2025 Beast of the East All-Tournament Team

<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><em><strong>The Prep Dig Exposure Tour is coming to Michigan on December 21! This is for all 2026-2029 prospects. <a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2032/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-michigan#register">Click here to register</a>, and use promo code “LSHOTPD25” to get $10 off your registration.<br></strong></em></p>   <p>–</p>   <p>It is without a doubt the biggest tournament of the high school season! If you are one of the top teams in the state, you are on tap for the Beast of the East.</p>   <p>Once again, this year's edition of the tournament did not disappoint whatsoever. We had the heavyweight brawls against some of the state's best, stars emerged on the big stage and history was made. In nearly it's 15 year run, this year's Beast of the East saw its first ever west side champion. Many from the west have come close, but never quite finished. </p>   <p>Not to be denied a second year in row, the Rockford Rams took home the title in dominating fashion. The Rams lead the charge of a VERY west side heavy tournament that saw SEVEN of the NINE west side programs on tap make the gold bracket. Of those seven, the Final Four consisted of THREE Grand Rapid Area teams including Forest Hills Northern and Hudsonville.</p>   <p>Leading her team to a victorious Saturday, the Michigan State bound [player_tooltip player_id='467901' first='Mallory' last='Wandel'] was named to the All-Tournament team and Beast of the East MVP. Let's see who else joined her on this year's list voted on by the 32 coaches in attendance.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='467901' first='Mallory' last='Wandel'] - Rockford</h2>   <p>Without a doubt, [player_tooltip player_id='467901' first='Mallory' last='Wandel'] was sensational every step of the way on Saturday. There was simply no one else in the gym that was going to match her physicality. And absolutely no one was going to contain it either. Wandel and the Rams didn't just go undefeated throughout the day, but they were flawless. Not a single set dropped and only twice did they allow a team to score more than 20 points on them. Wandel concluded the day with 56 kills and 24 digs!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='535138' first='Briawna' last='Zimmerman'] - Forest Hills Northern</h2>   <p>When you have the kind of middle that Northern does in [player_tooltip player_id='535138' first='Briawna' last='Zimmerman'], the possibilities are endless. It was all gas and no breaks here, and that was made crystal clear throughout FHN's run to the semifinals. Zimmerman is a live-wire middle that can run just about any set you give her and throw a little extra spice on it. Just her presence alone allowed for so many opportunities to open up for her other attackers as well. Zimmerman had well over 40 kills and 10 blocks to receive her second consecutive Beast of the East All-Tournament team honor.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='664290' first='Heidi' last='White'] - East Grand Rapids</h2>   <p>This was one of the first time East Grand Rapids has been a part of BOE in quite some time. Needless to say, they will be back for more and they will be dangerous. A big reason for that? It's the QB1, [player_tooltip player_id='664290' first='Heidi' last='White'], running the show. In only her sophomore year and playing in one of the top tournaments in the state, White wow'd with her demeanor and ability to put her hitters in elite positioning. White wrapped up a rather early exit with 42 assists and 10 digs.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='226939' first='Maggie' last='Szlachcic'] - Hudsonville</h2>   <p>It is really quite a treat to see a team such as Hudsonville continue to be one of the most dangerous teams in the state year in and year out. This weekend was a clear indicator of that. At the center of it all is [player_tooltip player_id='226939' first='Maggie' last='Szlachcic'] leading a well-balanced and well-oiled operation. In six rotations, the Tusculum commit was a focal point in every point. Whether it be in her first contact or putting the ball away on the third, Szlachcic was on point. She lead the charge in upsetting both D1 No. 7 South Lyon East and D2 No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian before falling to the eventual champs in Rockford. Szlachcic finished the effort with 22 kills and 24 digs.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='881552' first='Mya' last='McKinnon'] - Grand Rapids Christian</h2>   <p>When [player_tooltip player_id='881552' first='Mya' last='McKinnon'] steps onto the court, the GRC Eagles soar. She's not one of the top emerging players in the sophomore class for no reason and she proved just that this weekend. McKinnon may have been one of the most potent attackers in the tournament. Cruising along to a wicked .548 hit percentage on the day, just about everything McKinnon touched turned into gold. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='489939' first='Vivian' last='Jones'] - Brighton</h2>   <p>We touched upon it recently when discussing [player_tooltip player_id='489939' first='Vivian' last='Jones'], but she just continues to get better and better. Brighton remains a competitive dark horse in the coming division 1 post season because of her play. This past weekend? Same story. As it is no secrete that the bulldogs are looking to feed the hot hand of Jones, she remains finding ways to score at a high level. Her back court play was also at its top game throughout the tournament. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='587564' first='Lexi' last='Coleman'] - South Lyon East</h2>   <p>There are not many freshman that can do what [player_tooltip player_id='587564' first='Lexi' last='Coleman'] can do. Heck, there is not very many players at this level that can do what Coleman is doing. Just as a rookie, in her first Beast of the East, it was incredible to see her continuously rise to the occasion. In her opening match of the day, Coleman obliterated Traverse City St. Francis with an almost perfect stat line, going 11-1-14 as an attacker. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Audrey Reynolds - Caledonia</h2>   <p>A late add to the tournament and here we are naming one of the Fighting Scots to the All-Tournament team. And for very good reason. [player_tooltip player_id='459740' first='Aubrey' last='Reynolds'] had the fortune of taking notes from players such as Cambria Gaier last season and is applying quite a bit of her game into her own this season. Without too much of a supporting cast offensively, Reynolds does her job well as the main source of point production. Reynolds delivered 36 kills on the day. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='454358' first='Lily' last='Tripi'] - Utica Eisenhower</h2>   <p>In many ways, the Eagles were soaring all throughout this tournament. Lead by the offensive playmaking by [player_tooltip player_id='454358' first='Lily' last='Tripi'], Utica Eisenhower continues to prove that they are one of the top teams in Michigan. Despite an early departure in the Round of 8, there was a lot of good. Averaging nearly 8.5 assists per set to go along with a kill per set, Tripi continues to grow into one of the top setters around Michigan. Alongside [player_tooltip player_id='535138' first='Briawna' last='Zimmerman'], this is Tripi's second consecutive year being voted onto the BOE All-Tournament squad.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='574175' first='Payton' last='Woodruff'] - Detroit Country Day</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='574175' first='Payton' last='Woodruff'] is highly regarded as one of the top sophomores in Michigan. If you didn't believe that before, you did after seeing her on Saturday. Despite the absence of [player_tooltip player_id='442977' first='Demi' last='McCoy'], a focal point of the Country Day reception line, DCD managed to remain competitive throughout the day. While for many, such disconnect at times in the passing unit could lead teams to fall apart, Woodruff is the kind of setter that can bring it all together again. To see her demeanor and leadership during the toughest of moments and come out on the other side victorious was quite the feat to see out of such a young player.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='436889' first='Sophia' last='Smith'] - Marian</h2>   <p>Marian was not to be denied a chance at the Beast of the East crown this year. A large reason to that is the play on the right side from [player_tooltip player_id='436889' first='Sophia' last='Smith']. Smith, one of the go-to arms on this team, doesn't get the most attempts, but she surely makes the most of hers. And she was scoring on all cylinders en route to the championship match.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='442978' first='Eleanor' last='Williams'] - Romeo</h2>   <p>From one right side to the next, [player_tooltip player_id='442978' first='Eleanor' last='Williams'] really made an impression. The lefty opposite really does so much for this Romeo team. In all of the six rotations, there is times you see her play the tradition 6-RO attacking system or there is times she sets in the back court. A really dynamic player offers Romeo a very versatile look and one that led them to appear in the gold bracket. </p>

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