D3/4 Showdown Highlights (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Be sure to follow&nbsp;@lshotvb&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lshotvb/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lshotvb?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">Tik Tok&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LineShotVBall">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for all things volleyball!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>The Prep Dig Exposure Tour is coming to Michigan on December 21! This is for all 2026-2029 prospects.&nbsp;<a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2032/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-michigan#register">Click here to register</a>, and use promo code&nbsp;“LSHOTPD25”&nbsp;to get $10 off your registration.<br></strong></em>–</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not that often that you can bring some of the best from the lower divisions together at one tournament. The D3/4 Showdown was the place to be for some of the top talent in the state for these smaller schools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like its tournament counterpart, Beast of the East, the Showdown offers an in depth look at what some of the best in these two divisions have to offer. And what to maybe expect come November when the postseason commences. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've looked at the best from the Showdown with the <a href="https://prepdig.com/author/jamisonkruse/#:~:text=D3/4%20Showdown%20Dream%20Team">D3/4 Dream Team</a>, but there was a lot of exciting stuff going on from top to bottom. So, let's take a look at some of the highlights from the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='817960' first='Reese' last='Lape'] - Grass Lake</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grass Lake did not come to play when it came to making an impression at the D3/4 Showdown. [player_tooltip player_id='817960' first='Reese' last='Lape'], one of the few upperclassman leaders for the Warriors, was a huge part in that. On the outside, Lape plays a very crafty game. She sees the court well and was chopping up a lot of great shots that frustrated many teams. Her scrappy play led her team to upset gold bracket berth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='787391' first='Karsyn' last='Ignash'] - Cass City</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just as a freshman in the middle, [player_tooltip player_id='787391' first='Karsyn' last='Ignash'] is progressively getting stronger and stronger. Despite the unideal results from Saturday, you can very much say this is somewhat of a breakout performance for the young star. At 6'2, Ignash is naturally gifted with size, but she's finding her groove in the way of her offense and her net defense. She was an increasing presence throughout the day when the Hawks could find her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='888393' first='Lydia' last='Hartzell'] - Cass City</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the Hawk's main source of defense in the back court, [player_tooltip player_id='888393' first='Lydia' last='Hartzell'] has been doing quite the job in her rookie season. From watching her first matches of her career in Cadillac to this weekend, Hartzell has elevated her play in many ways. Her defense was much improved and reception was much steadier.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Erin Jubar - Unionville-Sebewaing</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unionville-Sebewaing may not have had the craziest of outings at the Showdown. But nonetheless, it was quite impressive to see the offense that Erin Jubar runs. This is a team under new head coach Sam Kuhl, and one of the key things that stands out about her new team is the speed of offense. Jubar is capable of running some serious speed and it can do some damage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='442981' first='Grace' last='Belanger'] - Plymouth Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In her first year in the libero jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='442981' first='Grace' last='Belanger'] has been delivering on all fronts of the game. She is a more silent, but deadly player. Plymouth Christian was one of the strongest defensive teams in the gym and Belanger was the catalyst to the success behind the 10 foot line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='728154' first='Nikki' last='Fedewa'] - Pewamo-Westphalia</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pewamo-Westphalia looks to this player to deliver on a lot of different point scoring opportunities. Whether it is on the block or through scoring on offense, [player_tooltip player_id='728154' first='Nikki' last='Fedewa'] is a quick way to propel ahead. Her game proved vital throughout the tournament and led the Pirates to a semifinal finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='732275' first='Annika' last='Platte'] - Pewamo-Westphalia</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right alongside Fedewa is [player_tooltip player_id='732275' first='Annika' last='Platte'] on the left pin. This is another player for PW that does a lot of good on the court. From a reliant point scorer to a constant in the back court with her defense in reception, Platte leads this team in many ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->