Five Quick Observations From The Wisconsin Ice Summer Sand Tournament
Rachel Travis Another summer league tournament comes to a close but this one is not your average high school 6 on 6 hardcourt league. Teams came in pairs here and the setting was in the sand. There were 2…
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Another summer league tournament comes to a close but this one is not your average high school 6 on 6 hardcourt league. Teams came in pairs here and the setting was in the sand. There were 2 different experience groups, and both were fun to watch in their own right. There were plenty of unique battles and fun had by all, so I wanted to share some observations.
Vaughn’s Stellar Influence
The Ice Summer Sand Tournament was held at Dale’s Weston Lanes where that have a great set-up of sand courts, bar for the water refills and beverages for the adults, and great food to be ordered. Central Wisconsin is not as densely populated or have the endless opportunities that they may have in the Milwaukee or Fox Valley areas, but they sure have people working hard to change that. One is Taryn Vaughn who went to Notre Dame on a full scholarship and played professionally indoors as well as sand doubles on the AVP tour.
She is also a huge promotor of volleyball as a lifelong sport in any way shape and form that you can play it! Vaughn is a director for Wisconsin Ice and runs sand clinics to help kids develop their skills with a change of scenery while growing their love for the game. Volleyball players in the Wausau area are truly lucky to have Vaughn creating as many opportunities for them as possible.
Lily ShieldsCentral Wisconsin Has A Bright Future
There were two experience brackets, the advanced and the intermediate. Both were impressive and fun to watch. It was impressive to see 10-year olds executing their skills on the sand and if you’ve tried it, you know this is no easy task.
The early matches went quicker as expected but as the night went along the matches became longer and more exciting. The experience being gained by all players is as valuable as the memories made. The future of volleyball in central Wisconsin is definitely in looking bright if these keeps developing each year!
The Variety
Something truly unique about this league was that there were boys and girls. This is not something you see in central Wisconsin with the lack of opportunities for boys to play competitive volleyball. It really was awesome to see mixed pairs as well as a boys’ team mixed in among the many girls’ teams.
What was even better was the attitude of the boys participating. They took it as a learning experience and allowed themselves to be humbled and have fun. Even better was that the girls got to see some harder hitting, crazy hustle plays and maybe get a little inspired by the style of play (but maybe not always the technic). When the matches got more intense the competitiveness came out and made for some exciting rallies.
Kelly PageAn Unexpected Grudge Match
The advanced age group ended up with the championship match between former Newman prep standout, Mackenzie Krach with her partner Charlie Shields (brother of current Newman 2020 prospect Lauren Shields) against Vaughn’s only son, Payton and his longtime family friend Peyton Rudeen. The Vaughn/Rudeen had to play a 3-set match in semifinals against reigning champions Rachel Travis (2021 – Libero – Merrill) and Kelly Page (2021 – Setter – Merrill). Krach/Shields were efficient through the bracket until they went to the 3rd set with Vaughn/Rudeen. Their efficiency certainly gave them an edge as well as the experience of Krach and Shield’s wicked lefty swing.
Savannah SpeesOn The Intermediate Side
There was a variety of ages as well as where players were from in the intermediate division. Ages ranged from 10-15 and there were players coming from Stratford, Edgar, Merrill and right from Wausau. This division was definitely up for grabs, but it came down to Savannah Spees (2023 – Setter/Outside Hitter – Wausau East)/Madison McKenna (2023 – Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter – Wausau East) and Hailey Chapel (2022 – Stratford)/Megan Wiese (2022 – Stratford). Like usual, serve and serve receive are key, and Chapel/Wiese were a little too strong for Spees/Mckenna.