2025 D3 Quarterfinals Breakdown And Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>**The Prep Dig Exposure Tour is coming to Pontiac on Dec. 21 for all interested 2026-2029 prospects following the 2025 fall season. It's a great opportunity to capitalize off the fall season and a great way to start the club year by being seen by scouts and colleges around the US.&nbsp;</em><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2032/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-michigan#register"><strong><em>Click here to register</em></strong></a><em>, and use promo code&nbsp;<strong>“EllisPD25”</strong>&nbsp;to get $10 off your registration.**</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Division 3 quarterfinals are stacked for Tuesday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seven of the eight teams remaining are ranked in the top 10, while the eighth team would be right on the cusp.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These four matchups should be excellent. Here's a closer look at each one and some of the key players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>QF9: No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis vs. No. 3 Kinglsey at TC West</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kingsley took down the top-ranked team in D3 last week, so they should be feeling very confident. St. Francis has been the runner-up the last two years and are used to people counting them out. St. Francis has some steady finishers at the net in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='220968' first='Quinn' last='Yenshaw']</strong>, <strong>Reese Muma</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='516948' first='Lola' last='Brown']</strong>. Those three will be relentless in their attack at the Kingsley defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833201' first='Jenna' last='Middleton'] </strong>had a dominant showing in the win over Roscommon, both in her attack and her defensive play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='803492' first='Sarah' last='Wooer'] </strong>runs a smooth offense, and can find a hot hitter outside of just Middleton. Her awareness might be the difference in this match. Kingsley is playing with a lot of momentum right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Kingsley over St. Francis in 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>QF10: No. 7 Pewamo-Westphalia vs. No. 6 Kalamazoo Christian at Vicksburg</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two recent D3 champions meet up in a highly-anticipated quarterfinal. P-W has some key senior leaders in middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='728154' first='Nikki' last='Fedewa']</strong>, outside <strong>Ally Nurenburg</strong>, outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='732275' first='Annika' last='Platte']</strong>, and libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='801617' first='Elle' last='Hengesbach']</strong>. This group is very tight and doesn't lose its composure easily. The Comets also have multiple players that can put the ball away, as <strong>Elli VanDusen </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='805267' first='Eliana' last='Keller'] </strong>combined for over 30 kills in the regional final win over Bronson. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='796283' first='Lily' last='Manion'] </strong>also came up huge on defense, and will need to repeat that performance against the Pirates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Kalamazoo Christian over Pewamo-Westphalia in 5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>QF11: No. 5 SMCC vs. No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy at Saline</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Definitely a matchup worthy of finals weekend, this one should be great. The defending champions have had to replace a lot of big pieces this year, and yet they find themselves back in the quarterfinals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226889' first='Madeline' last='Dettling'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456251' first='Alexa' last='Turner'] </strong>have been great players throughout the season and will be relied on in this matchup. PCA has a lot of firepower and each is capable of leading the way in kills, so you can't put too much focus on one player. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226911' first='Riley' last='Pilat']</strong>, <strong>Lilly Bowman, </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523905' first='Madisyn' last='Bowman']</strong> each can get hot and are hungry to push PCA back to Battle Creek for the first time in years. The Eagles have the experience we've seen SMCC have in the past, which could be the key in this matchup</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Plymouth Christian over SMCC in 5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>QF12: Lutheran Northwest vs. No. 9 Valley Lutheran at Mott CC</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All season Valley Lutheran has quietly going about its business and racking up wins. They may have been under the radar for a bit, but can't be ignored now. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523865' first='Kate' last='Belt']</strong> has been leading the offense all season at setter, and she's got three players with over 300 kills in <strong>Braelin Rodammer</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='807118' first='Reagan' last='Webb']</strong>, and <strong>Grace Parker</strong>. If the offense wasn't scary enough, libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442983' first='Hayden' last='Sherman'] </strong>has nearly 650 digs as well, so she's not going to make things easy on Lutheran Northwest. The Crusaders topped Cass City in five in a regional final, a marquee win for the program. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226897' first='Charlotte' last='Gramzow'] </strong>is one of the great players in the state that doesn't get as much attention as she deserves. This is a real breakout opportunity for her to end her prep career. She makes a lot of great plays on the attack, or making a tough dig. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='815115' first='Keaira' last='Spiehs'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='844550' first='Sophia' last='Hess']</strong> have supported Gramzow on the offensive end and will be key if the Crusaders hope to advance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Valley Lutheran over Lutheran Northwest in 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->