Girls Volleyball

Girls Volleyball News

Girls Volleyball Titles Claimed in Four Divisions

Neenah (45-4) was crowned champion in Division 1 with a 25-17, 25-23, 25-10 triumph over Burlington (39-10) in the final held Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

The Rockets were in control throughout the match. The largest deficit they had in the game was at 3-1 in the second set.

“We saved our best for last; we played extremely well,” said Neenah Head Coach Bruce Moriarity. “I just loved the way we competed today.

“We rose to the occasion in this championship match,” he continued. “Our players have a way of stepping up when they really need to, and I’m really proud of them.”

It was the Neenah offensive attack that helped keep the Rockets in control throughout the match. They converted on a .347 hitting percentage for the game. Addie Barnes posted a game-high 13 kills, and Hope Werch added 12 kills to pace the Rockets. Mikayla Butts dished-out a match-high 42 assists to direct the Rockets’ attack.

The Demons were led by Abby Koenen with 10 kills and Kaley Blake with 20 assists. They struggled to find a consistent attack at the net throughout the match, finishing with a .077 hitting percentage.

Neenah celebrates its second State title in its 14^th State Tournament appearance. The Rockets only other championship came in Class A back in 1978. Burlington finishes runner-up in its eighth State appearance.

Perennial Power Catholic Memorial captured its third straight Division 2 championship with a three-set sweep over Notre Dame in the title game Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

The Crusaders won the match by scores of 25-23, 25-19, 25-14. After Catholic Memorial came back to win the first set, the Tritons appeared poised to even the match in the second set, leading 17-7. However, Catholic Memorial ran off 12 straight points ignited by four service aces by Kathryn Christian to take a 19-17 lead and go on to victory in the set.

“We just had to get a side out, and once we got that side out, it was like a whole new breath of life,” said Catholic Memorial Head Coach Ted Schulte about the turnaround in the second set. “Kat started ripping off a number of really nice serves and a little momentum began coming our way.”

Lexi Alden and Ivey Whalen were a handful on the attack for the Crusaders. Alden had a match-high 15 kills with a .351 hitting percentage, and Whalen added 11 kills with a .381 percentage. Christian led all servers with six aces, and Maddy Rondeau and Emily Mirsberger provided support with 23 and 10 assists, respectively.

Grace Campbell led the Tritons in kills with nine. Sydney Slack and Morgan Van Drisse added six kills apiece. Corinne Meglic dealt out a game-high 24 assists, and Whitney MeMeuse had a team-high 13 digs.

Catholic Memorial won its seventh State championship overall, which is tied for second-most in the membership.

Girls Volleyball Finalists in Four Divisions Determined

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.

The Rockets 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.

Four Advance to Division 1 State Volleyball Semifinals

our 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.

State Girls Volleyball Tournament Preview

The 44th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Volleyball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 3-5, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session with school ticket packages available. To order tickets online, go to the WIAA website at: www.wiaawi.org/Tickets.aspx.