D3/D4 Showdown Recap 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>On Saturday, the 2026 D3/D4 Showdown took place in Livonia with 24 teams battling it out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was some strong competition, but only one could emerge as the winner, and only eight reached the Gold Bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at the players that helped lead their team to the Gold Bracket on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Valley Lutheran</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top-ranked team in Division 3 showed why on Saturday, emerging as the champion of this event that included a win over Plymouth Christian in the final. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523865' first='Kate' last='Belt'] </strong>has complete control of this offense and provides great leadership on top of her strong play. She surpassed 3,000 assists this week for her Charger career. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442983' first='Hayden' last='Sherman']</strong> is also one of the strongest liberos in D3 and she was on top her game on Saturday, digging up all the big hitters she faced. I was also impressed with junior middle <strong>Grace Parker</strong>, who was imposing with her defensive play, slowing up a lot of attacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Plymouth Christian</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1048178,"width":"294px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.7939421683070115","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/D3-D4-Showdown-68.jpg?w=813" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=&apos;587016&apos; first=&apos;Lillian&apos; last=&apos;Bowman&apos;]" class="wp-image-1048178" style="aspect-ratio:0.7939421683070115;width:294px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PCA had to come through with a big win over Cass City to reach the gold bracket, then it defeated the likes of Calumet and Clinton to reach the final. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='587016' first='Lillian' last='Bowman'] </strong>was definitely one of the top players on the day. The junior outside hitter was doing a bit of everything for PCA and consistently came through with big kills during pressure moments. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523872' first='Anika' last='Jaroszewski']</strong> was also contributing in all phases of the game for PCA and a big reason the team reached the finals. <strong>Samantha Ferguson</strong> also played well at libero on Saturday. The sophomore stayed light on her feet and covered a lot of space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Clinton</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clinton reached the semifinals before bowing out, but it was still a successful day. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='904506' first='Avery' last='Loftis']</strong> showed a high court IQ in running the Clinton offense and made a lot of savvy plays throughout the day. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='907130' first='Addison' last='Loftis']</strong> was tireless in her play. She got in on a lot of plays that Clinton needed in tight sets. <strong>Abby Sheneman </strong>also stood out. The junior middle brought a lot of energy to the court and came through with some impressive defensive plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MP Sacred Heart</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Irish held up very well for a Division 4 team up against some great Division 3 opponents throughout the day. Sacred Heart is just a really scrappy team that found ways to win some long rallies. That's a credit to the defensive play of the Irish, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='847397' first='Bridget' last='Wiggins']</strong> leading the way at libero, but junior DS <strong>Elizabeth Courtright</strong> also was solid. Both were great in serve receive and first contact. That allowed SHA to get the ball to their power hitter in senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833681' first='Karis' last='Terwilliger']</strong>. Terwilliger was one of the most dynamic hitters at the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Beal City</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Aggies put up a good fight, going three sets with Clinton in the quarterfinals. Beal was coming at opponents with a lot of good swings from a lot of different hitters, which speaks to the play of senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='535295' first='Paisley' last='Schumacher']</strong>. She was consistent with her touch and accuracy to make Beal City a handful for opponents. One of those solid hitters was senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1018304' first='Lily' last='Gross']</strong>, who had good hang time and smooth technique on her attacks. Fellow senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='813170' first='Emma' last='Block']</strong> was also an imposing player in the middle for the Aggies on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Ubly</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1048177,"width":"293px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.815246444990912","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/D3-D4-Showdown-88.jpg?w=834" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=&apos;611100&apos; first=&apos;Waverly&apos; last=&apos;Hagen&apos;]" class="wp-image-1048177" style="aspect-ratio:0.815246444990912;width:293px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The D4 semifinalist a year ago fell to Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals in three sets. Ubly has a lot of explosiveness at the net, especially senior middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611100' first='Waverly' last='Hagen']</strong>. When she gets a clean look at the ball, it's nearly unstoppable. Hagen also was one of the strongest from the service line on Saturday. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='724836' first='Addison' last='Weber'] </strong>is a junior outside that shows a lot of athleticism and has strong pop on the ball each time she takes a swing. <strong>Kennedy Messing</strong> shows a lot of good awareness at libero for Ubly as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Calumet</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Copper Kings made a long journey south to play in this event, but they looked impressive. Their exit was in a hard-fought match with Plymouth Christian. Earlier in the day, Calumet took a set from PCA as well. Sophomore outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736489' first='Cali' last='Hodges']</strong> was a standout for Calumet, as she had some great swings, but also was a factor defensively, showing good instincts in both areas. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='812409' first='Chloe' last='Coppo']</strong> also could put the ball down. The left-handed right side had a great follow through on her swings to generate big power. <strong>Braylinn Antilla</strong> had a long and athletic swing that challenged defenders. These three really give Calumet an attack that can compete with anyone in D3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Grass Lake</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grass Lake fell to Valley Lutheran in the opening of the gold bracket, but had three wins prior to that including a win of St. Francis. The Warriors have a real threat in the middle with <strong>Aliria Pastoriza</strong>. She's long, allowing her to slow down a lot of attacks, but she also has good footwork and mechanics to cover a lot of space on offense and defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='817960' first='Reese' last='Lape']</strong> also plays long on the net on the outside. The senior has a good skillset that creates a lot of positive plays for Grass Lake. Sophomore libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='760364' first='Sydney' last='Palmer'] </strong>was all over the floor, making dives and sprawls to keep the ball off the floor and Grass Lake in some lengthy rallies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->