2021 Prep Preview: Questions for the four D1 semifinalists

The 2020 Division 1 final four was a tremendous collection of talent, many of whom are going to do big things at the college level. The semifinals saw a pair of five-set classics before a young Marian squad went on to win the championship over Lowell in the finals. All four semifinal teams will bring some strong names back for 2021, but each will come into the year with some questions to answer about themselves. Here’s a look at the four squads and what they will be working with in 2021. <h4>Marian</h4> [caption id="attachment_115909" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-115909" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/11/Marian-Ava-Brizard-2-300x283.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="283" /> [player_tooltip player_id="24846" first="Ava" last="Brizard"][/caption] The Mustangs have to be feeling pretty good going into the 2021 season as it didn’t graduate a single player from its championship roster of 2020. That means that coach Mayssa Cook has a veteran roster that should have tremendous chemistry right from the start. Marian has a wealth of hitting talent, led by [player_tooltip player_id="24846" first="Ava" last="Brizard"], our 2020 D1 Player of the Year as a junior. She hit .395 last season and approached 600 kills. Along with Brizard, [player_tooltip player_id="24883" first="Sophia" last="Treder"] (2022) and [player_tooltip player_id="66330" first="Ella" last="Schomer"] (2023) are great compliments on the outside. In the middle, [player_tooltip player_id="24877" first="Sarah" last="Sylvester"] (2022) and [player_tooltip player_id="66329" first="Reagan" last="Sass"] (2023) showed a lot, and the Mustangs still have 6’2” [player_tooltip player_id="137570" first="Janiah" last="Jones"] (2022) and 6’3” McKenzie Swanson (2024) to work with. That’s a lot of options for 2023 setter [player_tooltip player_id="66328" first="Ava" last="Sarafa"], who is coming off a great last 12 months to really elevate her game. Defensively, 2023 libero [player_tooltip player_id="66305" first="Lauren" last="Heming"] has proven she can hang with anyone. Marian doesn’t really have any questions other than how it will handle being the defending champion and clear favorite for 2021. <h4>Lowell</h4> [caption id="attachment_119747" align="alignright" width="256"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-119747" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/12/Lowell-Emily-Struckmeyer-256x300.jpg" alt="" width="256" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="24876" first="Emily" last="Struckmeyer"][/caption] The Red Arrows had a strange year to get back to a final for the second consecutive season, but Lowell finds itself entering 2021 with a lot of question marks. The program loses its foundation in outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="14192" first="Jenna" last="Reitsma"]. Here competitiveness and performance on the court was unmatched. She finished just shy of 900 kills in 2021 while taking over 2,100 swings. This year, it will likely have to be a committee trying to fill in that void. Sydney Zandstra (2022) saw a lot of action last year and could slide into the primary outside spot. Lowell is likely to turn to its middles to step up this year. [player_tooltip player_id="24876" first="Emily" last="Struckmeyer"] (2022) is an All-State middle that is back while [player_tooltip player_id="66321" first="Aubriegh" last="Oswald"] (2023) had a promising freshman season before an injury sidelined her for all of 2020. Along with the loss of Reitsma, Sophie Powell is gone as the team’s reliable setter. She made the offense go and was a big part of Reitsma’s success as well. It doesn’t get much easier defensively, as [player_tooltip player_id="50322" first="Emma" last="Hall"] graduated at libero. Kelsey Stephens (2022) saw some consistent play in the back row last year while Kadence Tiede (2023) and [player_tooltip player_id="110319" first="Ashley" last="Powell"] (2024) showed some potential in their limited opportunities. <h4>Clarkston</h4> [caption id="attachment_128909" align="alignright" width="219"]<img class="wp-image-128909 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/Paige-Giehtbrock-2-219x300.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="66303" first="Paige" last="Giehtbrock"][/caption] The Wolves used a veteran group to get to Kellogg Arena, where it play Marian to a five-set classic in the semifinal. Coming into 2021, Clarkston has some big holes to fill and none are bigger than at the top. Head coach Kelly Pinner elected to step down to spend more time with family after picking up over 680 wins in her coaching career. Ali Smith takes over the Wolves’ roster looking to continue the team’s strong play in the OAA Red. She comes from Mt. Pleasant, where she led the Oilers to a quarterfinals appearance in 2019. Along with the loss of Pinner, Clarkston graduated four very productive seniors in [player_tooltip player_id="50296" first="Claire" last="Nowicki"], Sydney Hasenfratz, Shay Bordine and Madison McGraw. Nowicki was a cornerstone player and six-rotation outside that impacted every aspect of the game. That role likely turns to 2023 outside [player_tooltip player_id="66303" first="Paige" last="Giehtbrock"]. She made big strides in her sophomore season and proved she can take on a bigger role. In the middle, [player_tooltip player_id="137572" first="Elizabeth" last="Adams"] (2022) really came on strong at the end of the 2021 season and has built on that with a big club year. This is Adams’ chance to really break out. Though Bordine was a setter for Clarkston, the Wolves ran with two and [player_tooltip player_id="110309" first="Emery" last="Kuebler"] is back for her sophomore season. Clarkston should remain very strong on defense behind libero [player_tooltip player_id="24860" first="Summer" last="Jidas"] (2022), along with defenders [player_tooltip player_id="110299" first="Kiley" last="Gallagher"] (2024) and [player_tooltip player_id="140486" first="Anna" last="Kuebler"] (2022. <h4>Novi</h4> [caption id="attachment_128906" align="alignright" width="178"]<img class="wp-image-128906" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/Sarah-Vellucci-205x300.jpg" alt="" width="178" height="260" /> [player_tooltip player_id="66340" first="Sarah" last="Vellucci"][/caption] The Wildcats made the climb back to Kellogg Arena and nearly reached the final, playing a great five-set battle with Lowell in the semis. Novi graduates seven from that semifinal squad, but will still have some major impact pieces for fourth-year coach Kacy Byron. Novi loses three of its top five hitters, but [player_tooltip player_id="66340" first="Sarah" last="Vellucci"] (2023) is back as a six-rotation option. Vellucci has shown the ability to finish points, but is emerging as an elite passer following the 2021 club season where she has been the libero for Legacy 16-1 ADIDAS. [player_tooltip player_id="92063" first="Rachel" last="Karr"] (2022) is back at setter, but is an aggressive player in her role and can finish points on her own. She will definitely have to develop new hitters and find chemistry with them, but has the skillset to handle that challenge. [player_tooltip player_id="50290" first="Rachel" last="Jennings"] was the state’s top libero in the Class of 2021, but she’s now gone, leaving another hole for Novi to fill. The Wildcats look to have adressed that with 2023 defender [player_tooltip player_id="66308" first="Kaitlyn" last="Hoffman"], who transferred from Clarkston and is one of the top libero’s in the state. 2022’s [player_tooltip player_id="92064" first="Sarah" last="Calanchi"] also had some experience last fall in the back row that can be utilized.