Upcoming Postseason Matches to Note in the Early Week

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Dover vs. Tri-Valley | DIII | Region 11</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Dover Crimson Tornadoes (21-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aside from a 2-0 loss to Strongsville, Dover's other loss came in league play to Wooster by a 3-2 result. They avenged that loss later with a 3-1 win to secure a 13-1 record in Ohio Cardinal play to claim the top position entering the postseason. The Crimson Tornadoes feature a healthy offense led by 2024 all-Ohio honoree <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='830932' first='Caroline' last='Hanner']</strong>. The 6'2 senior pin has over 300 kills this season for a 4.4 k/s average. Approaching 950 career kills, Hanner has been a big factor for Dover's offense her entire high school career over four seasons. The Robert Morris commit is a heavy task for opponents given her athleticism and high touch point when attacking. Dover gets additional offense from fellow senior and middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='813721' first='Hailey' last='Kuecher']</strong> who boasts a career average of 2.5 k/s over four seasons. Her 2025 efficiency of .319 and kill rate a 46% are both career bests while has is a force at the net defensively at 2.2 b/m for her career. <strong>Allie Hupp</strong> is a 5'8 junior pin that rounds out their core trio of primary offensive options. She provides a career high 2.4 k/s. The anchor for this team is senior setter <strong>Qincey Werntz</strong> as she has been guiding this team for four consecutive seasons as she has dished over 2,500 assists in her career. The current season is the second consecutive for Werntz at over 700 total assists as Dover earns 13 kills on a .283 efficiency as a team per match. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Tri-Valley Scotties (18-5)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tri-Valley is led by a veteran senior setter with size and skills in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326919' first='Ingrid' last='Dittmar']</strong>, an Alabama-Birmingham commit. Like her Dover setter counterpart, Dittmar has also delivered over 2,500 career assists as the Scotties earn just over 11 k/s as a unit. As Dittmar is a the floor leader with a lot of experience, she relies a lot on a trio of sophomore arms in their offense, all averaging over two kills per set. The top performer to date is 5'11 middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='813262' first='Emma' last='Smith']</strong>. She has more than doubled her output from her freshman season at nearly 200 total kills to go along with 1.8 b/m career average. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='837092' first='Reagan' last='Lamonica']</strong> is next at 2.4 k/s while <strong>Reese Lamonica</strong> averages 2.3 k/s. These two complement each other well through their respective three rotations on the outside pin as they use their physical tools well to get to the ball and swing aggressively. On the defensive side, they average 9.8 and 8.4 digs per match respectively. Junior libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='794191' first='Gracie' last='Olinger']</strong> is in this role for the first time at the varsity level and she provides good stability defensively in leading the Blue Scotties with 266 digs and an 11.6 d/m average.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prediction: Dover wins 3-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Gallia Academy vs. Logan Elm | DIV | Region 15</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Gallia Academy Blue Devils (23-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The unbeaten Blue Devils have had an impressive season as they have lost only seven sets across all matches. At 14-0 in conference play, they outpaced their Ohio Valley league foes with dominance as just one set was dropped in that phase of the season. What also is very impressive is that their offense includes core threats that are just freshman in their first varsity season opportunity. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='878744' first='Aspen' last='Barnes']</strong> leads the way at 4.3 k/s. As she missed some time in the middle of the season, that has left room for junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='712618' first='Aubree' last='Frazier']</strong> to continue her career effort as a main piece of their offense as she leads GA in total kills at 288. At 6'2, her length is among the best on this team as she approaches 750 career kills on a 3.8 k/s average this season. The second freshman making a statement is <strong>Rylee Saunders</strong>, a versatile attacker that can score from both sides of the court. Junior <strong>Abby Clark </strong>is 6'3 and provides 2.2 k/s on a team best kill rate of 48%. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='760627' first='Gracyn' last='Clark']</strong> continues to reach milestones she is now at nearly 2,300 total assists including a career best 11.0 a/s average in getting this deep and varied offense into good situations. Another major piece is sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='886428' first='Chloe' last='Bennett']</strong> who leads their defense at 17 digs per match. What makes the Blue Devils a big postseason threat is their depth and quality throughout their rotation. What also makes them scary going forward is that none of these primary contributors are seniors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Logan Elm Braves (18-5)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What Logan Elm lacks in offensive depth by comparison to the Blue Devils they make up for in the star power of their offensive leader and veteran presence all over the court. Senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227625' first='Claire' last='King']</strong> can flat out terminate as she has done for four seasons. She recently surpassed 1,200 career kills as she has averaged over five kills per set over the past three seasons. What is really impressive about her effort is that she is highly effective at a 51% kill rate with a terrific efficiency of .420. Defensively, the Southeastern Louisiana commit contributes 9.0 digs and 2.8 blocks per match. Her primary offensive support comes through the arm of fellow senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='828969' first='Adelyn' last='Smith']</strong>. The 5'7 pin has veteran experience as she has earned 464 total kills over three seasons. Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834109' first='Kennedy' last='Groff']</strong> and <strong>Kiannah Ingram</strong> have provided the bulk of their distribution with 511 and 165 total assists respectively. Groff and senior libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='803386' first='Sadie' last='Binkley']</strong>, who recently reached the 1,000 career digs mark, lead their defense as only Braves in double-figure digs at 10.3 and 11.8 d/m each. What is interesting about this match up is that on one side you'll see no seniors providing major effort while the other side of the net is very senior laden throughout their squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prediction: Gallia Academy win 3-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->