DIVISION 1
Burlington (39-5) successfully defended its crown with a four-set victory over Oconomowoc in the Division 1 final of the State Girls Volleyball Tournament Saturday evening at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
The Demons possessed a stifling defense at the net that stymied the Raccoons. Ocononomoc was held to a .068 hitting percentage in the match.
“Our blocking was pretty impressive at different points tonight, and I think we frustrated their hitters into different looks,” said Burlington Co-Head Coach Teri Little. “This group of 16 girls are the true definition of team all the way through. It has been unbelievable. I’m so impressed with the job they did, not just tonight, but all season long to get to this point.”
Burlington recorded 15 team blocks, which is one short of the Division 1 State tournament record for a four-set match. Emily Alan was a key cog in the defensive wall with 10 block assists in the match. Cameron Lukenbill added a solo block and four block assists. Maddie Berezowitz led four teammates that recorded double figures in digs with 15.
Coley Haggard and Grace Peyron led the Demons’ balanced offensive attack with 13 kills apiece. Berezowitz and Alan each contributed with 11 kills. Kaley Blake was credited with dishing out a match-high 46 assists.
Oconomowoc was led on offense by Tayler Alden with a team-high 10 kills and 32 assists, and Elle Shult and Maleah Howe each chipped in with nine kills. Caitlin Crawford and Elle Shult led the Raccoons defensively. Crawford was credited with a game-high 21 digs, and Elle Shult recorded one block solo and five block assists.
It’s the Demons fourth title in their 10th State appearance, and Oconomowoc (31-8) finishes runner-up in its third tourney appearance.
DIVISION 2
East Troy (27-8) cruised to a three set victory over Kettle Moraine Lutheran to win the Division 2 title at the State Girls Volleyball Tournament Saturday afternoon at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
The Trojans battled back from an early deficit in the first set to gain momentum and earn the 25-22, 25-19, 25-13 sweep.
“We went on a huge run to win that first match, and that was huge,” said East Troy Head Coach Jeremy Wies. “After that, we had the next part of the game where we just didn’t let up.”
Katie Winkler converted 20 of her 32 attack attempts into kills and recorded a .500 hitting percentage to lead the Trojans’ offense. Bina Scuric contributed to the offensive output with 17 kills. Emily Wendt was credited with assists on 35 of the team’s 44 kills. Matison Jakscht and Isabelle Martino each paced the defense by posting double figure in digs. Jakscht had a match-high 17 digs, and Martino added 13.
The Trojans defense held the Chargers’ offensive attack to a .083 hitting percentage. Ariana Miller was the leading attacker for Kettle Moraine Lutheran with 10 kills. Carissa Egelseer assisted on all but three of the team’s 25 kills, and Gianna Feld made 16 digs to lead the defense.
It’s the second State championship for East Troy, having also won the title in 2013. Kettle Moraine Lutheran (27-11) finishes runner-up in its eight State tournament appearance.
DIVISION 3
Lake Country Lutheran (38-11) won the Division 3 championship for the second consecutive season with a five-set match over previously undefeated Stratford at the State Girls Volleyball Tournament Saturday afternoon at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
After dropping the first set of the match, the Lightning featured a balanced hitting attack to record a 23-25, 16-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-7 victory.
“The difference for us today was that we had four different kids in double digit kills, and I thought our back row did an amazing job.” said Lake Country Lutheran Head Coach Janet Bahr. “It took a while in the first game to adjust to their swings, but we figured some things out and just relaxed a bit. I’m really, really proud of these girls.”
Jennifer O’Keefe led the hit parade with 22 kills. Both Breanna Pape and Gaby Garcia recorded 15 kills, and Evvie Kaczkowski chipped in with 10. The 69 kills in the match by the Lightning fell two short of the Division 3 record for a five-game match. Alyna Ritter set a Division 3 record for a five-game match with 61 assist. Rylee Vaughn commanded the back row defense with a match record 35 digs.
Mazie Nagel led the Tigers with 18 kills, a team-high 22 digs and a game-high four service aces. Jadyn Dahlke handed out 22 assists in sharing the setting duties with Brooke Peterson, who finished with 14 assists.
Lake County Lutheran wins its second championship in their third State tournament appearance, Stratford (44-1) finishes runner-up in the program’s second experience at State.
DIVISION 4
Catholic Central (39-7) claimed the championship in Division 4 of the State Girls Volleyball Tournament Saturday morning at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
The Hilltoppers utilized a diverse offensive attack to sweep the Bears in three sets 25-17, 28-26, 25-22.
“Our middles were very active today; they were working hard in transition–and as we have done all year–we served incredibly well today,” said Catholic Central Head Coach Wayne Shultz. “We just kept the ball on them all the time, and all our players were working hard in transitions, and it was hard to key on any one player.”
Sammie Seib led all attackers with 20 kills in the match for the Hilltoppers. Grace Spiegelhoff added 17 kills, and Miriam Ward chipped in with 13. Elizabeth Klein dished out a match-high 46 assists, and Grace Altlfinger led all defenders with 23 digs.
The Bears were held in check offensively with a .159 hitting percentage as a team. Selena Levendoski led the team with 19 kills, and Jaedyn Bussewitz added 12. Marissa Gilbertson distributed a team-high 29 assists and Kiana Fall was the team leader in digs with 14. Levendoski and Corey Leslie each were credited with a game-high four block assists.
It’s the sixth championship won by Catholic Central and the Hilltoppers’ first since 2012. Former defending champion Clayton (29-4) finishes runner-up in its 10th State tournament appearance.