Wausau West Ends Summer With Big Win At Marathon Volleyball League
Kelly Page Wausau West took home some t-shirts Monday night after fighting their way through Stratford, Merrill, and finally Mosinee to win the 18-team end-of-the-summer tournament. With a pair of 2018 Wisconsin Valley All-Conference selections, West is a program…
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Continue ReadingWausau West took home some t-shirts Monday night after fighting their way through Stratford, Merrill, and finally Mosinee to win the 18-team end-of-the-summer tournament. With a pair of 2018 Wisconsin Valley All-Conference selections, West is a program to keep an eye on. West competes in Division 1, as well as in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, where they come toe-to-toe with some of the toughest programs in central Wisconsin, including Merrill.
West started the tournament as a 4-seed after going 9-2 in regular league play. West clearly wasn’t satisfied with just making it to semi-finals. They battled through a tough Merrill squad, including Kelly Page (2021 – 5’5 – Setter/Pin Hitter) and Ellie Hartson (2020 – 5’9 – Setter/Right Side Hitter) who saw a lot of court time in 2018. This team did not have any 2022s on their roster last season, but with graduating 6 seniors, there should be quite a few spots to fill.
Robyn KirschWest is highlighted by one of only two all-conference 1st and 2nd team honorees with Robyn Kirsch (2021) of Wisconsin Ice 16 Purple. She is a 5’7 pin hitter who can also play as middle blocker if needed. No matter how good Kirsch is, for a team to have success in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, it takes more than one player. Grace Michalske, an all-conference honorable mention receiver helped lead her team to a first-place finish defeating a number one seed in the quarterfinals before dropping the first set to Mosinee and then storming back to take a tough three-set win for bragging rights.
Paige WicklundIn the championship, West won 15-9 in the third set over Mosinee, one of the top programs out of central Wisconsin. This showcased a battle at the net between middle blockers for West, Maddie Hauer (2021 – 5’10) and Anna Cunningham (2020), verses Aurora Krause (2020 – 5’10) and Jenna Placek (2022). They were hitting angles, getting great block touches, and finding the open court for points. In the back court for West, Jenna Rusch (2020) is in command.
I hope to see these two match up again in the fall because it will be another fun battle. Mosinee is looking so solid with Paige Wicklund (2020 – 5’8) and Emily Wicklund (2021 – 5’6) on the left side pin, Zoe Gburek (2021 – 5’4) commanding the defense, Brooklyn Montgomery (2021 – 5’6) and Claire Selenske (2022) running the offense, while Sheridan Swiderski (2021 – 5’11) steps in to put up a huge block on the right side. There are some kinks to work out, but they will be a force to wreckon with.