A Quick Glance At All The Good From Early Tournament Play
As the season winds down there is always a little bittersweet feeling. Celebrating milestones, big wins, advancing in the tournament, but at the same time it means it’s close to closing another chapter of Wisconsin high school volleyball. Here is just a quick glance at some milestones achieved, big wins, and a celebration of sportsmanship along the way.
Cora BehnkeBehnke, Binder, and Bruckschen Surpass 1,000 Kills
These athletes have definitely been around being part of successful teams and getting thrown to the fire early in their careers. Recording their first kills as Freshman, they are all apart of the 1,000 kill club. Bruckschen has been a solid force for Howards Grove her whole career. She has the ability to play multiple positions in the front row and is someone you can always depend on to play with consistent body language, finding a way to get it done. Behnke and Binder have been some of the top outside hitters in the Class of 2021 since their careers began. Behnke plays for Oconto which is just 30 minutes North of Green Bay, is holding down the number one seed on their side of the section as they head into a Regional Final matchup against St. Marys Catholic. Behnke will play at Green Bay after completing her high school career. Binder has done it all at Sheboygan North and this year even took the reigns as a part time setter. She can serve receive, pass, is a physical blocker, and now setter – Oh, and an attacker who can score from any spot on the court.
Emma Oelhafen of Xavier High School in Appleton broke the single season school record for kills last night in their win over Waupun, they will take on Plymouth on Saturday night.
Have a milestone to report? Tag @PrepDigWI
Emily BruckschenUpsets….It’s Happening
Tournament time just brings another feel to the court. For some teams, they may be finding their stride, maybe they are playing a conference opponent for a third time, or everything just seems to click on that one night.
Section 3 for Division 2 is just brutal. There are multiple teams that are state caliber and the whole section is a massive toss up. The first upset of the tournament was Sauk Prairie (TITLE PHOTO- From Sauk Prairie Facebook Page) sweeping Edgewood on Edgewood’s homecourt. What a ride for some of the Seniors on the Sauk Prairie team after going 16-25 in 2018 to come back in 2019 and have a record of 33-14. They will take on McFarland Saturday night.
For Plymouth, they would be playing Winneconne for the fourth time this year between tournaments and one conference match going 0-3 the previous matchups. The cliche saying of, “It’s sure tough to beat a team three times”, didn’t really go into what happens for the fourth time. Plymouth won a five set thriller, winning set three convincingly 15-6. They will take on Xavier Saturday night.
Lizzie BinderMatchups We’d Love To Watch on Saturday Night
#1 St. Thomas More vs. #4 Catholic Memorial – CMH has played a brutal schedule and will their experience through this come through to upset top seed in the section, St. Thomas More.
#2 Lakeside Lutheran vs. #3 East Troy – D2, Section 3 once again, this one is close to call. East Troy won state last year, Lakeside Lutheran won two years ago. Take your pick, this is such a close match to call.
#3 Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran vs. #2 McDonnell Central Catholic – Both of these teams have found themselves in the rankings with McDonnell Central Catholic competing for the top spot in D4.
#3 Auburndale vs. #2 Stratford – These two teams are all too familiar with each other. Both have 30 plus wins and have split their series against each other this season.
#4 Germantown vs. #5 Sussex Hamilton – These two teams just happen to be in a rigorous section. With both having been in the Prep Dig Top 15 throughout the year, its going to be quite the battle. Great athletes, great kids, and amazing coaches staffs. Unfortunately, someone will lose, but that doesn’t take away from the great season these teams have had.
Positive Sportsmanship Throughout The State
Glancing across the WIAA website at various scores you can see some of them were a tough matchup for the losing team. In volleyball, just like any sport, there are going to be various extremes of ability, but what is common is that there is a really positive respect for the game for the game and sportsmanship to the other team. For a team like Marinette which is at the border of Northern Wisconsin and the UP, an hour North of Green Bay, their team took on Notre Dame Academy which always has a strong program. Throw out the score, but with five freshman and three sophomores on the roster, these athletes stayed positive throughout the match, giving effort, not being rattled, and doing whatever they could to keep the ball alive. For someone starting a program, they can recall the days of trying to rebuild and teaching the game and having those tough losses. But the key part about it all is that win or lose, the athletes are showing respect for each other and the game. Thats what makes this sport here so great for all involved.