D3/4 Showdown Preview: Pool Breakdown and Predictions

<p><em><strong>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!</strong></em></p>   <p>–</p>   <p>We're approaching the halfway point of the high school season. That means we have some of the biggest tournaments in the state taking place. </p>   <p>Every year, to kick things off, the D3/4 Showdown shows us who is the best of the best in the small divisions in Michigan. This fall looks to be no different. With some of the top ranked teams in each division on tap, we could have a lot of fun matches to watch.</p>   <p>With a look at what to expect alongside with some predictions, we have you covered! Let's take a look at this weekend's showdown. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pool A</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/DSC03121.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-714491" style="width:307px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Riley Pilat</figcaption></figure>   <p>In Pool A, we have quite the match up upon our hands. As the top seed of the tournament, Plymouth Christian will see themselves with a potential challenge to remain the top seed of the tournament. With the likes of Calumet, Oscoda and Unionville-Sebewaing to battle with, this grouping offers us a rematch of last year's finals. In last year's showdown, we saw both PCA and Calumet battle it out for the title, with the team from the North taking it home. However, both teams look quite different from last year's title match. The Copperheads graduated quite the tough class and PCA is bringing back a much better balanced team.</p>   <p>As for for the third and fourth seeds in the pool, Oscoda and Unionville-Sebewaing. Both of these squads are coming into the Showdown with a bit of a tough schedule. Both are in the red when it comes to wins and losses. Oscoda has taken on the beating early, with appearances at the Cadillac Invite where they went winless on the day against stout competition. USA is coming off of a four game losing streak, with three of those matches coming down to a deciding fifth set. With these challenges and under new head coach <strong>Samantha (Breault) Kuhl</strong>, this could be a weekend that everything comes together for the Patriots.</p>   <p><strong>Predictions:</strong> Plymouth Christian wins Pool A in sweeping fashion. Unionville-Sebewaing plays sleeper and pulls off the upset to take second and advance to gold bracket play.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pool B</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/IMG_9686.jpeg?w=729" alt="" class="wp-image-847093" style="width:191px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Nicci Plummer Mendon Volleyball</figcaption></figure>   <p>This looks to be another potential doozy of a pool. With the current No. 1 team in Division 4, Mendon as the top seed, the Hornets have been on a terror. They come into the tournament with one of the cleanest records with only one loss to D1 Battle Creek Lakeview. They return to the Small Town Showdown just narrowly missing out on winning it all last season. Mendon comes into this with a lot of hunger to finish.</p>   <p>From D4 to D3, Mendon will have to get past a brand new Cass City team in pool play. On paper, this team may be no match for Mendon. Mendon with one sole loss to tough comp versus Cass City with five losses in less matches. However, Cass City did their dues by getting beat up early in the season and have managed to control their conference play thus far. In their first 'true' challenge since the Cadillac Invite, the Hawks could rely upon their physicality from the Ignash sisters to overcome Mendon in the pool rounds.</p>   <p>For those seeds three and four, Grass Lake and Montrose. There is not much to take here. Both teams combine for a record of 4-16. Going up against foes like Mendon and Cass City may be a task too tall when it comes to advancing to the gold rounds.</p>   <p><strong>Predictions:</strong> Mendon remains their top seed in the pool, and second overall in the tournament. They will be challenged by the Hawks, but may be too defensively sound to overtake early in the day. Look for both of these squads to advance further.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pool C</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/09/DSC02509.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-696326" style="width:313px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pewamo-Westphalia</figcaption></figure>   <p>In the third and final pool, despite being a five man pool, we see a very similar story to that of Pool B. These top two seeds are going to be quite the tough act to compete with. </p>   <p>Pewamo-Westphalia comes into this as one of the favorites to win it all. They've been top performers for the past several seasons now at the D3/4 Showdown. This year looks to be no different. P-W offers up a lot of size at the net that can kill you in many different ways. They've amassed quite the season resume to date. They own wins over Kalamazoo Christian and Valley Lutheran so far. This weekend will be a great test to show where they are entering the second half of the season.</p>   <p>Right on the heels, Ubly could really shake things up in this tournament. Not only could I see them upending Pewamo-Westphalia, but I could see them making an impressive run in the bracket play as well. They're very similarly battle tested to that of the pools top seed. They haven't seen that kind of challenge in some time, but could be exactly what they need to put it all on the line this weekend and make a statement. </p>   <p>For the third through fifth teams in this pool, it is a very similar story to that of Pool B. Not a lot of wins are shared amongst these three teams. They will surely give each other fits as they're evenly matched. But for the likes of Ubly and P-W, I am not too sure they will have much of a say.</p>   <p><strong>Predictions</strong>: Pewamo-Westphalia and Ubly will make it out of this pool unscathed, if only by each other. It's hard to predict who will exactly come out on top, but I have to give the edge to P-W. On paper, the Pirates do have just a touch more in both their offense and defensive production to outlast Ubly. However, this battle will be a good one to sit court-side on.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tournament Predictions</h2>   <p>For the D3/4 Showdown, we are looking at the top two teams from each pool to advance to the gold bracket. With the tournament being pre-seeded into the pools. This offers up a look that, if all pool predictions go as planned, Plymouth Christian and Mendon will receive first round byes. From there, it is a battle for the semis. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/08/DSC06261.jpg?w=769" alt="" class="wp-image-880949" style="width:203px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Waverly Hagen</figcaption></figure>   <p>If all predictions hold up, the opening rounds of bracket play will see matches between Ubly and USA, winner advances to play PCA; and Cass City and Pewamo-Westphalia, winner advances to play Mendon. </p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Opening Round</h4>   <p>In opening round play, I predict the high-powered offense of Waverly Hagen and the bearcats to be too much for cross-area rivals, USA to handle. Hagen enters the tournament averaging just shy of 4 kills per set and is batting off at a .344 clip. While the Patriots have a dandy in the libero position to that of Cierra Betson, Hagen may be too big of a beast to maintain. I call Ubly winning this one.</p>   <p>On the opposite end of the bracket, Pewamo-Westphalia is one of the favorites to win it all in Division 3 once again this year. And for good reason. The Pirate duo of Annika Platte and Nikki Fedewa is a tandem that just hits different... Literally. When it's not one, it's the other. If Fedewa doesn't stuff you at the net, Platte is back court digging dimes. There's no way around either one of them. </p>   <p>For Cass City, despite the emergence of Skylar Ignash on the outside pin, they would need a crisp, clean performance to power an upset win. Not that this isn't possible. Face-to-face, the Hawks have their own Outside-Middle duo with Skylar and Karsyn Ignash. If these four were to cancel each other out, the supporting cast of P-W is too many steps ahead of Cass City's young squad. This could be a good match, but the Pirates prevail.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Semi-Finals</h4>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/09/DSC02537.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-696337" style="width:260px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='523905' first='Madisyn' last='Bowman']</figcaption></figure>   <p>Things heating up here! Again, if all goes to 'plan', we are going to be treated to a pair of Top 5 showdowns between the best of the best that Division 3 and Division 4 have to offer. </p>   <p>In semifinal 1, we could see Plymouth Christian take on Ubly. This could be a brawl. PCA has an abundance of attackers that can put the ball away. However, Ubly boasts a style of defense that forces the opponent to outlast them. If Ubly can maintain their first ball contact and find Hagen at an efficient level, the Bearcats has a shot for the upset. However, PCA is multi-faceted. With Riley Pilat leading the way on the left pin, accompanied by the Bowman sisters, this could become a slugfest that Ubly may not know how to handle. I predict PCA in two sets.</p>   <p>In Semifinal 2, we could see the battle between Mendon and Pewamo-Westphalia. A match-up that seemingly happens yearly at this tournament, it is always a treat when these two tee off. While P-W has the very visible size advantage on Mendon, the Hornets are scrappy and savvy scorers. They're led by Jadyn Samson in the libero jersey. Not only is Samson a stalwart in the back court, but she's a rocket launcher from behind the service line. In a battle of the serve and pass game, Mendon could very easily throw the pirates off of their game and take Fedewa out of option in the middle. This is going to be a a tough one, a match that could go either way. I predict Pewamo-Westphalia to take down No. 1 in D4 in three sets.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">FINALS PREDICTION</h2>   <p>I am predicting a battle of the Division 3 titans in this year's Showdown finals. Plymouth Christian and Pewamo-Westphalia are two very familiar foes. If they aren't trading blows in this tournament annually, they typically are matching up in the post-season. This year, the earliest either team could see each other is the state finals! Are we looking at a potential Division 3 Championship preview?! </p>   <p>Who do you think will win the 2025 D3/4 Showdown?!</p>

Be sure to follow @lshotvb on Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter for all things volleyball!