The GMC: Nathan Hale Huskies
Of course, I must show some hometown favoritism and start with my alma mater West Allis Nathan Hale. Unfortunately for the Huskies that is as far as the bias goes. Just make sure when you look up anything about the…
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Continue ReadingOf course, I must show some hometown favoritism and start with my alma mater West Allis Nathan Hale. Unfortunately for the Huskies that is as far as the bias goes. Just make sure when you look up anything about the Nathan Hale you include West Allis…otherwise you may find yourself looking at the 2017 Number 1 ranked basketball team (Nathan Hale High School in Washington) in the country led by, the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Michael Porter Jr.
Decorated Past:
As mentioned in the opening article, Nathan Hale will forever be remembered for what Mary Blandino brought to the program. 12 Conference Championships, 4 State Championships, and finished as runner up twice. This went along with a 78.6% win percentage and in 2002 Mary was named Wisconsin High School Volleyball Coach of the Year. Unfortunately for Hale, the road to State is even more difficult now and we have yet to make it back to State since Mary’s Departure.
After Mary:
Just because there hasn’t been a return trip to State doesn’t mean there hasn’t been success and talented players walking through the doors at Hale. Angie Hardwick led the Huskies from 2005 – 2011. Coach Hardwick had the girls 1 win away from state in 2011 with 4-year varsity contributors; Erin Barbeau, Hannah King, Sara Fabina and Rachel Voller. Hale also won the conference tournament in 2007, beating a talented Menomonee Falls team led by someone well known…Janelle Gabrielsen(-Katz).
KellyAnn Sotiros Photo Credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The 2007 team was led by a trio of family members in sisters Katie and Theresa Moore and their cousin Sam Dobryzinski, who currently works for the Junior Volleyball Association (JVA). During my time at Hale the boys team reffed the girls matches and vice versa. I will never forget line judging and watching Simone Lee and Janelle have the ability to singlehandedly take over matches during their high school careers.
The last sectional final appearance came in 2016 with the next group of multi-year varsity athletes. Abby Arena led the way with three 1st Team All-Conference nods, KellyAnn Sotiros (UW-Whitewater) and Maddie Lawson (UW-Stevens Point). Abby is currently the head JV Coach at Hale. KellyAnn is about to begin her sophomore season with the Warhawks. She finished 2018 with 647 assists (5th in the WIAC) and she led the WIAC in aces with 54. Maddie had 241 kills as freshman for the Pointers, which put her at 2nd on the team. Maddie and KellyAnn will face off November 1st at UW-Whitewater. KellyAnn and the Warhawks took their first “friendship rivalry” matchup 3 sets to 1.
Serina Pehowski Photo Credit: Milwaukee Journal SentinelPresent:
Coach Jeff Freitag has taken over the reigns of the Huskies. In the last two seasons Hale has seen 12 seniors graduate, each year losing major offensive and defensive contributors. However, they will get kills leader senior Serina Pehowski for one more year .She also finished the 2018 campaign second on the teams in digs. Fellow senior Olivia McClure led the team in blocks a year ago and finished 2nd in kills. Following the upperclassman theme, the Huskies will rely on seniors Micaela Fisher and Grace Johnson to round out the defense. Coach Freitag will look to a senior class of potentially 5 in 2019. With tryouts starting Monday there is plenty of opportunity for underclassman to get varsity experience straight from the start.
Future:
The future is relatively unknown right now for the Huskies. Serina has established herself as a leader for Hale. She will lead Hale in kills again and will receive at least GMC Honorable Mention All-Conference honors. Olivia will remain their force in the middle and the rest will be a work in progress. They may see at least 5 seniors for the 3rd year in a row. Expect Hale to be in a “rebuild” mode giving underclassman early opportunities against the tough GMC schedule. While wins may not come in bunches, the experience will pay dividends as you see the next group of multi-year varsity players push to get Nathan Hale back to the top half of the conference.