Beast of the East Takeaways and Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The 2026 Prep Dig Exposure Tour hits Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 6. We've now added Universal Speed Testing as part of the event, which is open to 2027-2030 prospects.</em> <a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2498/register/exposure-tour-michigan"><strong><em>Get signed up for the event</em></strong></a> <em>now and use <strong>promo code ET26DREW25OFF</strong> to get <strong>25% off</strong> your registration.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2026 Beast of the East Tournament was another outstanding event with a lot of great play between 32 top teams from around Michigan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end, Byron Center came away with the title with a dominant 25-12, 25-12 win over Grand Rapids Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was a lot to takeaway from Saturday, but here's some thoughts on the 16 teams that reached the Gold Bracket at this year's Beast of the East.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Byron Center</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs won the event, a major feather in their cap. While not having the same size as the other top teams, Byron Center's hitters did a great job of finding gaps in the blocking and also playing off the blockers to finish points. They are a fundamentally sound team that is going to make teams earn a victory against them. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454351' first='Mallory' last='Johnson']</strong> was on the <a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/10/2026-beast-of-the-east-all-tournament-team/">All-Tournament Team</a> for good reason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='830699' first='Caitlin' last='Hartson']</strong> put down six kills in the championship and was a steady source of offense all day, as well as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='908353' first='Kenna' last='Deters']</strong> in the middle. Serving was a big strength for Byron Center as well. The Bulldogs had six aces in the final, including three from libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834311' first='Kinsley' last='Whitfield']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Grand Rapids Christian</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles were dominant throughout the day, but an injury to setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490372' first='Piper' last='Cebulski']</strong> early in the final seemed to throw them off, understandably. Cebulski was definitely one of the top setters on Saturday and a great source of energy on the court. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442982' first='Grace' last='Goodyke']</strong> was still a dominant force for GRC, and she had seven kills to lead all hitters in the final, but the Eagles just couldn't get into a groove against Byron Center. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='881552' first='Mya' last='McKinnon']</strong> wasn't available on Saturday, but that didn't stop GRC from looking dominant. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991184' first='Annie' last='Ferwerda']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='807798' first='Sylvia' last='Setsma']</strong> had some impressive stretches while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809442' first='Zoey' last='Klunder']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939687' first='Carys' last='Nieuwenhuis']</strong> were excellent defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Romeo</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1052865,"width":"273px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.8748718262652851","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/10/Beast-of-the-East-48.jpg?w=895" alt="" class="wp-image-1052865" style="aspect-ratio:0.8748718262652851;width:273px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs were one of the breakout teams on Saturday, reaching the semifinals before falling to GRC. Romeo has a lot of talent and really were clicking on Saturday, as it earned a win over Byron Center and Eisenhower during the event. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442978' first='Eleanor' last='Williams']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='807820' first='Addison' last='Bultynck']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490033' first='Christina' last='Rosenow']</strong> all provide a lot of experience to lead the offense, while freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='891341' first='Layla' last='Ljajcaj']</strong> is clearly one of the best 2030 prospects in the state. Her hang time is something to see. All of these athletes created a lot of difficulty for opposing attacks, not giving teams clear looks and helping libero <strong>Kayla Liedke</strong> keep the ball off the floor. Saturday should definitely give Romeo a confidence boost as we approach the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Forest Hills Northern</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other semifinalist picked up a major win over Marian and the Huskies have one of the strongest group of outsides in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454371' first='Riley' last='Loehfelm']</strong> was outstanding and played with great passion. She came through with timely kills for FHN, especially in close sets down the stretch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486269' first='Brooke' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='881556' first='Stella' last='Polavin']</strong> give the Huskies a three-armed attack on the pins that is going to make them competitive with any team in the state. In the middle, sophomore <strong>London Boutelier</strong> shows a lot of promise and completes this dynamic attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Orchard Lake St. Mary's</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eaglets did a lot of good things on Saturday and did so without some key players that were on college visits. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='470031' first='Avery' last='Kapeller']</strong> was one of the top players at the event, consistently putting the ball away despite drawing a lot of defensive attention. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='470701' first='Zoey' last='Kapeller']</strong> played very well at libero and had some incredible digs against the state's top hitters. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='919858' first='Rayne' last='Altermatt']</strong> stepped in at setter for the day and played very well against tough competition in high-pressure spots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Roscommon</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1052869,"width":"275px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.8602129186968276","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/10/Beast-of-the-East-52.jpg?w=880" alt="" class="wp-image-1052869" style="aspect-ratio:0.8602129186968276;width:275px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bucks should feel great about what they did on Saturday, reaching the quarterfinals with a nice win over North Branch. Roscommon proved they are a D3 team that should compete for the title. Their hitting and blocking held up against some of the top teams in Division 1 and Division 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='732306' first='Reese' last='Williams']</strong> can do it all on the floor, and she had a flare for coming through in big moments. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='586777' first='Nemiah' last='Carper']</strong> had some of the most powerful kills at the entire event and she can go toe-to-toe with any middle in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='769601' first='Mara' last='Williams']</strong> also came through with good moments in all phases, while libero <strong>Autumn Kehn</strong> did everything she could to keep the ball off the floor despite being up against power arm after power arm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Eisenhower</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles definitely have the talent to beat anyone in the state, the key will just be putting it together over three sets when the big matches arrive in November. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454358' first='Lily' last='Tripi']</strong> is as good as they come at setter and she's got plenty of dynamic hitters to feed the ball to. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='938309' first='Juliet' last='Berishaj']</strong> is getting better and better as a freshman right side, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1021760' first='Alexa' last='Kaczanowski']</strong> did some good things in the middle to add to the already impressive offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Marian</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs were coming off a big win last week over Mercy and were looking like they could win it all on Saturday before getting edged by FH Northern. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='958515' first='Molly' last='Hickey']</strong> has really settled into a leadership role as a freshman setter. She plays with great intensity and has the talent to back it up. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569767' first='Quinn' last='Nelson']</strong> can hold her own with anyone on the outside and is a great defensive talent to go alongside libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='553151' first='Ashlyn' last='Pelon']</strong>. To then have seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='436889' first='Sophia' last='Smith']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454352' first='Calli' last='LeFevre']</strong>, its easy to see why Marian could make a run all the way to the title this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Other Gold Bracket Team Evaluations</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1052854,"width":"273px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.8875863675180499","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/10/Beast-of-the-East-36.jpg?w=908" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=&apos;664290&apos; first=&apos;Heidi&apos; last=&apos;White&apos;]" class="wp-image-1052854" style="aspect-ratio:0.8875863675180499;width:273px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Frankenmuth:</strong> Loved the energy they played with. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='850401' first='Avery' last='Geer']</strong> is an outstanding sophomore setter while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='977222' first='Reegan' last='Klinski']</strong> is a potent middle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rockford:</strong> The Rams aren't going to make it easy for any team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='897539' first='Haley' last='Armock']</strong>'s intensity on the floor is always one of their bright spots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Grand Rapids:</strong> The Pioneers have a balanced offense thanks to setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='664290' first='Heidi' last='White']</strong>, who looks in complete control on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hudsonville:</strong> The Eagles have the size up front to be dominant. Especially with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='827359' first='Megan' last='Glass']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='888951' first='Piper' last='Vugteveen']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Branch:</strong> The Broncos didn't have the size their opponents, yet they still beat some great D1 teams behind technically sound play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='888384' first='Allysse' last='Deshetsky']</strong> continues to make huge strides as an all-around player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Lyon East:</strong> The Cougars ran through their pool before falling to Byron Center. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='587564' first='Lexi' last='Coleman']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='644142' first='Ava' last='Kiernan']</strong> still impressed to make the All-Tournament Team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grand Haven:</strong> The Buccaneers have a lot of strengths, just need to find the consistency. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462086' first='Mallory' last='Woiteshek']</strong> was as good as advertised.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Lyon:</strong> The Lions were a team you just couldn't count out. If they can avoid lengthy lapses, they will be a team to watch in the postseason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456516' first='Kennedy' last='Duncan']</strong> is a player that probably deserves more attention for what she's done this season. She leaves it all on the floor each time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Check out our <a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/10/beast-of-the-east-photo-gallery-2/">Beast of the East Photo Gallery</a> with nearly 100 images from Saturday.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->