2021 Greater Metro Conference Preview
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The GMC Conference is one of the top conferences in the state and has brought home four state championships in the past ten years (2013 Menomonee Falls, 2014 & 2015 DSHA, 2020 Hamilton). This conference consistently has some of the…
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Continue ReadingThe GMC Conference is one of the top conferences in the state and has brought home four state championships in the past ten years (2013 Menomonee Falls, 2014 & 2015 DSHA, 2020 Hamilton). This conference consistently has some of the best volleyball schools across Wisconsin.
Here is a preview of the teams in the conference (in alphabetical order):
Brookfield Central:
This could be a big year for Brookfield Central. They have Mckenna Wucherer Mckenna Wucherer 6'1" | OH Brookfield Central | 2022 State #1 Nation WI (Committed to the University of Minnesota) and Morgan Daugherty Morgan Daugherty 6'2" | MB Brookfield Central | 2022 State #200 Nation WI (Committed to Marquette) entering their senior year along with starting setter Tatum Kebisek Tatum Kebisek 5'9" | S Brookfield Central | 2022 State WI . There is a ton of firepower behind this team in their upperclassmen along with a fairly deep bench that includes incoming junior Alex Kiel (Outside Hitter), Katie Taticek (Outside Hitter), Ana Knutson Ana Knutson MB Brookfield Central | 2022 State WI (Middle Blocker), and Claire Purtell Claire Purtell DS/L Brookfield Central | 2023 State WI (Libero/DS).
After a tough loss in 2020 to Sussex Hamilton who ended up winning the state tournament, Brookfield Central will be looking for a deep run into the state tournament in 2021.
Brookfield East:
Brookefield East has a solid program that should never be counted out. They took down DSHA last year and had an overall winning season. A majority of their starting athletes were juniors last year and that talent will only continue to build. Middle hitter Maddy McGath Maddy McGath MB Brookfield East | 2023 State WI (2023) is one of the top middles in her class. She is incredibly athletic and has a lot of power on her swings. Pin hitter Paige Platz Paige Platz OH Brookfield East | 2022 State WI is an all-around great athlete and is effective as a hitter, blocker, server, and defender. Fellow pin hitter Madeline Barton Madeline Barton OH Brookfield East | 2022 State WI is also effective on offense and is a solid blocker as well. This team graduated their libero and starting setters so will look to younger athletes to fill those roles and balance their powerful offense.
DSHA:
DSHA is a school that is always up there among the top competitors in the state no matter what their record is. Never does someone come up against DSHA and think “well this should be an easy win.” This team is athletic and gritty and can put a ball away. Middle blocker Julia Wojciak Julia Wojciak 6'1" | MB DSHA | 2022 State WI (2022) clocked in 71 blocks in the 2020 season, 28 of those were solo blocks. She also brought in nearly 100 kills. Defensive specialist Shaeley Graczynski (2022) was also a key player for the 2020 season. DSHA graduated 7 seniors in 2021 but has a lot of great athletes coming up through the ranks including pin hitter Olivia deGuzman Olivia deGuzman 5'5" | DS/L DSHA | 2023 State WI (2023) and setter Mae Scheuing.
Germantown:
In 2020, Germantown only lost two matches. And, they had a fairly young roster. In 2021, they will be looking to win even more matches. Setter Maddie Connor Maddie Connor S Germantown | 2022 State WI (Committed to Viterbo) has been a mainstay on this talented team since her freshman year and has over 1,400 assists in her three years. She will be a huge leader and impactful athlete on the court for this team. Class of 2023 pin hitter Lilly Wagner Lilly Wagner 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2024 State #42 Nation WI (Committed to Liberty College) led the team in kills last year and can execute in all six rotations. There are two talented libero/DS athletes from the class of 2022 on this roster including Madelyn Weyda Madelyn Weyda 5'10" | DS/L Germantown | 2022 State WI and Aerene Lim Aerene Lim DS/L Germantown | 2022 State WI . This team has a lot of talent in all positions and will challenge any team they come up against.
Sussex Hamilton:
Sussex Hamilton is the 2020 WIAA Fall Season State Champions. They only dropped one match in 2020, a 5 set thriller against DSHA. While this team graduated some incredibly impactful seniors, they have a lot of talent coming up including Riley Dahlquist Riley Dahlquist 6'1" | MB Sussex Hamilton | 2022 State WI (2022, MB), Sylvie Zgonc Sylvie Zgonc 5'11" | OH Sussex Hamilton | 2023 State #115 Nation WI (2023, OH), Trisha Shankar Trisha Shankar 5'4" | DS/L Hamilton | 2022 State WI (2022, L/DS), Tatum Baldwin Tatum Baldwin S Hamilton | 2022 State WI (2022, S), and Mya Trafficante Mya Trafficante 5'7" | OH Sussex-Hamilton | 2023 State WI (2023, OH). These athletes were all a part of the 2020 State Championship team and will be looking to bring in some big wins this season.
Menomonee Falls:
This is a team that can hang with the biggest names in the state. They are gritty and talented and can never be counted out of a match. Their two biggest scorers, Katherine Lockwood Katherine Lockwood 5'10" | OH Menomonee Falls | 2023 State WI (2023) and Taylor Larson Taylor Larson 5'6" | OH Menomonee Falls | 2022 State WI (2022) will be returning this year. They did graduate their starting setter and libero though and will be looking to younger athletes to fill these roles. 2023 setter Gabby Selear may be one of those athletes. The middle blocker and right side Paige Stickney Paige Stickney 6'0" | MB Menomonee Falls | 2022 State WI (2022) will also be a huge scorer for this Menomonee Falls team.
Wauwatosa East:
Even though this team did not clock in as many wins as some of the other teams in this conference, it is important to remember it is a very tough conference. They also have a fairly young team including 2024 setter Eavan Finnerty Eavan Finnerty S Wauwatosa East | 2024 State WI and outside hitter Lydia Otto Lydia Otto 5'11" | OH Wauwatosa East | 2024 State WI who both played nearly every set. Middle blocker Olivia Scallon (2022) led the team in kills and blocks last year. Devin Esch also had a huge impact for the team on offense. Libero Lauren Hill will also be returning. She is a huge leader on this team and should have a major impact during her senior season.
Wauwatosa West:
This team will have a lot of returners this year who have a lot of experience on the court. Val Koenig (2022) will have a huge impact on the pin for the Trojans. Mackenzie Jacoby led the team in aces last year and will look to bring that firepower from the service line to her play this year. Returning libero Shannon Damuth (2022) has a major impact on the court with her fast play and tough defense.
West Allis Central:
There will be a good number of incoming seniors this year for the Bulldogs including pin hitters Lexi Cantrell and Ava Schaer, setter Macy Freeland, and defensive specialists Brianna Williams and Marissa DelaRosa. Their experience on the court will make them competitive in tournaments they host and play in and they should be a fun team to watch!
West Allis Hale:
The Huskies show a lot of grit and tenacity on the court. They never give up on a ball and can bring a lot of energy to matches. Their kill leader from last year Marissa Konkel will be an incoming senior. 2023 middle/opposite hitter Bella Rivera should have a breakout season for the Huskies. She had a big impact for them her sophomore year and will look to continue her growth on the court. Libero Jordan Ksobiech (2023) led the team in digs and service receptions last year.