyline had anything to do about it though.</p>   <p>In a miraculous turn of events, this may have been the biggest upset to have heard coming out of week 1 of the MHSAA postseason. Lee proved to be an integral piece to upending the Hornets. The libero, in her final season was relentless in her game. Touching just about every first contact, Lee would pick up nearly 20 digs and would pass 26 serves, only allowing for 3 aces on the night.</p>