4 Dominant Teams In The Badger Region Power League
Wisconsin teams made the inaugural Badger Region Power League a huge success, and it all wrapped up this past weekend. Only 1 team managed to go undefeated across all 3 weekends and a few others were very dominant as well. The…
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Continue ReadingWisconsin teams made the inaugural Badger Region Power League a huge success, and it all wrapped up this past weekend. Only 1 team managed to go undefeated across all 3 weekends and a few others were very dominant as well. The 16 Elite and Regional divisions seem to still be incomplete on AES, and since I couldn’t see every match-up and I know there were some upsets, I didn’t want to assume any wins. Prom, spring sport obligations, and injuries sure make April interesting! Here are the teams that dominated the Badger Region Power League from start to finish!
Adversity – WI 17-1 (18-0) – 1st Place 18 Regional Division
This Adversity team has a core that has been competing together a long time. They only dropped two sets across this three-weekend power league. Adversity took out some tough teams and battled to win the A Bracket on the final day. Libero, Mya Verdillo (2020 – 5’0 – Franklin), was key to the team’s success. She consistently provides solid serve-receive and strong defense.
Setter Alli Schwartz (2020 – 5’1 – Hamilton) is a great leader on the court and always provides efficient quick tempo sets and strong defense. Adversity also has a strong group of efficient hitters, including Elsa Copes (2020 – 5’9 – Outside Hitter – Cedarburg), Lexi Cross (2020 – 5’10 – Middle Blocker – Hamilton), and Mikenna Sterr (2020 – 5’8 – Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter). What a great outing for this group as they are a great representation of what this club is capable of producing!
Milwaukee Sting 14 Gold (17-1) – 1st Place 14 Elite Division
This Sting team is really fun to watch. They are fresh, fast, go all out, and learning each time they touch the ball. You can tell this group really gives everything they have to the game. Six-rotation player Zoe Behrendt (2023 – Setter) is a setter in the back row and will hit on either pin in the front row. She touches almost every ball with great ball control and leads her team in more than one way.
Kindly Kilar (2023 – Setter/Pin Hitter) elevates and powers through the block from either pin. Cordelia Kearns (2023 – Outside Hitter) is a strong server and has a whip for an arm that she uses to smoke the line. Libero Olivia DeGuzman (2023) gets a ton of touches in the back row and is strong in serve-receive. Middle Blocker Emily Clausen (2023) has a deadly cross body cut back and gets a lot of touches on the block.
Milwaukee Sting 16 Silver (17-1) – 1st Place 16 Regional Division
This may be a regional Sting team, but they sure know how to get the job done. Even more impressive is that this group is all from the 2022 class and could be a regional 15’s team. Setters Parker Wittig (2022 – Brookfield Central) and Victoria VanDan (2022 – Burlington) lead their offense efficiently. Their defense is anchored by defensive specialists Emma Baacke (2022 – Wisconsin Lutheran) and Kelli Neu (2022 – West Bend East). who are both quick on defense and consistent in serve-receive. Sting has a plethora of hitters who work hard to get the job done, and I would watch out for this crew to be making their marks on their high school teams in the fall.
Kaley BlakeMilwaukee Sting 17 Gold (17-1) – 1st Place 18 Elite Division
This a seriously strong group that dropped a total of 3 sets in league play and 2 of those came to WI Juniors 17-1’s back in February when they battled (19-25, 29-27, 22-24) and lost in a barn burner. Sting didn’t mess around last weekend and redeemed their loss to Juniors by winning 25-21, 25-9 in the A Bracket semi-final. This squad is defensively solid with Erin Powers (2020 – Mukwanago – Committed to UAB) and Caitlin Crawford (2020 – Oconomowoc – Committed To South Carolina). They are both so scrappy and infuse energy into their team. Setter Kaley Blake (2020 – Burlington – Committed to UW-Milwaukee) is always impressive with her distribution choices and ability to move the ball around and give her hitters one-on-one opportunities. Elise Schneider (2020 – Right Side Hitter/Middle Blocker – Committed to Wofford) makes a huge impact on the right side, putting up a huge block and pounding any set coming her way. Outside Hitter Aubrey Hamilton (2020 – Arrowhead – Committed to Notre Dame) is always a force with her high contact and strong swing. Additional outside hitters Sarah Schrader (2020 – Hamilton – Committed to UW-Milwaukee) and Julia Treichel (2020 – 5’8 – Wisconsin Lutheran) have a slightly different approach with a variety of shots.