Five Takeaways From Beast Of The East

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday's 2022 Beast Of The East Tournament had a lot to take in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along with the outstanding play from start to finish, we got a little clearer picture on the outlook of top teams in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were some surprising performances for the good, as well as teams we thought highly of living up to expectations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Beasts remain in the East</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beast of the East is really more of a statewide tournament than a focus on just the East side of the state. We saw some of the top teams from the West make their way to Pontiac this weekend as well, but it was still the East that held onto the top spots. The semifinals included Northville, Marian and North Branch, while Forest Hills Northern represented well for the West.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end it was a Northville-Marian final, giving the East the bragging rights once again. The last eight Class A/Division 1 state champions have come from the East side of the state. Based on Saturday, it looks as if that might be the case again in 2022.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Grand Rapids Christian still a contender</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles graduated a solid class and had a lot of big holes to fill for 2022, but the GRC team we saw on Saturday definitely looked like a Division 2 title contender. GRC was able to top Mattawan and went three sets with Clarkston to reach the Gold Bracket. There it had a dominant first set over Dakota before eventually falling in three. It's clear that the Eagles can put together a high-caliber product, they just need to find the consistency for it to last the whole match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rowan Cebulski </strong>made a big name for herself on the day. The senior outside was part of a very elite All-Tournament team and she was able to hold her own against a bevy of great hitters and blockers. GRC also has some length in the middle with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66327' first='Makenzie' last='Ritsema'] </strong>and <strong>Savannah Bol</strong>. Saturday should provide a little confidence boost for GRC and that could be what it needs to peak in time for the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Alright Ike!</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When looking for Cinderellas at Beast of the East, Utica Eisenhower wasn't drawing much attention. But, Ike went out and had arguably the most surprising performance of the weekend. It started with an upset of red-hot Saline in pool play and was followed with a victory over Grand Blanc to advance into the Gold Bracket. There, it drew Skyline and took the first set 26-24. After falling 25-11 in the second, Ike showed a lot of resiliency and battled the Eagles to a 15-13 third set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the elimination, it showed Eisenhower has something it can build on. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108717' first='Katie' last='Smith'] </strong>looked very comfortable and confident as an outside. She was leading the team in attacks and kills, while also putting up a strong effort defensively. For the upsets to take place, libero <strong>Izzy Biermann</strong> also had to step up. A scrappy senior, Biermann is clearly a well-rounded athlete that uses her skills in the back row to keep Ike in some long rallies. Following Saturday, I'm excited to see what Eisenhower will do going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>SMCC holds its own</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kestrels were one of few Division 3 programs competing with the big dogs on Saturday, but SMCC proved it can hang with anyone. They earned wins over D1 programs like Grand Haven and Oxford, while playing North Branch (No. 1 D2) to a thrilling 3-set match in pool play. In the first round of bracket play, it couldn't have had a closer match with Mercy, falling 27-25, 28-26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SMCC plays with a lot of grit, but also plays very composed and technically sound. Their defense, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156321' first='McKenna' last='Payne']</strong>, is very hard to score on. Offensively, Payne can bring it to the net, as can fellow sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156292' first='Jessica' last='Costlow']</strong> and freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226889' first='Madeline' last='Dettling']</strong>. They may not have the collective size to compete with these top D1 and D2 programs, but the Kestrels make up for it with consistency and effort. SMCC doesn't beat itself too often and makes opponents earn their points. That should keep it as a top D3 contender in the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Injury bug hits</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One disappointing thing on Saturday was seeing a number of key players suffer injuries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marian felt it pretty hard with seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66330' first='Ella' last='Schomer'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66329' first='Reagan' last='Sass'] </strong>both going doing during pool play. It was impressive to see the Mustangs still sweep their way to the finals before coming up short against Northville. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa'] </strong>played an outstanding tournament to get the most out of the Marian offense, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152524' first='Molly' last='Banta'] </strong>raised her game to help make up for the injury losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mercy also saw senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66333' first='Ella' last='Shields'] </strong>suffer an injury during pool play. Shields has been having a great 2022, as she's among the team leader in kills, digs and aces. Her enthusiasm on the floor is contagious for the team and her loss was felt. Hopefully she's able to get back before the end of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brighton was without a couple of players Saturday due to injury, including setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110298' first='Lea' last='Gage']</strong>, who has also been impressive this year. The Bulldogs had to play with a lot of youth on Saturday and weren't able to really showcase their best lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopefully it's just a temporary injury bug going around. We'd like to see teams at their best when playoffs begin in a couple of weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->