5A Playoff Preview W/ Predictions

<p>We are taking a dive into each regional tournament, where the winner will take a trip to state and the three other teams will be heading home. We will make some predictions and look at some of the players that could help their team stay alive. </p> <p>Regional #1- #1 ranked Lawton MacArthur, Santa Fe South,  Altus, and Lawton Ike. </p> <p>Lawton Mac has been at the top of the rankings most of the season. They currently sit at 30-4. They are 17-4 against top 20 opponents this season. <strong>My prediction</strong> is <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Alayna Vines</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="156861" first="Bailey" last="Lowder"]</span> will continue being a tough duo for opponents to slow down and Lawton Mac rolls through all 6 sets easily. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #2- Mount St. Mary, Tulsa Edison, Midwest City, and Capitol Hill.</p> <p>Mount St. Mary has been nipping at Lawton Mac’s heels all year. They actually received the most first-place votes in the last rankings. Coach Ward and the Rockets have been a staple at the state tournament. <strong>My prediction, </strong>the Rockets continue this trend and make it back to the state tournament for a run at the title. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #3- Carl Albert, Classen SAS, Elgin, and Nathan Hale. </p> <p>Carl Albert could be a sneaky team to watch for in the state tournament. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="143130" first="Emily" last="Boyer"]</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Willow Roe</span> are both multi-purpose players that do a great job for the Titans. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Madison Stuart</span> is a crafty player that gets plenty of kills with her off-speed shots. <strong>My prediction</strong> is the Titans will have a large home crowd, continue playing relentless defense, and get the job done. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #4-  Claremore, Guymon, Tulsa Memorial, and East Central. </p> <p>Guymon will have a 6-hour drive to get to their regional in Claremore. Claremore has played a tough schedule to prepare themselves for this time of year. I’m looking for <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Becca Hilmes</span> to continue taking up a ton of ground in the back row and making it tough to score on the Zebras. They tend to serve aggressive and get teams out of system, which makes it easy to get their offense in rhythm. <strong>My prediction</strong> is the Zebras benefit from the long drive and tough schedule, they sweep the match and punch their ticket. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #5-  Sapulpa, Glenpool, Shawnee, and Will Rogers. </p> <p>Sapulpa and Sand Springs had one of the loudest atmospheres I have ever personally witnessed at the high school level. This is due, in large part, to how much their students show up and show out. Look for Glenpool to put up a fight but the energy the Chieftains will have at home, will be out of this world and help them cruise into state for the second straight year. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="144093" first="Ryann" last="Hoey"]</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="156857" first="Tyla" last="Heard"]</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stailee Heard</span> for Sapulpa have all grown as the season has progressed. They put up a big block and hit efficiently and this spells trouble for Glenpool. <strong>My prediction</strong> is that despite Glenpool getting the best of Sapulpa at the Muskogee Tournament, the full-strength Chieftains and the home crowd will get the revenge and state berth they have been looking for. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #6- Southeast, El Reno, Noble, and Del City.</p> <p>Southeast has had a great season, winning 30 games this season. They went 17-2 last season. They will be hosting and looking to get over the hump. They play some very scrappy and hard-working defenders. They will outlast some teams just by not letting balls drop on their side of the court. They serve tough and have two solid outside hitters that can give teams troubles. My prediction is Noble gets the upset over El Reno like they have already once this season, then Southeast bands together and gets it done in 4 sets over the Bears to finally make it to state. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #7- Piedmont, Coweta, Newcastle, and Clinton.  </p> <p>This will be the toughest regional to predict. Coweta has battled injuries throughout the year and their record doesn’t show how strong they really are. Piedmont has one heck of a hitter in <span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id="145962" first="Kaylie" last="Marshall"]</span>. Coweta Tigers have a big hitter of their own in recent college commit, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Madison Swift</span>. <strong>My prediction</strong> is Coweta gets the upset on the road at Piedmont in the 5th set.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Regional #8- Tahlequah, Duncan, McAlester, and Collinsville. </p> <p>The Duncan Demons have started to peak at the right time of year. They are currently on a 9 game winning streak. Tahlequah has played a tougher schedule and had some solid wins this season. <strong>My prediction</strong> is Coach Ogden and Tahlequah gets a hard-fought win to punch their ticket to the state tournament. </p>