THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 41st Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Volleyball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 7-9, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session. For tickets, CLICK HERE
CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features matches with a best-of-five-games, rally-scoring format. Eight teams will play for the State title in Division 1, with four teams still in contention for the State crown in Divisions 2, 3 and 4. Below is the schedule and match-ups for the tournament.
Division 1
Thursday, Nov. 7
Time Match-up
4:30 p.m. Menomonee Falls (43-4) vs. Pius XI (27-19)
Appleton North (30-15) vs. Sun Prairie (42-5)
7:30 p.m. Wausau East (33-8) vs. Neenah (41-4)
Westosha Central (42-8) vs. Muskego (31-10)
Friday, Nov. 8
7 p.m. Semifinal (Thursday's 4:30 p.m. winners)
Semifinal (Thursday's 7:30 p.m. winners)
Saturday, Nov. 9
4:30 p.m. Championship Match
Division 2
Friday, Nov. 8
4 p.m. Oconto Falls (42-3) vs. East Troy (42-0)
Altoona (34-5) vs. Edgewood (36-4)
Saturday, Nov. 9
2 p.m. Championship Match
Division 3
Friday, Nov. 8
1 p.m. Auburndale (33-6) vs. Racine St. Catherine’s (38-11) Regis (35-5) vs. Brodhead (29-5)
Saturday, Nov. 9
11:30 a.m. Championship Match
Division 4
Friday, Nov. 8
10 a.m. Newman Catholic (28-5) vs. Hilbert (29-9)
Clayton (28-5) vs. North Crawford (28-4)
Saturday, Nov. 9
9 a.m. Championship Match
ON THE AIR: Watch the live broadcast of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Championship matches on FS Wisconsin. In addition, FS Wisconsin will air the championships on a delayed basis. The delayed programming for the Division 1 title match will be on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. The Division 2 championship match will be aired on Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. The Division 3 title match is scheduled to be aired on Nov. 17 at noon. In addition, the Division 4 championship match is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.
STATE MATCHES ON FOXSPORTSWISCONSIN.COM: The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of all four divisions of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament will be streamed live on the Internet on foxsportswisconsin.com.
LAST YEAR: Burlington won the Division 1 title for the second straight season with a 29-27, 25-20, 25-16 sweep of Divine Savior Holy Angels in the championship final. Kettle Moraine Lutheran defeated Edgewood 18-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-18 in the Division 2 championship match, Oostburg won its second consecutive Division 3 championship by downing Oconto 20-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-23 in the title match. Catholic Central also won the Division 4 title for the second year in a row, defeating Newman Catholic 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 in the championship match.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Westosha Central is making its membership-leading 19th overall appearance in the State Tournament and its first since 2007. The Falcons won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004 and added another in 2006. They also won the Class A title in 1989 and the Division 2 title in 1992. In addition, they have finished runner-up twice, in 1984 and 2002. The Falcons defeated two-time defending champion Burlington in four sets to win the Janesville Craig Sectional final and advance to the State semifinal. Muskego is making its sixth straight appearance at State and its ninth in the last 10 years. This is the Warriors’ 13th appearance overall, which includes State championships in 2005 and 2009, and runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2010. They defeated Union Grove in the Oak Creek Sectional final to earn another berth in the State quarterfinals. Neenah returns to the State Tournament field for the second season in a row and for the 12th time overall. The Rockets have won one title, that came in 1978. They have finished runner-up on four occasions (1977, 1979, 1980 and 1992). They gain access to the State Tournament field this season by defeating West Bend East in three sets in the final of the Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional. Menomonee Falls is making its third State appearance in the last four years and its 10th overall. The Indians furthest advance in the State Tournament was a runner-up finish in 2000. They qualify for the final eight this season by defeating Mukwonago in three sets in the final of the Watertown Sectional. Pius XI returns to State for the eighth time overall, all coming since 2002. The Lady Popes’ first two appearances, in 2002 and 2003, produced a championship and a runner-up finish, respectively. They added another runner-up finish in 2008. They defeated Divine Savior Holy Angels in five games in the sectional final to advance out of the Whitefish Bay Sectional. Sun Prairie makes its second appearance at State after qualifying for the first time last season, which resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals defeated Middleton in the sectional final played at Middleton to earn another shot at the State title. Appleton North will be making its second appearance. Its only other experience in the State Tournament occurred in 1998 with the pool-play format. Last weekend, the Lightning defeated Appleton East in three sets in the Ashwaubenon Sectional final to reach the State quarterfinals. It has been 35 years since Wausau East made its only previous appearance in the State Tournament. The Lumberjacks did not place in the pool-play format that season. They experience their first match-play State Tournament after sweeping Chippewa Falls in the final of the Marshfield Sectional.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Last year’s runner-up Edgewood makes its seventh appearance overall and the third in the last four seasons. The Crusaders had a string of four straight State trips from 2000-2003, which resulted in runner-up finishes in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They added second-place trophies in 2010 and again last season. The Crusaders defeated Big Foot in the McFarland Sectional final to return to the tournament field. Oconto Falls is making its fourth appearance in the State Tournament and its first since 2011. The previous three tournament experiences for the Panthers have resulted in defeats in the semifinals. They eliminated Waupun in a four-set match in the Seymour Sectional final last weekend to remain one of the four programs in the division still playing for the State title. East Troy last experienced the State Tournament during the pool-play-format era and failed to place in Class B in 1987. The opportunity for the Trojans’ to continue their quest for a State title was extended with a five-set victory over defending champion Kettle Moraine Lutheran in the Elkhorn Sectional final match. Altoona is also making its second appearance at State, and its first in a long time. It has been 37 years, in fact, since the Railroaders last qualified for the 1976 State Tournament in Class C. They did not win a set in the pool-play format that year. They earn a trip to the Resch Center this year with their five-set victory over Osceola in the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Sectional final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Regis is back in the tournament for the first time since 2007 and for the fourth time overall, which accounts for three consecutive State appearances from 2002-04. The Lady Ramblers, who finished runner-up in Division 4 in 2003 and in Division 3 in 2004, outlasted Cameron in five sets in the Durand Sectional final. Auburndale is making its third appearance in the tournament and its first since the second of back-to-back trips in 2009-10. The Apaches were eliminated from title contention in the semifinal in both of the previous appearances. They defeated Lourdes Academy in four sets in the sectional final they hosted to advance to the semifinal round. Racine St. Catherine’s is making its second appearance at State. Their first experience resulted in a State championship in 2010. They attempt to duplicate that success this season following their three-game sweep of two-time defending champion Oostburg in the Lake Country Lutheran Sectional final. Brodhead’s only other State Tournament experience came in 2008, when the Cardinals fell in the semifinals. They return to the tournament field this season after downing Wisconsin Heights in five sets in the Mineral Point Sectional final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Last year’s runner-up Newman Catholic is making its sixth overall appearance and its fifth in the last six seasons. The Fighting Cardinals’ now have two runner-up finishes with the other one coming in 2009. They are the representatives out of the Marathon Sectional, defeating Pembine/Goodman in three sets in the final. Clayton will make its fifth State Tournament appearance and its first since 2008 when the Bears finished runner-up. They are a two-time champion with titles in 1990 and 1996. They punched their ticket to the Resch Center this season with a three-set sweep over Washburn in the Luck Sectional final. North Crawford advances to State for the fourth time and for the first time since 1996. The most notable of the previous appearances was a runner-up finish in 1994. The Trojans advance to the semifinals this season following a four-set triumph over Cochrane-Fountain City in the Luther Sectional Final. It’s the third appearance at State for Hilbert. The last time the Wolves advanced to the semifinal was in 1998, which resulted in a defeat. The only other appearance was in pool-play format in 1990. They are the champions of the Central Wisconsin Christian Sectional by virtue of their three-set sweep over Catholic Central.
WIAA OFFICIAL VOLLEYBALL: Molten in the official ball of the WIAA State Girls and Boys Volleyball Tournament Series. To learn more about Molten products, access the website at www.moltenusa.com.
NEED RESULTS?: Results of the State Girls Volleyball Tournament are available on the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org by accessing the girls volleyball page at http://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/GirlsVolleyball.aspx.
FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Girls Volleyball Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaagvb. Also follow daily recaps on Facebook.