Takeaways from the 2019 Beast of the East Tournament
There was a lot to digest in Saturday’s Beast of the East Tournament, as it was the only time during the season that you will find the best from each division competing in one location. Here’s three things that stood…
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Continue ReadingThere was a lot to digest in Saturday’s Beast of the East Tournament, as it was the only time during the season that you will find the best from each division competing in one location. Here’s three things that stood out most about Saturday’s competition.
Beast of the West
Though titled “Beast of the East,” it was actually the West side of the state that looked the strongest on Saturday. Mercy did come away with the title, but three of the four semifinalists (Lowell, Mattawan, Grand Rapids Christian) and five of the eight quarterfinalists (Schoolcraft, Coopersville) came from the West.
“There’s a lot of good teams on the West side of the state and I think we wanted to come over here and prove something,” Grand Rapids Christian coach Tiffannie Gates said. “There’s a lot of good teams on our side of the state and I am glad we got to show that (Saturday).”
When you add in Hudsonville, Hamilton, Kalamazoo Christian, Centreville and Western Michigan Christian, three of the top four teams in Division 1, the top three teams in Division 2 and four of the top five in Division 3 all come from the West side of the mitten.
GRC is already the defending Division 2 state champion and one of the best in the state regardless of classification. Mattawan and Lowell both showed that they can go toe-to-toe with Mercy and it should make for a great setting if the Marlins meet either team in Battle Creek.
Coopersville a contender
Saturday was a chance to get a closer look at our second-ranked team in D2, Coopersville. The Broncos proved that they have a chance to win it all this year by picking up some impressive wins over the likes of Marian and SMCC on the day before falling to Mattawan in the quarterfinals, 25-23, 25-18.
“We have been trying to get over here (to the Beast of the East) for a few years and it hasn’t worked out, but this is the competition we wanted to face,” Coopersville coach Shane Balcom said. “We want to see what we need to work on and this is a tournament that will show us where we need to improve. I definitely was able to see the heart this team has. We pulled out some close sets against good teams when we were down and it shows us that we belong.”
The Broncos have plenty of talent with junior hitter Abby Olin (Michigan State) really showing her skills on Saturday. Olin was able to finish inside and outside at the net while making some great plays defensively. Aubrey Bates at setter and Katelyn Fritz as an outside are two exceptional senior leaders as well.
The Broncos were soundly beaten by Grand Rapids Christian last year in the regional semifinal, but this is a much-improve team and the Eagles will have their hands full in the two cross paths again this year.
Atiemo keeps improving
Charli AtiemoMercy has plenty of weapons, headlined by Jess Mruzik (Michigan), but junior middle Charli Atiemo continues to establish herself as one of the top middles in the entire state.
Atiemo finishes at a very high rate for the Marlins and has a great connection with setter Julia Bishop (Michigan State). The two play together in club at Michigan Elite, so Bishop has seen Atiemo’s growth from the beginning.
“I have never seen a player improve so much in a year as she has,” Bishop said of Atiemo, who is currently has no college commitment. “I am so excited to see what college picks her up because she is the No. 1 middle in the state and it’s a beautiful thing to watch her play.”