Four teams in Division 1 advanced to Friday’s semifinals with wins in their quarterfinals at the WIAA Girls Volleyball State Tournament at the Resch Center in Green Bay Thursday.
Burlington (38-9) ousted two-time defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels (34-12) by coming back from a two-set deficit to win the match 13-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-12.
Abby Koenen led the Demons with 21 kills, and Alyssa Turzenski added 14 kills with a team-leading 25 digs. Kaley Blake dished out a match-high 45 assists. Katie Rolfe led all hitters with a game-high 23 kills for the Dashers. Tess Murphy and Sydney Scheele shared the setting duties to record 25 and 24 assists, respectively.
The Demons advance to play Menomonee Falls in Friday evening’s semifinals. The Falcons swept Greendale in three sets 25-21, 25-12, 25-20.
Menomonee Falls (37-8) was led on offense by Mackenzie Robertson with game-high 13 kills for an efficient .550 hitting percentage. Mckenna Micech handed out a team-high 21 assists, and Ciara Gilbertson chipped in with another 13.
The Panthers (20-21) finish their season with their fifth trip to the State Tournament. Nicole Martin led the team in kills with eight, and Kayce Litzau recorded a team-leading 12 assists while Jessie Grabowski led the team on defense with 14 digs.
Neenah (43-4) moved on to the semifinals with a hard-fought, five-set win over conference rival Appleton North (36-5) by the scores of 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 21-25, 15-8.
Hope Werch and Addie Barnes were efficient on the attack for the Rockets, recording 23 and 22 kills for .358 and .320 hitting percentages, respectively. Mikayla Butts had a game-high 52 assists, and Kayla Kraus made 16 digs in the win.
Mikaylah Van Lanen paced all hitters with 30 kills for the Lightning. Jenna Miller also recorded double-figures in kills with 15. Maddy Ahrens handed out 50 assists, and Carissa Beyer notched a game-high 39 digs.
Appleton North finishes its season appearing in its fourth State Tournament. Neenah advances to the semifinals to play Sun Prairie, who defeated River Falls 23-25, 25-14, 25-23, 25-17.
The Cardinals received balanced play from its front line. The trio of Claire Chaussee, Kielyn Kapugi and Kelsey Kopiske tallied 18, 18 and 14 kills, respectively. They combined for a .333 hitting percentage in the match. Ally Keuler and Molly Brereton shared the setting responsibilties with 27 and 24 assists, respectively. Elizabeth Maastricht compiled a game-high 23 digs.
Halle Olson led the Wildcats with 18 kills, and Izzy Barr dished out 34 assists. On defense, Sam Krueger had a team-high 13 digs, and Sophie Langlois had a pair of block solos and block assists.
River Falls was eliminated from title contention in its first-ever State Tournament appearance.