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Divison 4 features three undefeated conference champions and impressive season resumes. These state semi-final games will be played simultaneously at 10 a.m. on Friday. Here is a breakdown of the head-to-head matchups.



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Highland (27-3, 12-0 Six Rivers West) vs. Newman Catholic (20-11, 5-2 Marawood South)



Rankings (WSN/WVCA): Highland- #5/HM; Newman Catholic- NR/NR



Matchup: Highland, by far the smallest school in this year's field with just 86 students, plays huge thanks to 5'11" Middle Hitter Kendall Wienkes who led this team with a blistering .478 hitting percentage. The majority of Highland's kills come from the middle, with Wienkes and fellow junior Morgan Bomkamp averaging 5.7 and 2.3 kills per set respectively. Junior setter Rachel Aide offers 10.1 assists per set, while Libero Carlee Yanna digs 3.8 attacks per set. Newman, meanwhile, averages almost four fewer kills than Highland, but has a pair of senior standouts in Andrea and Emily Schuster. The twins, both Outside Hitters, lead the team in kills with 3.4 and 2.2 and also digs with 2.2 and 2.6 digs per game.



Outlook: Newman only has three seniors on this team in the Schusters and Middle Hitter Kaitlyn Ford, and all three will need to really be on key Friday as Newman will most likely be undersized. Newman does have playoff experience coming off a Division 3 state semifinal loss to Grantsburg last season, while Highland hasn't been to State since 1999.



Prediction: Highland 3, Newman 0



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McDonell Central (40-3, 8-0 Cloverbelt West) vs. Manitowoc Lutheran (38-3, 9-0 Olympian)



Rankings (WSN/WVCA): McDonell Central- #1/NR; Manitowoc Lutheran- #3/#3



Matchup: McDonell more or less dominated the Cloverbelt this season, as the only team to push it to five games was Regis in an early September showdown. The Macks are led by a pair of seniors in Christi Schoch and Ashley Zumbrock who tally 3.4 and 2.2 kills per set.  McDonell's tallest player is just 5'10", yet it should make up for its lack of height with excellent defense. The Macks (along with Highland) is the leader in digs with 17.3 per set. Manitowoc Lutheran boasts incredible balance offensively. Senior Setter Emily Pankow spreads the offense around, as classmates Kelly Hauf, Brianna Robley and Kelsi Daffner all average over two kills per set. The Lancers have seen great eastern Wisconsin competition as well, as two of their three losses were to Division 3 powerhouse Oostburg.



Outlook: Not too often do you see a right side hitter lead the team in kills, but in both teams' case with both teams. An interesting matchup will be to see whether McDonell's Schoch or the Lancers' Robley has more success swinging behind the setter. Nerves for each team should cancel out in this one, as neither team has yet played on the State stage.



Prediction: McDonell 3, Manitowoc Lutheran 2