D3/4 Showdown Highlights

<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>It's not that often that you can bring some of the best from the lower divisions together at one tournament. The D3/4 Showdown was the place to be for some of the top talent in the state for these smaller schools.</p>   <p>Much like its tournament counterpart, Beast of the East, the Showdown offers an in depth look at what some of the best in these two divisions have to offer. And what to maybe expect come November when the postseason commences. </p>   <p>We've looked at the best from the Showdown with the <a href="https://prepdig.com/author/jamisonkruse/#:~:text=D3/4%20Showdown%20Dream%20Team">D3/4 Dream Team</a>, but there was a lot of exciting stuff going on from top to bottom. So, let's take a look at some of the highlights from the tournament.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='569773' first='Skylar' last='Ignash'] - Cass City</h2>   <p>From the middle to the pin, this move for the rising sophomore is a stroke of genius given her skillset. In her first season playing six rotations on the left side, [player_tooltip player_id='569773' first='Skylar' last='Ignash'] is putting up incredible numbers. At the showdown, they just narrowly missed the mark on a gold bracket berth. When it came to winning out the remainder of the day, Ignash was spot on and was teeing off with an impressive efficiency.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Raelynn Platzer - Cass City</h2>   <p>We saw a little bit of what Raelynn Platzer was made of last season, but this weekend, the senior more than proved herself in the line up. Whether she is getting great touches at the net with her block or finding ways to score in the middle, Platzer is a dark horse for Cass City. She may not make the flashiest of plays, or is the loudest out there, but she does quite a bit with her opportunities to propel the Hawks ahead of opponents.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sadi Heleski - Ubly</h2>   <p>Ubly is riding on a historic season this fall. They also made quite a bit of moves at the Showdown. While a lot of attention goes to their Dream Team'er, [player_tooltip player_id='611100' first='Waverly' last='Hagen'], you can't help but to admire the play of Sadi Heleski at the setter position. Heleski was one of the most technically sound setters at the tournment. She's poised, agile and puts up a very nice ball time to time again. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='523905' first='Madisyn' last='Bowman'] - Plymouth Christian</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='523905' first='Madisyn' last='Bowman'] has really seen her stock shoot through the roof over the course of the last several weeks of the season. She's knocking down balls at the net with extra sauce and her eye work at the block is vastly improved. Her ability to slow down her opponent's offense allowed her team to capitalize on transition opportunities throughout the day.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='523872' first='Anika' last='Jaroszewski'] - Plymouth Christian </h2>   <p>While she's a libero through and through, when the team needs someone to fill in, who better to call than [player_tooltip player_id='523872' first='Anika' last='Jaroszewski']. With an absence at the setter position, Jaroszewski has really done some outstanding work filling in and pushing Plymouth Christian to a Showdown title. Despite her lack of experience in this position, to the unknown viewer, you'd think Jaroszewski was a seasoned veteran at the position.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='732270' first='Cienna' last='Nightingale'] - Mendon</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='732270' first='Cienna' last='Nightingale'] really gives an elevated look for the Mendon offense. At this level, it's not too often that you can see a team with so many attacking options to their disposal, especially on the right side. Nightingale, a left-handed heavy hitter, scores with ease. Her pace on the ball and vision for the court allows Mendon's offense to spread pin to pin and score at high levels.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Karyssa Holtz - Mendon</h2>   <p>Speaking of this pin to pin offense, Karyssa Holtz is at the epicenter of it all. As the Hornet's QB1, Holtz does a really fantastic job moving the ball around. She has so many weapons at her disposal, but what pushes them past the rest is the timeliness and delivery of the ball. Mendon fell just short of the finals to a tough PCA squad, but nonetheless made them work for it. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='462081' first='Jadyn' last='Samson'] - Mendon</h2>   <p>Easily one of the best liberos that we will see in Division 4 this season. [player_tooltip player_id='462081' first='Jadyn' last='Samson'] was absolutely everywhere on the court. Her IQ for the game and ability to read her opponents throughout the showdown was a nightmare for so many teams. Because she takes up so much area on her side of the net, it opens up a lot of different opportunities for Mendon's offense to flourish in a variety of ways.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hadleigh White - Grass Lake</h2>   <p>It was a more than welcome surprise to see that this player is ONLY a freshman. Hadleigh White for Grass Lake in the middle has so much potential. She's long, agile and was really putting on a show on Saturday. In a position as demanding as the middle blocker position, playing against such tough competition can get overwhelming for many. For White, she seemed unfazed and almost to elevate even more the tougher the opponent was. Her net play was fantastic and when her setter could find her a good ball, White was demolishing it.</p>

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