Division 1 Regional Breakdowns & Predictions

<p>Now is when things get interesting.</p> <p>District play largely weeded out a lot of the pretenders and regional week is where we see what teams really are set to be title contenders.</p> <p>There’s a lot of prime matchups set to take place on Tuesday &amp; Thursday, with a lot of future D1 college talent on display.</p> <p>Here’s my take on the eight regionals taking place in Division 1.</p> <p><a href="https://bit.ly/3mWFClg"><em><strong>Related: Division 2 Regional Predictions</strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="https://bit.ly/3C9oX2h"><em><strong>Related: Division 3 Regional Predictions</strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="https://bit.ly/306Wpti"><em><strong>Related: Division 4 Regional Predictions</strong></em></a></p> <h4><strong>Regional 1 at Mt. Pleasant</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Traverse City West vs. Bay City Central; Flushing vs. Davison</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>This regional should be pretty interesting, as Davison and TC West are ranked in our final poll, but BC Central and Flushing have all put together strong runs and are capable of a few upsets. The difference this week should be Davison’s size, led by middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60832" first="Amanda" last="Glanton"]</strong>. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Davison over TC West</p> <h4><strong>Regional 2 at Novi</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Lake Orion vs. Lakeland; Novi vs. Marian</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>This is a really talented region, with all four squads being ranked at some point during the year and three of them currently in the top 11. Lakeland is the unranked team, but the Eagles are a feisty team that topped No. 16 Clarkston in the district final and more than capable of upsetting the Dragons. Lake Orion has a top star in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66309" first="Nina" last="Horning"]</strong> that is capable of taking over a match. <strong>Novi </strong>is technically sound, but without top player <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66340" first="Sarah" last="Vellucci"]</strong> due to an injury. That’s a big blow against Marian, which is looking as strong as ever. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24846" first="Ava" last="Brizard"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66328" first="Ava" last="Sarafa"]</strong> are playing as well as anyone in the state right now. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Marian over Lake Orion</p> <h4><strong>Regional 3 at Grand Haven</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Rockford vs. Grand Haven; Grandville vs. Forest Hills Central</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>Rockford has hit another stride in recent weeks and that makes things very challenging for their opponents this week. The Rams have so many weapons to work with. Grand Haven grinded out a nice win over Coopersville last week in a district semifinal, but facing Rockford will be another level of challenge. Forest Hills Central got over a big hurdle last week with a 5-set win over Forest Hills Northern in the district final. The Rangers own multiple wins over Grandville this year and they will look to ride <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24851" first="Brooklyn" last="Conner"] </strong>to a regional title. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Rockford over Forest Hills Central</p> <h4><strong>Regional 4 at Hudsonville</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Battle Creek Lakeview vs. Hudsonville; Byron Center vs. Portage Northern</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>Four teams in our top 25 rankings make up this great regional, but Hudsonville has certainly established itself as a title contender this year. The Eagles have a lot of size and athleticism up front that will be tough for anyone to deal with. Byron Central will look to Miss Volleyball finalist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24859" first="Taylor" last="Humphrey"] </strong>to try and be a bracket-buster, but that’s a tall task. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Hudsonville over Byron Center</p> <h4><strong>Regional 5 at DeWitt</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Brighton vs. Grand Ledge; Okemos vs. Ann Arbor Skyline</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>This region definitely has Skyline looking like the favorite. The Eagles are the lone ranked team in the foursome, sitting fourth in our final rankings. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"] </strong>is obviously a big difference maker on the floor and has Skyline primed to make another return to Battle Creek. Brighton, Grand Ledge and Okemos are playing well and have some impact players, but it’s hard to see any of them putting together a complete game against Skyline. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Skyline over Brighton</p> <h4><strong>Regional 6 at Ypsilanti Lincoln</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Trenton vs. Northville; Livonia Churchill vs. Saline</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>Churchill and Trenton should feel good about making it regionals, but this bracket has Saline and Northville looking at a top-10 collision for the title. Northville has had Saline’s number for the most part during the season and the Mustangs have really started to click with their new coaching staff. <strong>Abby Reck </strong>is going to be hard to slow down. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Northville over Saline</p> <h4><strong>Regional 7 at Lincoln Park</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Grosse Pointe South vs. Dearborn Divine Child; Dearborn Fordson vs. Berkley</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>This region is full of bracket-busters, as neither were part of our final Top 25 rankings. However, there’s still good talent here and the teams will be hungry to go after a regional championship. GP South may have the edge as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24852" first="Jada" last="Divita"] </strong>is the top player that will be on the floor this week. She’s capable of carrying the Blue Devils on her back. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Grosse Pointe South over Berkley</p> <h4><strong>Regional 8 at Chippewa Valley</strong></h4> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchups: </strong>Macomb Dakota vs. Stoney Creek; Troy vs. Utica Ford</p> <p><strong>Breakdown: </strong>Dakota is the team to beat here, but the Cougars can’t overlook this field. Troy has taken a set from them before and Stoney Creek is playing its best volleyball right now with Miss Volleyball finalist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24881" first="Sydney" last="Tomlak"]</strong>. Ultimately, the Cougars have the size and speed to get through the week. They still haven’t quite fully hit their full potential, so this week will be important for Dakota to find that next gear. <strong>Finals Prediction: </strong>Dakota over Troy</p>