We kick off the girls season with Badger Region Power League and our 13 Boys played their first full tournament. Most of our teams played in this 2-day event and had a lot of success. The boys have a strong start taking a 3rd place finish!
This year we will be posting the weekend win/loss record and in tournaments we will show what place we finished!
13 Red | 2-4
13 Red started out the season at Badger Region Power League! Going into the weekend, we knew that we would be challenged playing in the 14 Elite division but were excited to see where we were at. The first day was tough as we faced three strong 14s teams. Although we were overpowered in height, the girls put up a strong fight in all of the matches. We had two very exciting matches, with one being our first match of the season just barely losing 16-18 in the third set. Our final match of the day was also a close battle, losing the first set 26-28. The girls were dissapointed to go 0-3 on day 1 after being very close to winning many sets. However, they did a fantastic job of making improvements for day 2! Ball control was our big focus for the next day. We tried to control the ball when it was on our side of the court, giving the opposing teams more opportunities to make errors. This mindset helped lead us to win our first two matches of the day. Our play was not perfect but the girls kept positive attitudes and worked hard to better the ball each play.
Highlights of the weekend include our blocking and hustle plays. Our front row players, especially the middles, did a great job of getting touches on the ball with their block which helped our defense out against the stronger 14s teams. Additionally, we had many thrilling hustle plays in crucial times of various matches which helped propel us to our wins! Overall, 13 Red did a great job of keeping up with the faster paced games and have a lot of potential to take down competitive teams as the season continues.
#Shoutout to Brooke for earning the first serving pin of the season.
#Shoutout to Nora for earning the first MVP award of the season. Her aggressive serving helped get our team on many runs, and she did a great job of dishing out sets to our hitters even when our passing put her in tough positions.
13 Black | 4-2
This weekend started the Badger Region Power League and it was our first tournament of the season. Saturday began with two easy matches. We served good, and our serve receive was on as well. This was enough to get our feet wet and ready for match number 3. This team was similar to us and we traded the first two sets. The third set was a battle that had us reach 14 first only to fall 15-17. In the end we missed a few serves that could have made the difference.
Sunday started out with another easy match followed up by our second challenge of the weekend. We came out sluggish, and just couldn't seem to shake off some early errors dropping set one 10-25. Like good teams do, we put this behind us and focused on one point at a time. We eventually took control of set two winning 25-18. The third set was a mirror of our loss from day one. A little back and forth with us reaching 14 first only to fall 15-17. We made our serves this time, but a few other errors helped keep us from victory. The final match was against another good team, the only one to beat the 1st place team in our
pool. We took control of set 1 early and won 25-19, then started out set two really slow. We crept back into the game setting up Lexi for an eight point run to win 25-18, including an ace for the match win. Sunday was a day that started with a lineup we had not practiced before, and we finished up the last match with another new lineup. The girls adjusted and did great.
#ShoutOut to Emi, who played middle all day Sunday for the first time..... ever!
I go into Tournament #1 always guessing what we will look like. I thought our biggest struggle would be service reception followed by serving. We had our errors but we really did a great job handling the ball and a decent job serving. At the end of day one our ref told me we were the best passing team she had seen all day, by far, and this was a match we lost.
We ended the weekend 4-2 taking 3rd place in our 7 team pool only losing to the first and second place teams by 2 in the third sets. I'm super proud of how the girls handled the day, especially the losses. We are doing a great job "playing" the game of volleyball, and I can't wait to see their skills improve throughout the season.
13 Boys | 2-1 | 3rd Place
They I AM B13 Team played its first full tournament this weekend. Most of the boys didn’t know what to expect. We started out playing the eventual tournament champs, MVC, and were slow to start losing the first game. They showed how they can complete and battle back by winning the second game 25-21. The 3rd game showed their fighting spirit going back and forth but eventually lost the 3rd game in a tight match. The next match of pool play they started out slow again but fought back and defeated a Madison Elite team that had a definite height advantage. Everyone on the contributed and gave a great Team Effort winning the match in straight sets.
That put our Team in the Silver bracket. They boys Faced a very good serving team and fell behind quickly 7-0. Once again showed their fight and determination by coming all the way back to 23-23 before eventually losing 25-23. That momentum carried them to the 2nd and 3rd games where they were able to stop the serving attack from the other team and put together multiple scoring runs with great serving of their own winning the second game. Carrying the momentum from game 2, the 3rd game was tied at 11-11. The team was able to close out the last game strong winning it 15-13 in the final set. It was a great team effort showing the coaching staff and parents that they hard work they have put in this year has started to show itself.
14 Red | 6-0
We opened our season by competing in the first weekend of the Badger Region Power League. After a dozen practices and almost as many workouts, the girls and the coaches were excited to finally see how all of the work would pay off.
We began on Saturday morning as the top seed in our pool. We played quiet, reluctant, and a little rusty at the outset, but we were still able to pull out convincing wins on the scoreboard. It was in these slow starts that we did begin to put together more solid plays, showed some grit, and navigated some uncomfortable possessions. It was during our 3rd match of the day that we encountered some adversity. We played a spirited and stronger Milwaukee Elite team. This is what we needed to play at a higher level. We began to hustle more, talk more, and fight. Ana Degner chased down a ball into the bleachers and took a nasty hit to her leg that required her to take some time out. In that instance, we needed to have Maddie Katte, a DS, play OH. Instead of freaking out, all of the girls on the court played with focus, we worked to set our middles and right sides, and when Maddie did get the ball in the front row she made smart plays by placing tips to the areas we talked about in practice. When she served, she was consistent and showed the progress that she has been making in practice in that area. It was in this situation that we really showed our mental toughness and skill, and won in 3 sets. This would be the only time we dropped a set all weekend.
On Sunday we started the day by handling Premier 14 Teal and 414 Elite with incredible serving by Sierra Hoeft and Milli Krief, and more aggressive plays by our middles. This put us in the first weekend's championship against a very scrappy and quick Sting 14 Silver team. It was in this match that we showed some incredible maturity and poise. In fact, the girls made some plays that the coaches were absolutely suprised by. The fight for touches, the covering of hitters, and the touches by our middle blockers at the net were overshadowed by the ball handling of our setters and the aggression by our pin hitters. Hannah Heitzkey unloaded on several crucial swings that really put a charge into the atmosphere, Isable Hilgart made smart play after smart play, and Ana Degner crushed a decisive and emotionally sealing kill down the line that capped off our great day! We finished 6-0 in matches and 12-1 in sets.
Off to a very challenging event next weekend! We'll be up for it!
14 Black | 4-2
We kicked off the season by going 4-2 at Badger Region Power League! Day one we went 1-2. In our first match we won 25-14 and 25-11. We had 23 aces during that game. Abby B. had 7 aces, the most aces in a match for the whole weekend, and 19 overall. We had tough losses our second and third matches. Although we lost we were able to give the teams some really hard serves. On day one the team had a combined 34 aces! Day two we came back and fought harder coming out 3-0. Line-ups were switched at the beginning of the day, but it didn’t affect the girls. We had much better communication on day two, and the girls were having fun. Alessandra A. was able to put up a 4 blocks on day two, totaling 6 for the weekend. We are looking forward to the up coming tournaments to see what these girls can do!
14 White | 4-2
14White started Power League on Saturday with a comfortable victory against Block Party 13s. Our second match vs Wisconsin Premier 14s was a little too eventful, an early injury meant everyone got a crash course on running a 5-1. Super proud of how the girls fought through all the chaos and adjustments, but fell just short in a tight 3-set match. After a much needed break, we came back healthier and were able to take down Wisconsin Elite 14s in 2 tough sets.
Sunday started a bit sluggish. We managed to grab a 2-set victory against MVP 13s, but finding consistency was a struggle. The coaches challenged the girls to increase their energy and be more assertive on the court, and they delivered with a convincing 2-set win over JR Red Knights 13s in the second match. Our final match of the weekend was our toughest opponent, FVP 14 National. While we didn't get the result we wanted, losing in a very tight 2 sets match, it was easily our best and most consistent performance as a team. A very fun match to watch, coach, and play!
Overall we finished the weekend 4-2 and 2nd place in our pool of 8, putting us in a great spot for the next Power League weekend. For both days, it was awesome seeing what they learned from the previous match, and then applying it to the next set. The girls got a taste of how good they can be already, and we're so excited to start building off of that potential.
MVP pins went to Delaney on Saturday (for filling in and embracing an unexpected 6-rotation role due to injury) and Lilly on Sunday (for overall consistency the whole day, and a big improvement in running the offense). We also gave out EIGHT ace pins, 3 overpass kill pins, and 3 coach ice pins!!
15 Red | 4-2
We were at Center Court this weekend in the 15/16 Elite division. Our Power league is only two weekends so every match mattered! We had pool play on day one and then bracket play on day two.
We played Wisconsin Elite 16-Elite right out of the gate. They were the 1 seed in our pool and they had a talented group. We had a few too many serving errors that didn't help us out but luckily the other team had a lot of serving errors two. Both teams were serving aggressive and trying to find their rhythm.
#Shoutout to Mia Grisolono for ice cold serving to win the game!
We were down by a few for most of the game but when Mia went back to serve she rallied the team with non-stop pressure that allowed our team to comeback from a 21-24 deficit to a 26-24 win. They called two timeouts to try and slow her down but she was all business! Game two we didn't let up and our serving was back on track giving us a big lead and no looking back. We won 25-12 and Emy Miller and Mia Grisolono earned serving pins. Eden Roethel picked up our first Overpass Kill pins!
Match two was against Wisconsin Premier 16's and being from the same area we always have a little bit more pressure and have good matches. A good back and forth match with. both teams earning points. We were able to sneak out a 2nd win with both games going 25-23, 25-23.
Match 3 we played Milwaukee Jrs 15-1 and we were rolling through. Everyone played great and we won 2-0 (25-18, 25-16).
Day two we moved up and it got significantly tougher. We played 414-16 National and they brought a new style of play. We won the first set 25-14 and they made an adjustment to tip most of their shots and they did it effectively and we were not able to fully adopt the changes in time to win but we did make strides towards the end to get some momentum. We lost game 2 24-26. Game three we were prepared but we started off with having a few close calls not go our way and started down 0-5. We were proud of the teams composure and how they stayed aggressive to crawl back. We came back at the end and stole the set 16-14 on a crazy call that went our way. Both teams played hard and we were able to come out on top this time!
Now we played Wisconsin Juniors 16-1's. They have a fast tempo offense that gave us a lot of trouble. It really challenges us mentally. We had to be aware of their tendencies and stay focused on our own intensity. The Juniors handled us pretty good and beat us 15-25, 19-25. Hopefully next time we will be better prepared.:)
Silver lining, we got to play our own 16 Red team for the final match! Game one definitely looks like. a 16's team playing a 15's team but game two were able to make them sweat! We had game point 24-21 and couldn't close. The 16's rallied and stole that set 24-26. We like to say we let them have it in good faith. :) Next time we won't be so nice!
Great start to the season!
15 Black | 3-3
15 Black started tournament season at. Badger Power League site, like much of the club. We started the weekend with goals to serve strong throughout the tournament and to improve our transitions for freeballs.
Day 1 started exactly as hoped with strong serving runs from several players that led to a first match win. The 2nd match we did not serve as well, which put us on the back foot and while fighting hard could not pull out the 3rd set win. In the final match, we struggled with some tired arms, legs and minds and lost against another tough team.
Day 2, we continued the focus on serving and got challenged with a slight change in rotation as Coach asked a few players to modify their responsibilities. These changes worked out quite well as we won 2 out of the 3 matches we played. Aggressive and accurate serving again led us to the first win of the day. While the 2nd match ended as a loss, the girls won several 5 and 10 point battles against a strong and tall opponent. End of day exhaustion showed up for the last match, but everyone fought through for the final win. to finish the weekend at 3-3.
Well played weekend by all but a few highlights:
#servers- Sam and Rylee had multiple runs during multiple sets to lead team with aces.
#setsRus - Morgan and Sam took on additional challenge to call and execute a set plays when we had the chances.
15 White | 5-1
I AM 15 White started off their season with a bang!! Starting bright and early Saturday morning against Adversity 16-1. Although they put their best foot out there they weren't able to secure the win. But that didn't stop them from winning their next 5 games straight! The high point of the weekend was their last game against SWVBC 16 White. They were able to power through after dropping the first set 22-25. They went 25-16 and 15-12 to end the match! The girls showed true strength and passion on the court impressing both of their coaches! Amazing job I AM 15 White! Way to start the season!
#Shoutout to Maddie for getting tournament MVP for controlling the back court. Getting to every ball and passing up every serve!
2nd #Shoutout to Ava for earning the first serving pin of the season!!
15 Gold | 1-5
5 Gold stuck together through some tough losses this past weekend. They worked together despite some playing unfamiliar positions. Overall, we are proud of the way they played this weekend as well as how they conducted themselves, they stepped in to help keep the facility clean as well as our hotel And they did a great job interacting with staff, refs, and other teams. They watched our other teams and cheered them on, on their own as a team. They did a phenomenal job representing I AM this weekend. Our MVP for the weekend is Alexis Hoffman, She was awarded MVP due to her consistency and leadership on and off of the court! The girls were extremely excited to get back to practice and keep working. We have quite a few things to work on before our next tournament but the girls are more excited than ever to get in the gym and get ready!
16 Red | 5-1
Day 1: 16 Red started their season off with at bang in the elite division of the Badger Power League. Expectations were high as team entered the tournament ranked 3rd out of twenty teams and first up was 414 15 Elite. We started off a little slow and struggled with service errors, but picked it mid set and finished them off in two sets 25-17, 25-16. Next up was Wisconsin Juniors 15-Elite and we continued to serve tough, play good defense, and run a very balanced offensive winning again in straight sets 25-15, 25-13. Last up on the day was Milwaukee Jr’s 16-1 who saw more of the same from I AM 16 Red taking the sets 25-13, 25-17. By beating all three opponents, 16 Red won their pool and moved to the top bracket for day two.
Day 2: The opening round of bracket A pitted I AM 16 Red against Wisconsin Premier 16 Teal who finished 2nd in their pool. There was some extra motivation for a handful of athletes getting to play their former club. 16 Red continued to take care of business behind some really aggressive serving and won once again in straight sets 25-10, 25-19. Maddie Abel earned her top server pin with 8 aces for the match, including 5 in her first serving rotation. Moving on to the semifinals in bracket A, we faced Wisconsin Juniors 15-1. The first set was very back and forth with 16 Red dropping their first set of the weekend 22-25. Set two saw a big rebound from 16 Red and they were able to tie the match at one set apiece by winning set two 25-16. The tie breaker set once again saw a lot of ties and lead changes, but 16 Red came up just a bit short, falling 14-16. In the 3rd place match, I AM 16 Red was matched up with a familiar foe and practice partner in I AM 15 Red. The one year difference in age and experience held up as 16 Red was able to get back in the win column with 25-18 and 26-24 victories in the interclub battle. This concluded the weekend for 16 Red finishing 5-1 and in 3rd place. In addition to Maddie Abel’s serving pin, Brooklyn Grisolono earned a serving pin, Anna Holzer and Kylee Altendorf each earned an overpass kill pin while Kathryn Urban got 2, and the coaches earned an iced pin for a well timed time out call. Greta Vorpahl has been named the tournament MVP for her consistent serve reception, excellent defense, and tough serving on the court and being a great teammate off the court.
16 Black | 5-1
16 Black started off their season on a high note in the 16 Select division of the Badger Region Power League. We started off our first match with only half of our team and unfortunately ended up falling short in a 3-set match against Impact 15 Blue. After that little road bump, the weekend only went up from there! We won our next two matches in 2 on Saturday against Lakes Juniors 16 Select and Milwaukee Juniors 16 Elite. Sunday we started out with an easy win against 360 15-1s. Next up we took on a rival of many, Premier 15 Teal, and ended up with a big win in only 2 sets. The girls were so hyped after this win and it carried over into our final match of the weekend. We played Southwest VBC and ended up on top after a long, intense, and fun three set match. The ref even complemented our team saying it was the best game he watched all weekend. Huge shoutout to all the girls on this team this weekend, each and every one stepped up when needed and it absolutely showed in our 5-1 record. Our MVP for this weekend was Sophia Verplancke as she was a true leader on and off the court, and had a team high of 11 aces throughout the weekend. Excited for more to come!!
16 White | 6-0
I AM 16 White went 6-0 in our first session of Badger Region's Power League in Stoughton, WI. The girls only dropped two sets all weekends when the opponents would go on some short serving runs. They would pick it back up and bring the score close, but weren't able to finish those two sets out. Lucky for us, the girls regrouped before the third sets and were able to pick the energy back up and finish strong. The weekend was a nice start to our tournament season considering we did not have all of our girls there both days. They were able to adjust and adapt to havjng different teammates there one day and different teammates the next. Shoutout to setters and right sides who had really strong performances especially on Sunday!
17 Red | 3-3
This past weekend, 17 Red played the first weekend of Badger Region Power League. On Saturday, the girls came ready to play and ended the day with three wins! As a team, they served aggressively, kept the ball in system, and gave our hitters the best chance for success. This allowed us to walk away with confidence for what Sunday would bring.
Sunday morning rolled around, and they started the day by playing 18 Red. Though it was not their best showing, they worked hard and stayed together as a team. They then played 414 17 Elite, who put up a good fight. 414 was able to keep the team out of system more than preferred, and handed the girls their second loss of the weekend. In the final game of the day, they faced 262 Attack 17 Savage. The girls gave their all, but unfortunately lost a nail-biter in three sets.
Overall, we are proud of the way they played this weekend – as many girls stepped into new roles. We have much to work on, but our fundamentals, chemistry, and solid starting point are going to prove very advantageous. Our MVP for the weekend is Elyse Karrels, who hit at 0.327, had 10 aces, 8 digs, and 4 blocks. She was consistent and reliable, leading us through many tough games.
17 Red is nowhere near reaching their potential, and we are beyond excited to see how they progress throughout the season. Go team!
17 Black | 2-4
17 Black battled together through some tough losses. They learned a lot about working together and are excited to get back to work at practice before their next tournament. We played the best against the toughest team in the pool and are extremely optimistic about how they will compete in the future.
17 White | 3-3
We started our first weekend of Badger Region Power League. 17 white had a phenomenal start to the season. We went 3-3 for the weekend. We played together by being loud, energetic, and supportive. The team kept a positive attitude and never gave up. We started the tournament with a bang winning two games in a row. We had fantastic serve receive which led to Jordan being able to set anyone and she constantly was switching up her sets. Our hitters were confident with their swings and put the balls away. We swept the first team in 2 sets. The next match we played the number 1 team
in our pool. We came out with a lot of energy. We had insane defense from Bella and Kaylee. Alexia and Madisyn had amazing blocks and coverage. Belle continued to find the holes when she attacked. McKinley and Teagan did a great job adjusting to the sets they were given and put the ball away. Alivia brought the energy that was needed. We won the second match against the number one seed 18s team in our pool.
The second day we adjusted our lineups and ran a 6-2. Lilly stepped in as the second setter and hustled hard. We started strong by sweeping the first team we played. We then played the undefeated team in our pool. It was a hard fought battle with a lot of great plays. We went to 3 sets and lost 14-16.
Overall the girls showed resilience, hard work, and dedication this first tournament weekend. We all agreed as a team that this was a very exciting start to the season and that we are excited for the future of our team.
18 Red | 3-3
For our first tournament of the season we competed in the first weekend of Badger Power League in the 18 Elite division. We were excited and eager to compete after many great practices and workout sessions.
Being seeded in the top half of the tournament we knew that they had a target on their back and something to prove at the same time. Our Saturday play left a lot to be desired. We showed some high level volleyball but had a hard time putting it together consistently. We continued to compete and scrap together as a team which we know is important with the new pieces we have this season. At the end of the day we were fortunate enough to win a tie-break to send us into the top half of the field for Day 2. There were many lessons learned and the finish was a great example that every point matters!
On Day 2 we began our day playing against our own 17 Red team. We know each other very well so we knew playing against them was not going to be an easy task. Again, it was a lot of ups and downs but we were able to show more control and consistency of play compared to our first day to come out on top. In the semifinals we played a very strong WI Juniors 17-1's that had shown very few weak points in their game. This is where we turned it around. In all facets of the game the girls put in that extra focus on effort towards the little things that make a big difference. We were able to beat the Juniors team in two with one of the games having a big point gap. In the finals we played a Wisconsin Elite 18-Elite team who we lost to on Day 1 and really didn't show our best. This time we continued to play with the same focus and effort but unfortunately came up a little short losing in 3. That is a match-up that we are looking forward to getting after again later in the season. From where we started on the first day to where we finished we are proud of our efforts and are excited about the bar that we have now set. We now have two weeks to improve before a very tough field at the Prep Dig Resolution. Taking what we have learned and the confidence we have gained we know that this could be quite a special year with a very high ceiling!