THE TOURNAMENT: The 49th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Volleyball Championships will take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, 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.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features matches with a best-of-five-games format. Of the 50 schools that offer a boys volleyball program, eight remain to play for the single-division State title. This season marks the first time the State Tournament field has been seeded by the coaches of participating teams. Below are the schedule and match-ups for the tournament.
Quarterfinals - Friday, Nov. 9
Appleton North (31-0) vs. Germantown (23-8) - 5 p.m.
Muskego (26-6) vs. Marquette (21-7) - 5 p.m.
Wauwatosa East (30-6) vs. Kettle Moraine (19-9) - 7:45 p.m.
Catholic Memorial (27-9) vs. Burlington (23-3) - 7:45 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 10
Winners of Friday’s 5 p.m. matches - Noon
Winners of Friday’s 7:45 p.m. matches - Noon
Championship - Saturday, Nov. 10
Championship Match - 5:30 p.m.
ALL MATCHES ON FOXSPORTSWISCONSIN.COM: The quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches of the WIAA State Boys Volleyball Tournament will be streamed live on the Internet on foxsportswisconsin.com
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ON FS WISCONSIN: Watch the delayed broadcast of the WIAA State Boys Volleyball championship match on FS Wisconsin. The match is scheduled to be aired on Nov. 29 at 9:30 p.m. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.
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 also has had a history of success, winning eight State championships, including the first tournament held in the fall. Other multiple champions are Marquette with six titles, and 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 sixth State title by defeating Kaukauna in the championship match 25-18, 25-23, 25-17. The Hilltoppers were led by Peter Hutz with 10 kills and Michael Schneck with 26 assists. AJ Miller added nine kills and four blocks, and Sean Riley recorded five kills and six blocks.
ABOUT THE FIELD: Defending champion Marquette returns to the State Tournament field for the 11th straight year, which accounts for the Hilltoppers overall total. They have won six State titles, capturing the gold in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and again last season. They return to the tournament field after surviving a five-set challenge from Pius XI in the Whitefish Bay Sectional final 25-22, 23-25, 25-16, 19-25, 15-7. Catholic Memorial qualifies for the ninth time. The Crusaders have won two titles, the first coming in 2000 and then added another in 2010. In addition, they have finished runner-up four times (2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007). They return to the tournament field in pursuit of their third crown by defeating Waukesha West in the sectional final hosted by Waukesha West 25-15, 19-25, 25-21, 25-10. Wauwatosa East makes its eighth overall appearance and its seventh in a row. During this string of appearances, the Red Raiders have captured one gold trophy, that came in 2006. They earned the opportunity to contend for the State title this season by defeating Brookfield Central in the Brookfield Central Sectional final 25-18, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23. This will be Appleton North’s sixth overall trip to State. The Lightning last qualified in 2009, which followed a three-year string of appearances from 2005-07. The closest they have come to playing for a title came in 2006, when they advanced to the semifinals. They return to the quarterfinals this season with a 26-15, 25-17, 25-18 sweep over Kimberly in the final of the Kimberly Sectional. Burlington is making its fourth tournament appearance and its first since 2005. All three previous experiences have resulted in losses in the quarterfinals. The Demons look to advance beyond the quarterfinals for the first time after defeating Racine Case in the final of the Westosha Central Sectional 25-14, 25-13, 17-25, 25-20. Kettle Moraine returns to State for the third time and for the first time since the second of back-to-back appearances in 2008-09. In their previous experiences, they fell in the quarterfinals in 2008 and vacated a victory in the quarterfinals in 2009 for use of an ineligible player. They defeated Middleton in the sectional final played at Kettle Moraine 26-24, 25-21, 25-19 to earn the return to the State Tournament. Germantown returns to the State Tournament for the second time after making its first appearance last season. The Warhawks advanced to the semifinals last season before being eliminated from title contention by eventual champion Marquette. Their return engagement to the tournament comes virtue of a five-set 25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 25-15, 15-7 triumph over Arrowhead in the sectional final played at Arrowhead. Muskego is also a second-time qualifier, losing in quarterfinals in 2011. The Warriors seized their second straight opportunity to continue their quest for a State title by defeating Racine Horlick in four sets 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 in the sectional final hosted at Horlick.
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.