The 41st State Girls Volleyball Tournament concluded Saturday with four champions being crowned from among the 474 programs set out in pursuit of a State championship.
Menomonee Falls (46-4) earned the Division 1 championship title with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-16 win over Westosha Central (44-9) in the tournament final.
It’s the first title won by the Indians, who have appeared in 10 State Tournaments. The closest they have come to hoisting the gold trophy previously was a runner-up finish in 2000. The Falcons finish runner-up for the third time to go with their five State championships. They have appeared at State a membership-leading 19 times.
Simone Lee led all hitters with 21 kills to power the Indians’ offense. Abby Becker contributed with 26 assists, and Maddie Micech posted 13 digs. The Falcons’ offense was held to a .054 hitting percentage with Danielle Rampart leading the way with six kills.
The Indians dropped just one set during their tournament run to the title, winning each of their pre-State matches in three sets and only dropping one set to Pius XI in the State quarterfinals.
East Troy (44-0) rolled to the Division 2 championship to cap an undefeated season with a 25-11, 25-14, 25-11 sweep of Edgewood (37-5) in the championship final.
It was the first State title for the Trojans. The Crusaders finish runner-up for the second year in a row and for the sixth time in six appearances in the championship final.
East Troy was led on the front line by M.E. Dodge’s 14 kills. Brittney Jakscht was credited with 26 assists, and Mykie Olsen recorded a team-leading 16 digs. Sam Foti was Edgewood’s leading attacker with five kills, but the Crusaders could only manage a .011 kill percentage against the staunch net defense of the Trojans.
East Troy is the first undefeated State champion since Racine St. Catherine’s did it in 2010. The Trojans swept both State matches in three sets and have defeated 13 of their last 14 opponents without surrendering a set.
Regis (37-5) took a two set lead in the Division 3 championship final and staved off an Auburndale (34-7) attempt at a comeback to win the title with a 25-22, 25-15, 18-25, 25-20.
The Lady Ramblers win their first State crown in their fifth tournament appearance and their third experience in the championship match, finishing runner-up in 2003 and 2004.
Amanda Giguere struck for 14 kills with Alissa Zawacki and Shae Brey each adding 11 kills to lead the Regis offense. Brenna Brey recorded 37 assists, which ranks second in Division 3 for the most assists in a four-game match in the rally-scoring era. Giguere was a force defensively as well, with 10 blocks. Dani Zwiefelhofer contributed 20 digs on the defensive end.
Camille Swart led Auburndale with 11 kills, and Taylor Gotz added nine. Kendra Kundinger distributed 29 assists with 11 digs.
Auburndale’s furthest advance in the Tournament prior to this year’s runner-up finish was to the semifinals in their two previous appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Newman Catholic (30-5) captured its first State Girls Volleyball championship with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Clayton (29-6) in the Division 4 championship match Saturday morning.
The Cardinals improved on their runner-up finish last season and take home the gold trophy in their sixth trip to the State Tournament.
The Cardinals were led by freshman Mariah Whalen, who recorded 25 kills and six block assists. That ranks as the second-most in a three-set match in Division 4 tournament history. Shaefer Rupar added 13 kills. Setter Abbey Fox dished out 38 assists, which ranks third on the Division 4 list for a single three-set match.
Clayton finishes runner-up for the second time, also receiving the silver trophy in their last tourney appearance in 2008. The Bears also have two previous championships in 1990 and 1996.
McKenna Cardinal recorded 20 kills and Sam Fall handed out 35 assists to lead the Bears.
The Girls State Tournament field has been narrowed to two remaining teams in each of the four divisions with State championship aspirations following Friday’s semifinal action at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
Menomonee Falls won in three sets over Sun Prairie 25-19. 25-17, 25-18 to return to the Division 1 State finals for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2000. The Indians were led by Simone Lee with 19 kills, and Abbey Becker recorded 24 assists.
Molly Livingston tallied eight kills for Sun Prairie.
Westosha Central returns to the State final for the first time since it won the championship in 2006. The Falcons defeated Neenah 19-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-23 in their semifinal. Danielle Rampart and Maddie Brown powered the offense with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Haley Barnes notched 19 kills in the loss for the Rockets.
Westosha Central takes on Menomonee Falls in the Division 1 final Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The match will be carried live on FS Wisconsin and streamed live on foxsportswisconsin.com.
East Troy (43-0) remained undefeated and will play for a State championship and a perfect season against Edgewood (37-4) Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Trojans swept Oconto Falls in three sets in their semifinal 25-21, 25-14, 25-15 to play for their first State girls volleyball crown. Myranda Dallas led a balanced Trojan attack with eight kills. Brittney Jakscht recorded 22 assists and Mykie Olsen added 19 digs. McKenna Larsen and Carly Lemke each had 10 kills to pace Oconto Falls.
The Crusaders cruised past Altoona 25-12, 25-12, 25-21 in its semifinal to earn their opportunity to play in the title match for the third time in the last four seasons. They are still looking for their first title with runner-up finishes in each of their previous four championship match appearances.
The Crusaders featured a balanced attack with Kaelyn Kessel claiming the team lead in kills with eight, and both Sam Foti and Rachael Roseboom added seven. Courtney Naser and Madi Whitehead were credited with five kills apiece to lead Altoona.
The Division 2 championship match will be aired live on FS Wisconsin, as well as live streamed at www.foxsportswisconsin.com.
Auburndale (34-6) and Regis (36-5) are the remaining contenders for the Division 3 State championship after both advanced from Friday’s semifinal play.
The Apaches shocked Racine St. Catherine’s (38-12) in five sets 25-22, 28-26, 20-25, 15-25, 15-10. The Angels came into the State semifinal not having lost a set in their four post-season matches.
Camille Swart hit 20 kills, and Shannon Yahnke and Taylor Gotz added 13 and 11 kills apiece to lead the Apaches’ offensive charge. Kendra Kundinger had 36 assists and 14 digs, while Hannah Catellano played well defensively with a team-leading 26 digs. The Angels were led by Abbey Jeffcoat with 33 kills, which is third most in Division 3 tournament history for a five-set match, and Ellie LeCount with 54 assists, which sets a Division 3 record for a five-set match.
Regis turned back Brodhead (29-6) 25-16, 25-20, 25-19 in its semifinal. The Ramblers were led by Shae Brey with 18 kills, and Brenna Brey dished out 32 assists. Brodhead was led by Carly Mohns and Rachel Heller, who both notched double figures in kills with 11 and 10, respectively.
The Division 3 championship match will be televised live on FS Wisconsin and streamed live on foxsportswisconsin.com at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
In Division 4, Clayton (29-5) and Newman Catholic (29-5) will do battle in the championship match at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
Clayton swept North Crawford (28-5) 25-9, 25-16, 25-17 to advance to the title tilt.
The Bears were led by McKenna Cardinal with 17 kills and 11 digs. Abbey Ketz and McKenna Larson each added four service aces apiece. Mackenzie Siggum had six kills and 14 digs for the Trojans.
The Bears last participated in the championship final in 2008. They have won two State titles in Division 4, those coming in 1990 and 1996.
Newman Catholic returns to the title game for the second straight season after finishing runner-up last year. The Fighting Cardinals downed Hilbert (29-10) 25-17, 25-21, 25-19 in their semifinal matchup.
Freshman Mariah Whalen paced the Fighting Cardinals with 17 kills and three service aces. Shaefer Rupar chipped in with 14 kills and 16 digs. April Gehl had 11 kills, nine assists and seven digs in a losing effort for the Wolves.
The Division 4 championship match will be televised live on FS Wisconsin and streamed live on foxsportswisconsin.com at 9 a.m. Saturday.