THE TOURNAMENT: The 52nd Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Volleyball Tournament will take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13-14, at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, Wis. Ticket prices for the tournament are $8 for adults per session and $1 for children 6-years old and under.
STATE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features matches with a best-of-five-games format. Of the 54 schools that offer a boys volleyball program, eight remain to play for the single-division State title.
Quarterfinals - Friday, Nov. 13
Match-1: Kettle Moraine (28-5) vs. Kenosha Indian Trail (25-9) - 12:30 p.m.
Match-2: New Berlin Eisenhower/West (28-5) vs. Middleton (23-10) - 3 p.m.
Match-3: Germantown (35-6) vs. Brookfield East (18-8) - 5:30 p.m.
Match-4: Kaukauna (38-3) vs. Marquette (14-10) - 8 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 14
Match-5: Winner of Match-1 vs. Winner of Match-2 - 10 a.m.
Match-6: Winner of Match-3 vs. Winner of Match-4 - 12:30 p.m.
Championship Match - Saturday, Nov. 14
Match-7: Championship Match - 6 p.m.
TIME WARNER SPORTS CHANNEL TO AIR FINAL: The championship match of the WIAA State Boys Volleyball Tournament will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 32 in Milwaukee and Green Bay.
TOURNAMENT LIVE STREAM: The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the WIAA State Boys Volleyball Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the “JOIN NOW” button on the home page.
HISTORY OF THE TOURNAMENT: The tournament resumed in 2000 after an 18-year hiatus. The WIAA did not sponsor a championship in boys volleyball from 1983 until 1999 because of the low participation. The initial boys tournament began in 1947 with Madison West winning the first State title. Waukesha, before the school split into multiple schools, enjoyed an impressive string of success in the 1950s. It won nine championships and finished runner-up three times from 1950 through 1961. Included in that run was five straight championships from 1957-61. Kaukauna and Marquette have also had a history of success, winning eight State championships. Other multiple champions are Wisconsin High School of Madison and West Allis Hale with three titles. Antigo, Catholic Memorial, Madison Central and Whitefish Bay have won two titles.
LAST YEAR: Marquette captured its second straight title and its eighth State title overall with a come-from-behind, five-set victory over New Berlin Eisenhower/West in the championship match 21-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13. The Hilltoppers were led by a trio of attackers. Evan Mason led the team with 14 kills, and Mark Heinen and Drew Reilly each added 13 kills.
ABOUT THE FIELD: Two-time defending champion Marquette is back in the State Tournament field for the 14th straight year, which accounts for the Hilltoppers overall total. They have won eight State titles, capturing the gold in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013 and again last year. In addition, they finished runner-up in 2010. The Hilltoppers advance to the tournament field this season through the Whitefish Bay Sectional, capped by a 25-20, 25-15, 25-21 win over Whitefish Bay/Dominican in the final. Last year’s runner-up New Berlin Eisenhower/West makes its second consecutive appearance at State and its fourth overall. The United received the fourth seed in this year’s tournament field. They have won one State championship. That title came in 2009. They return to the State quarterfinals by sweeping Racine Case 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 in the sectional final played at Racine Park. Kaukauna is making its 20th tournament appearance, which is the most of any member school. The Galloping Ghosts are tied with Marquette for having won the most titles of any existing school with eight. In addition, they have placed runner-up in 1967, 1974, 1976 and 2011. They upended Appleton North 25-20, 25-18, 23-25, 26-24 in the final of the Kimberly Sectional to advance into the final field of eight and was issued the second seed. Middleton returns to the tournament field for the third straight season and for the eighth time overall. The Cardinals’ furthest advance toward a title was to the semifinals in 2007 and 2008. This season, they advance to the quarterfinals by defeating Waukesha South 25-16, 25-18, 25-12 in the sectional final held at Madison Memorial. Kettle Moraine returns to State for the fourth time and for the first time since 2012. The Lasers were bestowed the top seed in this year’s State bracket. Their furthest advance in the tournament was to the semifinals in 2012. They defeated Catholic Memorial in the sectional final played at Kettle Moraine 25-22, 25-18, 25-17 to earn their return to the State Tournament. Germantown returns to the State Tournament for the fourth time and for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2013, which culminated a string of three straight appearances. The Warhawks’ return to the tournament comes as result of a 25-19, 25-22, 31-29 triumph over Nicolet in the sectional final played at Homestead. They received the third seed in the tournament bracket. Brookfield East makes its second appearance in the last three seasons and its third overall. The Spartans’ previous two trips to State resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals in 2000 and in the semifinals in 2013. Their return to the tournament field comes virtue of a 25-16, 25-14, 19-25, 25-20 win over Wauwatosa East in the sectional final held at West Allis Hale. Kenosha Indian Trail will experience the State Tournament for the first time following its 25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 26-28, 15-11 win over Westosha Central in the Kenosha Tremper Sectional final.
WIAA OFFICIAL VOLLEYBALL: Molten is the official ball of the WIAA State Boys and Girls Volleyball Tournament Series. To learn more about Molten products, access the website at www.moltenusa.com.
FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Boys Volleyball Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaabvb. Also follow daily recaps on Facebook.
NEED RESULTS?: Results of the State Boys Volleyball Tournament are available on the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org by accessing the boys volleyball Tournament Information page.