Top Moments That Were The Girls State Volleyball Tournament
So many moments throughout the weekend where I just said, “Wow”. It could have been a series of plays, one play, or a whole match, but these performances this past weekend are what stood out and stuck. Again, I could…
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Continue ReadingSo many moments throughout the weekend where I just said, “Wow”. It could have been a series of plays, one play, or a whole match, but these performances this past weekend are what stood out and stuck. Again, I could probably make this a seven part series, but we’ll stick to some big highlights that were the 2019 Girls State Volleyball Tournament.
Lexi Donarski Semifinal Match
Lexi Donarski of La Crosse Aquinas played her first state tournament match as a Freshman back in 2016 for Aquinas in the state volleyball tournament. Fast forward and nine more appearances for a game in the Resch Center, enroute to two state title finishes in basketball and she was back again for her Senior year. What a performance. Her hitting percentage was probably close to her three-point shooting percentage hitting .419 with 21 kills, 2 errors, and 43 attempts. Beyond the numbers was just the eye test of how she was so explosive in her approach and her vertical was something special with multiple pictures with her shoulders above the net. Donarski now has a silver ball to take back to Aquinas where she will swap shoes and start her journey back to the Resch for basketball.
Emily Banitt Middle Back Play
I’ve seen Emily Banitt play plenty of times over the past couple of years and her vertical and outside swings are some of the best in the state. A special player to say the least, but there was a moment in the semifinals where it was as if she was conquering a corner to corner middle back drill, diving to keep the ball in play. River Falls would go on to win the rally, Oconocomoc calls a timeout, and Coach Sara Kealy started the timeout by giving her a hug. One of many examples this weekend of players going beyond what they thought they could do and the game rewarding them with their effort.
Howard Grove Serving and Defense
The way Howards Grove trains with defense and an emphasis on aggressive serving and pinpoint serve receive is no accident. From the very beginning their serve and defense was much like a full court press in basketball where everyone is serving lasers barely above the net that dance like a knuckleball and automatically get the other side of the net from their first contact. With 14 service aces on Friday afternoon, the tone was established as Howards Grove went on to win the Division 3 state title Saturday afternoon against Aquinas.
Undefeated
Clear Lake could not have written a better script for their season finishing 38-0 and a state championship in Division 4. With a full crowd behind them for two 9:00 AM matches and a four hour drive to Green Bay is not convenient by any means, but to support their squad was all worth it. Clear Lake did this with balance and a big contribution from the Rosen girls, all four of them. Lizzie, Maggie, Rayne, and Maddie combined for 32 of the 36 kills on Saturday in their 3-0 win over Catholic Central.
Tayler Alden Takes Control
Tayler Alden has been in the spotlight since she first stepped onto the court at Oconomowoc. She came into the state tournament her sophomore year with a team that was heavily favored to win it all. However, River Falls had other plans for them in 2017. Last year Alden and her Ocon team was able to come down from a 0-2 deficit to win in five against River Falls to advance to the championship. The stage was the same this year with the Oconomowoc and River Falls in the semifinals for the third year in a row. With a long, athletic, and physical River Falls lineup, Alden found a way to pick apart the defense with her jump setting, attacking, and finding the deep corner or the open spots right behind the block. Her stat line for the match was 13 kills, 24 assists, and 5 aces. Alden will head to Northern Iowa who has been producing some of the top setters in the Missouri Valley Conference as well as the country.
Golden Wave
Friday afternoon, Luxemburg-Casco, which is only 20 minutes from Green Bay brought quite the fan section that was a wave of gold into the Resch Center. They had to uncover some of the seating to fit everybody in. The Spartans did not disappoint with their relentless defense and the connections from Bekah Day to all attackers was tough to stop. Luxemburg-Casco was out of the rankings for most of the season, but continued to build throughout the year, giving themselves a chance at the state tournament. It all came together this weekend, peaking at the right time, and winning their first volleyball title for their school.
Seib 34 Kills
Sammie Seib of Catholic Central caught fire in the Division 4 semifinals against Hillsboro where she was attacking from the front and backrow finding a whole lot of room against a very scrappy Hillsboro team. She had the deep corner painted. With 34 kills on 66 swings and only nine errors, it was a new D4 four set match record. Seib also had 12 digs to go along with her 34 kills.
Arrowhead – The Whole Squad
Aubrey Hamilton of Arrowhead is the best player in the state. She will head to Notre Dame after high school to college volleyball. She can defend, she can hit through, over, and around a triple block and she puts so much pressure on the defense. However, the rest of the Arrowhead team is what was extremely impressive this weekend with multiple athletes making big time plays during key moments. The middle blockers of Lindsay Krznarich and Monica LaFleur have been teaming up as a middle blocking duo for club and high school where they can score points and be a major presence at the net defensively. Madi Tolzman had a breakout year on the outside as a Sophomore and on the right side was Elise Schneider who was so terminal as well as a big block. This squad had depth, size, athleticism, and once they started building momentum it was tough to stop the entire season.