Neenah (44-4) returns to the State title match for the first time since 1992 following its 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 sweep of Sun Prairie (39-12) in the Division 1 semifinals Friday at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
The Rockets took control of the match in the first set with a blistering attack, hitting at a .441 clip. Hope Werch and Addie Barnes led Neenah on offense with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Mikayla Butts was credited with a game-high 33 assists and five service aces. Defensively, the Rockets recorded eight blocks and limited the Cardinals to a .175 hitting percentage. Kayla Kraus led the team with 20 digs.
Sun Prairie was led by Claire Chaussee with 14 kills and four blocks. Kielyn Kapugi added 10 kills, and Ally Keuler dished out 19 assists. Defensively, Elizabeth Maastricht had a team-high 18 digs, and Chaussee recorded three block solos and one block assist.
The Rockets will play for their second State title in its sixth title game appearance. Sun Prairie falls in the semifinals in its third State experience.
Neenah will play Burlington (39-9) for the Division 1 title Saturday afternoon. The Demons defeated Menomonee Falls in four sets 26-24, 16-25, 25-19, 25-19 in the other semifinal Friday.
The Demons were led by Abby Koenen with 21 kills and 40 assists from Kaley Blake. Alyssa Turzenski also tallied double figures in kills with 10. Burlington was held to a .176 hitting percentage, but were aided by quality serving in the match. The Demons recorded a Division 1 State Tournament record 15 aces, including six from Turzenski, which ties her for third-most in a Division 1 match.
The Indians were led offensively by Ashley Guenveur and Rachel Murphy with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. McKenna Micech led the team with 24 assists, while Ciara Gilberson added 13 assists. Their defensive effort was led by Cami Stigler with 26 digs, and Murphy, who was involved in four of the Indians’ nine blocks.
The Demons have their sights on a third State title and the first since back-to-back titles in 2011-12. Menomonee Falls’ 11th State appearance ends in the semifinals.
Two-time defending champion Catholic Memorial (41-7) is back in the title match attempting to win its third straight championship in Division 2. The Crusaders swept Merrill (29-10) in three sets 25-15, 25-9, 25-18.
Lexi Alder led a balanced hitting attack for Catholic Memorial, which compiled a .356 hitting percentage. She was the lone player in double figures for the Crusaders with 10 kills. Ivey Whalen had seven kills and three others tallied six kills apiece, including Maddy Rondeau, who led the team with 22 assists and 14 digs.
Maddix Bonnell and Katie Zelinski had seven kills for the Blue Jays, which struggled to a .109 hitting percentage against the Crusaders’ defensive front. Lindsey Casper posted 11 assists and Taylor Cichy had 12 digs to lead the Blue Jays statistically.
Catholic Memorial is in pursuit of its seventh State championship, and Merrill ends its eighth State appearance with the loss in the semifinals.
Notre Dame (40-6) reaches the title match in Division 2 for the first time in program history following its 21-25, 25-22, 26-15, 25-17 victory over Lakeside Lutheran (38-5) in the semifinals.
After dropping the first set, the Tritons elevated play on both ends of the court. They posted a .257 hitting percentage for the match and held the Warriors to a .149 hitting percentage, including a .083 mark in the fourth set. Sydney Slack recorded a match-high 20 kills for the Tritons, and Grace Campbell added 17. Slack also led all players in digs with 19, and Corinne Meglic handed out a match-high 47 assists.
The Warriors had a balanced hitting attack with Amber Rowoldt leading the way with 14 kills. Rekha Drevlow and Abigail Hackbarth contributed with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Ellie Westrate gave out 25 assists, and Rowoldt led the team in digs with 16.
Lakeside Lutheran finishes its season by advancing to the State Tournament for the second time and the first since 2000.
Howards Grove (41-4) advances to the Division 3 championship match for the second time and for the first time since winning the Class C title in 1976. The Tigers defeated Aquinas 25-11, 25-21, 25-18 in their semifinal match.
Samantha Yancy led the Tigers with 23 kills, and Olivia Stauss and Taylor Bubolz each contributed six kills. Bubolz led all setters with 26 assists in the match. Defensively, Yancy had a pair of solo blocks and two block assists. Courtney Conway led a balanced hitting attack for the Blugolds with 10 kills, but Aquinas was held to a .080 hitting percentage in the match. Danielle Dolan distributed 23 assists and made 12 digs.
Aquinas ends the season at the State Tournament for the first time in program history. The Tigers will play Lourdes Academy in the title match Saturday afternoon. The Knights were victors in their semifinal Friday, defeating Athens in five sets 22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12.
Both teams made it difficult on the opposition’s attackers. The Knights made eight blocks and held the Fighting Bluejays to a .150 hitting percentage. Athens also recorded eight blocks and limited the Knights to a .127 hitting percentage.
Rachel Aasby and Claire Chier each had double-figures in kills with 15 and 12 for the Knights, respectively. Mollie Bartlett led the team with 40 assists and 26 digs. Kelsey Schwochert had six blocks, including one solo and five assists. Chier added four block assists.
Kaitlyn Brooks had a match-high 24 kills for the Bluejays. Gabriella Janke and Kenadi Diedrich also contributed with 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Diedrich also doled out a match-high 43 assists.
It’s the first time Lourdes will play in the title game after making its first State appearance last season. Athens ends its second tournament run in the semifinals. The Bluejays were runner-up in Class C in its only other appearance in 1976.
Three-time defending champion Newman Catholic (33-7) advances to the Division 4 title match in pursuit of its fourth straight title after downing Seneca (26-10) in three sets 25-20, 25-10 , 25-6.
The Fighting Cardinals were dominant on the attack, recording a .464 hitting percentage for the match. Mariah Whalen had a match-high 23 kills, hitting at a .525 clip. Rylie Vaughn added 14 kills with a match-high 22 assists. The Indians, in contrast, were held to a .100 hitting percentage. Liv Swanson led the squad with six kills. Emily Garfoot led the team in assists with 11, and Alivia Salinas posted a game-high 13 digs.
Newman Catholic advances to the finals for the sixth time with three titles and two runner-up finishes in eight previous appearances at State. Seneca ends its season with the program’s seventh State appearance.
Clayton (28-5) returns to the Division 4 title match for the first time since 2013 following 25-18, 25-19, 26-24 sweep over Randolph (32-7) in the semifinals.
Alison Leslie recorded 20 kills for the Bears and set a Division 4 match record with a .621 hitting percentage. Selena Levendoski added 18 kills to lead the offense. Marissa Gilbertson was credited with a match-high 42 assists. The Bears’ offensive attack was held in check with a .132 hitting percentage. Morgan Paul and JoLea Woreck led the balanced attack with eight kills apiece. Madelyn Kohn dished out 19 assists, and Paul led the team with 13 digs.
The Bears will attempt to win their third State championship, also winning titles in 1990 and 1996. Randolph’s third trip to the State Tournament ends in the semifinals.