Badger Power League week two is the final week for our teams playing in the Elite Division and the 2nd weekend out of 3 for all other divisions! An excellent showing this weekend with the most top finishes we've had all season!
11 RED | 1st Place
Tournament Champs!
We played in the Juniors Feb Fun II at UW-Parkside Sunday afternoon...and into the evening! Our girls were placed into the U11/U12 event. Right from the start, our habits in practice put us in a spot of total control in our first match. The girls served super tough and when the team was able to return the ball to us, we played clean in-system volleyball. Our first contacts on freeballs were extremely consistent and this allowed our setter and hitters to connect consistently. We dominated our first opponent from McHenry, Illinois while each player on the team made several winning plays. In our 2nd match we played a more resilient Junior Chargers team from Sussex. Once again, we maintained a high quality of play as we built an early and insurmountable lead in set 1. Set 2 was a bit more back and forth and we dropped a set we probably shouldn't have, but that is how it goes when your opponent won't quit on rallies and they catch you slippin'! We turned it around rather quickly in set 3 and once again played some of our cleanest ball of the season so far.
Due to the brevity of the event, we finished 1st in our pool and played a cross-over match against the other pool's number 1 team. We faced a 12's team from Milwaukee Juniors who we saw running some quick sets in their matches and posed a challenge we had not faced yet, and that was clearly more size than us. But, that didn't seem to bother our girls. We just went about our work with focus, a better level of communication, and a higher level of skill discipline than our opponents. We won a very tight first set rife with controversy and questions, 26-24. We then entered the 2nd set starting on fire. It was the best set we played all season and rolled our opponents 25-11 to win T-shirts!
One of the objectives for the day was always being ready and the girls knew that substitutions would occur quickly if a player did not play with readiness in mind and body. The coaches were happy that we only had to remind a girl, here and there, that maintaining engagement was the goal. At this age, if they can do that, the game will come much easier and the outcomes will be more favorable. Our serving was outstanding, with girls putting together streaks of 4-5 points at a time. The girls got themselves ready to approach, and attacked with purpose.
Our setters, Kennedy and Jaidyn, have continued to improve their deliveries and their contesting of tight balls to the net. Eden Aanonsen continues to remain steady in all facets of the game and is constantly bettering balls for her teammates and varying her attacks. We went with 2 liberos for the first time this year, Stella and Nora, and they were so good with first contacts and owning their role. Finally, Sarah Heitzkey, our MVP for the event, was enthusiastic the entire day, was an engaged voice even when she was out of the game, served crucial points in bunches, and made winning plays at critical times (Ace to seal the final match!)
12 RED | 1st Place
Ryden head coached his first win, so I made him also do his first write up!
Over the last weekend the 12 Red team got a chance to compete in the 16 team Fondy Freeze tournament in Fond Du Lac. This tournament proved to be an awesome experience for the players to try out the new skills they have been working on in practice, and served as an opportunity for some of our players to try playing a new position or two. Not only was this an awesome tournament for our players to try new positions, but Coach Ryden got his head coach debut of the weekend as Coach Jarrod took on the assistant coach role. We also had a new coach join our team for the weekend being Coach Emily who will join our roster for the rest of the season.
During pool play of this tournament 12 Red waltzed their way right through, winning match one 25-13, 25-6. Winning match two 25-9, 25-8. And winning match three 25-17, 25-11. In the second match of the tournament Coach Ryden took a risk as head coach and moved Londyn to libero, Eden to defensive specialist, Alannah and Emma became a right side along with Charlotte becoming a starting outside. The team was able to adjust though, still crushing the match so that they could make it to the gold bracket!
Going forward to the semifinals of the gold bracket I AM still swept through this match winning 25-7, 25-10. In this match our team ended up hitting .545, which is a ridiculous number! Some leaders from the match include Maddie hitting .857, Haylee hitting .833 and Molly hitting .556! Another stand out stat is that the team had 20 aces in this match, Londyn leading the way with 7!
In the finals 12 Red faced a very solid Wisconsin Elite 12 Elite team, but still managed to dominate and win 25-7, 25-13. In this match I AM finished with 11 aces and hit .308 as a team with 17 kills. Haylee led the way with 2 aces, 8 kills and hit .500. Special shoutout to Londyn who had 3 kills on 3 attempts to hit 1.000. Overall in the last match the opposing team wasn’t able to keep up with the speed of I AM’s 1 ball in the middle, and their tough serving from behind the line.
Overall the team did a fantastic job translating what they are working on in practice to a tournament. This first place victory is an awesome confidence booster for the girls before going into the extremely tough part of their schedule. The team went 5-0 this weekend bringing their overall record to 15-2. Excited to see what will come next!
12 BLACK
Another great weekend in Fond du Lac for the girls. We started getting to the tournament at 7:15 when the doors opened and we played our first match at 8 am. In our first three games we flew by and won all games in two sets, and in our last pool play game the girls took the team to three sets! With a victory in that game, we advanced to the gold bracket. In that game, Bella Masse received an ace pin, and Jane Mclntyre got an overpass kill pin! Going into the gold bracket because our pool play had a bunch of teams in it there was only one team that we needed to beat to make it to the championship. Unfortunately, we did end up losing in three but Tess Ries got an Ace pin in that game. We were bummed because we wanted to play Iam 12 Red team that made it to the championship but we reffed their game which went great! We stayed and hung out and cheered the I AM 12s Red team as they received their medals!
Overall, the girls had such a strong and successful weekend even though we didn’t win it all I am so proud that the girls got 3rd in the gold bracket. I love seeing them grow and slowly catch on with the things they learn in practice and see them perform their talents on the court! A goal that we have been working on is having a purpose for our placement with the ball being at a faster tempo and making the other team work! I love to watch these girls work so hard and I’m so proud of them all for their progress throughout the season.
Our tournament MVP goes to Jane McIntyre because of her outstanding defense!
She was hustling to everything and getting great ups and touches on the ball!
12 BOYS | 5th Place
Our U12 Boys team competed in their first ever two day tournament at the JVA MKE Jamboree this past weekend, where they earned a spot in the gold bracket and finished 5th overall at the event!
Entering day one we had one goal as a team: secure our place in the gold bracket for day two. After falling 0-2 in our pool play matches to MOD Gold (25-18, 24-26, 7-15) and MKE Sting 12-1 (16-25, 8-25), the boys would rally together in an intense crossover match against MKE Sting 12-2 (25-22, 19-25, 15-9) and successfully achieve our goal of earning a spot in gold!
In the first round of gold bracket matches on day two, our boys would compete and give their all against an extremely tough team and very well known club, but would unfortunately come up just short against Academy 12 Adidas (23-25, 16-25) and knock us out of championship contention. However, the results of this match would put us on the path for an incredibly unique opportunity…
Our last match of the tournament would bring our entire weekend full-circle as we would compete for the 5th place title in a rematch against MOD Gold, who we had faced in our opening match on day one. The focus of this match was to compete as one team and not 6+ individuals, stressing the importance of positive energy and being good teammates in order to play to the strengths that we share as a collective unit. The boys responded in a major way after falling in the first set, going on to win the next two sets, and securing the match win in a three-set thriller (17-25, 25-22, 15-11)!
The boys showcased that they were a better team than who they were entering the tournament and took advantage of the chance of redemption against the team that we fell to in the very first match on day one. I couldn’t be more proud of how the boys competed all weekend and that final match was the absolute highlight of the entire event!
Tournament MVP: #1 Brayden Boehler, for his incredible play and more importantly his teamsmanship in always keeping the team focused and spirits high!
The next tournament the boys will be competing in is the Dale Rohde tournament in Madison, WI during the first weekend of March. We can’t wait to grow in practice over the next couple of weeks and look forward to competing in another great event!
13 RED
Our final play date for Badger Region Power League and my favorite weekend by far! We had earned our spot in Bracket A of the 14 Elite division, so we knew we would face tough competition every match, which is just what we needed. Right out of the gates our first 2 matches on Saturday took us to 3 sets! We beat a tough WI Juniors 14 Elite team 15-12 in the 3rd, but lost a heartbreaking match 19-17 in the 3rd to very strong 414-14 Elite team. We finished the day with a 2-0 win against WI Elite 14 and secured the 3 seed for Sunday’s championship bracket! The girls battled hard and had a lot to be proud of.
Day 2 we stared out strong winning our first match 2-0. Next we faced that same 414 team that beat us 19-17 just the day before. We lost another heartbreaker in the opening set 26-24. I think that took all we had because from there we never really got back on track. We finished the day 1-2 and 3-3 overall on the weekend.
Going in we knew the competition was going to be the toughest we had seen all year. We were excited to compete against some older more physical players and see how we would respond. The team grew and learned so much throughout the whole weekend. Our serving has gotten so much more aggressive in the last 2 weeks as we focused a lot in practice on serving low and hard. Now we have a couple weeks off to prepare for the Badger Region Qualifier!
13 WHITE
This past weekend, 13 White had their second Power League weekend and dominated going 5-1. The weekend started off with a 3-set match against a tough 608 Juniors 13-Select. The girls lost the first set but battled back to win the second set 25-20 and the third set 15-8. Strong serving and 6 kills throughout the match by Dani helped secure the victory as well as tough defense in the back row by Eve.
#Shoutout to Dani for earning her Aces pin!
The second match of the day was another victory against an Epic 14s team. Kiley C, Emma, Dani, and Hayden combined for 10 Aces in the match giving us a 25-20 victory in set 1 and 25-18 victory in set 2. We ended the day with another match against a 14s team, Waterford Wave, winning 25-19 in set 1 and 25-22 in set 2. Eve, Ava, Dani, and Kiley W were tough opponents at the net combining for 10 kills from the front row. The girls ended the day 3-0 giving them the #1 seed for day 2 of bracket play!!
Day 2 started with a win over the Reinas 13-1 team going 25-12 in set 1 and 25-18 in set 2. Strong serving by Kiley C, Emma, Hayden, and Jovie led the team to a combined 15 Aces in the match. Kiley C and Ava gave a strong showing at the net with 4 kills apiece.
#Shoutout to Kiley C for earning her Aces pin!
Match 2 of bracket play was against another tough 14s team, Southwest VBC. The girls won a great first set 25-16 but struggled in the second set and dropped the win. They fought back in the third set to close out the match, winning 15-8. The win was secured with 4 kills by Kiley C, strong serving from Hayden, and tough defense from Jovie, Eve, and Carolyn.
The weekend ended with a hard loss to a tough Wisconsin Premier 14 White team. Great defense by Emma, Jovie, Bri, and Ireland kept us fighting as well as a strong net presence with Dani who had 4 kills and 2 blocks in the match.
The girls are looking forward to the MVP Corn Husker Challenge in two weeks!!
14 RED | 1st Place
14 Red came in the final weekend of Badger Region Power League ready to prove something. In our most recent tournament they didn't come away with the championship like they were hoping to. It was disappointing for everyone but the plan was to use that as motivation for the next challenge ahead. Through some solid play in Weekend #1 of Power League, we came in as the #1 overall seed into the final weekend. We knew we had a target
on our back and it was something we needed to embrace. "Owning the Moment" was the motto for the weekend. On the first day we played very scrappy and competitive volleyball. The team continued to fight and push no matter the scenario. That is something that has been great about this team. Even through errors, sloppy play, or some unfortunate bounces this group continues to press on. We were able to collect all three wins of the day despite not playing our A game to again be the #1 seed going into the final day. Our first match on Sunday got off to a great start. Our first contact was on point and energy/communication were purposeful. Set 2 turned into a very scrappy game and 608 raised the bar of their play but we were able to finish it off in two sets. The semifinal was set for an awesome rematch between us and Wisconsin Juniors 14-Elite. During the first weekend of Power League they proved to be one of our toughest obstacles. A team with many high level hitters and servers, they can create many challenges. Through our excellent first contact (serving, passing, defensive touches) we controlled set 1 from start to finish. In set 2 we got off to a poor start, made a small comeback mid set, but made too many unforced errors at the end setting up for a 15 point set 3. Jumping on this team early and controlling the pace of the game was going to be critical for coming out on top. Led by some tremendous serving and strong touches at the net and in the back row we started set 3 on an 8 point run. We continued to control the game defensively until the finish where we won 15-2!
In the final, it was another rematch and this time it was the team from the final of the previous day, 414 14-Elite. This team gave us a unique challenge with running a 5-1 offense, something we haven't seen much this season. The girls did a great job of understanding how to defend against it on the fly while needing to be aware of many high level hitters on their team. Set 1 was another game where we came out firing at the beginning and it set the tone for the match. Serving continues to be a high level strength of this team to get aces or teams out of system so we can continue to control matches. What was more impressive is how successful we were offensively in serve receiving and defense. It was a step forward that the girls had been working towards for a long time and it was paying off. After a big margin set 1 win we found ourselves in a tighter set 2 where at many times the margin was one point if not tied. However, with a lot of fight throughout the match and some clutch play
at the end we finished on a 4-1 run to finish the match off in 2 sets to become Badger Region Power League 14 Elite Division Champions! Rah and I can't say enough on how proud we are of this team. This is a moment that this group has been working towards for a long time and we are so happy they were able to achieve one of these big moments. Through their hard work, determination, and "Owning the Moment" they completed something great and we are excited about how this experience will continue to springboard us further to more and bigger successes!
14 BLACK
This weekend at Badger Region Power League the girls played amazing once again. Comparing the first weekend to this weekend there has been so much growth. On day 2 we played two teams we previously lost to. Although we only beat one of them, we gave the other team a difficult battle to win. We ended up handing a loss to two of the undefeated teams in the division and the girls were on a whole different level after that! Overall we finished day two at 3rd in our bracket with a record of 8-4. We were the last court on Sunday but that didn't stop the girls from finishing off with a win.
One thing we specifically were wanting to do this weekend was have consistent energy and positive attitudes and they definitely met that goal. The girls realized that we can have fun and get the job done at the same time.
#Shoutout to Nyah and Bri for being our MVPs of the weekend.
Both girls had some great blocks. Nyah specifically went on a serving streak giving us a big lead. This girl went from barely making a serve over the net to serving other teams off the court. So proud. Bri on the other hand was our go to for an energy boost. She always is positive and looking out for her teammates while getting monster blocks and finding that open court for a kill.
Overall, SOOOOO proud of how far they have already grown as players and teammates and we aren't even halfway done with the season.
14 WHITE
14 White took on Badger Region Power League for the second weekend. We had a player sick on Saturday, and two on Sunday, so there was a lot of adjusting to make! On Saturday we went 2-1, winning our first two games and losing the last. We played our own 13 Black to start off the weekend, and we won both sets. 13 Black put up a great fight! There were a lot of adjustments that had to be made the rest of the day, but the girls ran with it and fought hard. We didn't get to play our 3:30 match until almost 6, so it was a super long day! We won our second game in three sets, with a really back-and-forth game. The third game also went to three, and we fell just short with 11-15 in the third set. On Sunday, the day started a little rough losing our first game in two, we were playing the first seed in our pool who had some really good middles, and since we were down a middle it was hard to fight against that height! The second game was another long one going to three, and was back and forth the entire third set. We ended up losing that one 18-20, in the third set that only goes to 15! The girls fought so hard and it was so much fun watching them play. The last game was another fun one as we won in three. The girls did a great job executing and finishing! We were down in the second set 17-23, and Gianna's serves were able to tie us up, and a tape ball is what ended the game! The girls did so well playing in positions they aren't used to, or changing up lineups and adjusting to them. Aubryn led the team with a total of 39 digs, Malia with 14 kills, Lania with 12 block touches/blocks, and Kennedy with 14 aces.
#Shoutout to Malia and Jill for playing middle, Malia Saturday and Jill Sunday, a position neither of them play! They did so well and adjusted throughout the day. They both got tournament MVP for their respective days playing middle!
15 RED | 1st Place
What a ride this weekend! After winning a 3-way tie in the first Power League weekend we put ourselves in a good spot on day one of the final weekend. We won our first match against a talented WI Juniors 14's team. We were able to grind out a game one win 26-24 and after getting through that we found a rhythm and took game took quickly winning 25-13. Now we are in a safe spot to advance to Gold tomorrow! We played WI Elite 16's who had bested us the first weekend in a 3-set match. We had a great battle and made clutch plays at the end winning in two sets 25-22 and 26-24. No match is easy at this level and the girls are locking in at the end of matches with a winning mentality! The last match on Saturday was against 414 16's and they are big! We beat them the last time playing near perfect ball so we knew this was going to be a challenge. 414 played with a chip on their should and took it to us pretty good. We kept giving them easy balls on defense and they turned those into points pretty consistently. We lost in 2... The good news, we were put on the opposite side of the bracket of WI Elite, 414, and our I AM 16's team! So we felt pretty good going into Sunday!
WI Juniors 16's was our first match and Ana came out with 6 aces in her first serving run which gave us a huge momentum burst and too the game in record time winning 25-7! Game two was a different story as the WI Juniors rallied more points and we gave away a few too many points with serves and free ball chances. Being down towards the end we made a strategic adjustment and Sierra went in to serve and play DS and Milli continue to set in the front row and Sierra went off on her serving with finishing the game on what I think was an 8 point run! We won 25-22 with a last second comeback!
608 Juniors was our semifinals match and our offense and serving power was too much and we controlled both sets winning 25-16 and 25-15.
The last match was against 414 16's AGAIN! Now we are tied 1-1 it was a perfect storyline to finish the Power League! The kids were hyped and as coaches, we were happy to make it to the finale :) The start of the set was not part of the playbook but we weathered the storm and made some serving adjustments on our zones and took some chances prepping for the 2nd set knowing game 1 was not for us.
Set 2 we reversed the start with a big lead right off the bat and controlled the lead and won 25-19. The serving was putting 414 in tough first ball attacking and we opened up our offense making it tough for them to get any 2nd chances.
Set 3 was the cherry on top! We were going swing for swing and it was boxing match all the way to end. We found ourselves at 14-9 with an overpass to win the game and we were a little too excited and crushed it out of bounce. Not worried because we get to swing again with a 4 point lead and game point on our side. But... we made a few hitting errors and 414 Rightside caught fire and they actually took the lead from us 14-15 before Grace Tilley got the clutchest of kills out of the middle to tie the game 15-15. Ana goes back to serve and we rally point and 414 hit a ball out of bounce. 16-15. Ana serves zone 1 and it tales more to the Eline and we get the ACE to win the match!!!
What a feeling! If you read through this recap, thank you for coming on this journey! :)
Iowa is next!
15 BLACK | 3-3
Our second weekend in the Badger Power League was full of ups and downs. Saturday began with a match against Eclipse 16-Solar. We tend to start slow, especially with early waves, and this weekend was no different. After dropping the first set, the team rallied, controlled the serve receive, and won the next two for a big victory in 3. Next was the strong serving WI Juniors 15-Elite. After dropping the first set, we once again controlled the ball defensively which set our offense on fire. Set 2 was ours, but Juniors came into the 3rd on fire offensively and took the set. The 3rd match of the day was against WI Elite 16-Blue, where we won decidedly in 2.
#shoutout | Leilah (OH) was absolutely ON FIRE the entire tournament. Her serve receive, serving, defense, and big hitting lead the team when we needed big plays.
#heartattackpack | We have earned the name “HEART ATTACK PACK” as we love to take our matches to 3 high-intensity sets and give our fans the most volleyball we can.
With our 2-1 record on Saturday, we earned a spot in the “A” bracket for Sunday. Our first match against 414 16-Blue caught us off guard. They were a big team with a fantastic middle who they went to repeatedly. Coupled with great serving that kept us off balance, we had a hard time establishing our offense and we dropped our first match in 2. The #heartattackpack was back as we were given an opportunity to avenge our loss to WI Juniors 15-Elite. Once again, we dropped the first, claimed the second, and went to the 3rd. It was a back-and-forth battle, and unfortunately a tight play at the net caused Ava (MB) to land on a foot that caused her to roll her ankle. We were offered an exceptional substitution (occurs when there is an injury, and there are no players available to sub because they are locked in a position) where Izzy (OH) moved to MB, and Maddie (DS) played around and hit outside. The team rallied and worked hard, but the Juniors pushed hard again with great serving, and we dropped the set 11-15. The last match of the day meant a new rotation with Ava out, and the girls stepped up against 608 Juniors 16-Select. True to our name, we dropped the first, won the 2nd, and went into the third. The last set was ours from the beginning as we dominated with hard serving and dominant net play.
#shoutout | Izzy (OH) and Maddie (DS) did an amazing job in their new roles, and we never skipped a beat offensively.
#getthepin | Tournament MVP: Leilah (OH), Overpass Kill: Ava (MB), Get the Pancake: Maddie (DS)
15 WHITE
This weekend 15 White competed in their second round of Badger Powerleague. We were at the Rec Plex and went 4-2. Saturday we went 3-0 and played some of the best volleyball we have ever played. Sunday we started off a little slow, but came back and absolutely crushed it in our last game, allowing us to go 1-2. The girls served amazing which was able to put the other teams out of system and the pressure on them. We get to hand out 5 ace pins! They faced really touch servers on day 2 especially, but kept a positive attitude.
#Shoutout to Stella for getting 2 over pass kills and winning a joust throughout the weekend!
A thing that we stressed in practice last week was switching up our offense and not always tipping when we are scared/down, and they proved that they could overcome that by mixing up their shots and being intentional with where they put the ball. The highlight of the weekend was on Saturday battling and winning against our 16’s Gold team in 3 sets with it ending in 16-14. Such a fun game after having scrimmaged them often at practice in the past. Excited to have a weekend off to not only get some rest but to use our next practices to get better for new competition.
16 RED | 5th Place
This weekend 16 Red had our 2nd and final weekend of Badger Region Power League. From our performance on the first weekend, we made the top bracket. The top five teams from Saturday moved on into the championship bracket while the bottom three moved down a bracket for the final championship day. Day one began with a disappointing match - losing in two to a team we’d previously beaten pretty soundly. From this point, we needed to win out to make it to the championship bracket. The girls did just that, playing very consistent, focused volleyball and winning four straight sets 25-13, 25-15, 25-12, 25-10.
Day two, much like day one, began with a very close loss. There were some positive takeaways however and the 14-16 third set was some of the better ball we’ve played all season. The 2nd match of the day was a quick victory where the message that was conveyed and clearly understood was “take care of business”. Finally, the girls got a chance to correct the mistakes of day one against the team that beat us in the first match. They certainly did so, winning a three set match to take fifth in Badger Region Power League. While this is not the result that we are capable of, this weekend gave us an idea of what can be worked on to raise our floor and operate at our ceiling more often as we look forward to the exciting schedule of the next five weeks.
16 BLACK
16 Black's final weekend of power league started with a win against a scrapy Premier team. Our next two matches were losses against very tough 608 Juniors and 414 teams. On Sunday the girls rebounded nicely to finish the day 2-1. Surprisingly no service pins this week but we will always hand out Overpass Kill pins (#FavoritePin): Alayna got 2; Lily, Reese, and Morgan each got 1. There were lots of individual highlights but the most impressive in my opinion was resilience and effort put into 2 separate comeback wins where we were down by 7 or more points. Strong serving backed up by a never quit defense allowed us to catch up and then pull ahead. Coaches and officials in both matches complemented the team after those matches.
16 GOLD
The 16 gold team had a great weekend at our power league tournament, we played 3 games on Saturday and 3 on Sunday going 4-2 overall! The girls’ serving pressure put our team in a great place to succeed and allowed us to go on many runs when we needed it most. We had a lot of aces and it was fun to see how the girls use that energy to push us through the weekend! Every tournament they play more consistently and continue to grow as a team. They never give up on the ball and you can see how this improves their confidence and competitive drive. I love how every player on this team brings positive energy to the court, we are so excited to keep working hard and winning games!
#Shoutout to Maddie Rose and Ava Ashenfelter for stepping up to play middle and doing a fabulous job when we were short players:)
17 RED | 9th Place
This weekend, I AM 17 Red headed to Madison for the second Badger Region Power League tournament. After a weekend off and a handful of great practices, the girls were ready to work hard to demonstrate their skills. We finished the weekend with a record of 4-2 and the champions of the Silver bracket.
Saturday, the team saw a ton of great competition. The first match we faced WI Jr’s 17-1 and fell short in the first set 16-25 but did not give up. The second set, the team rallied back, serving aggressively and putting the other team out of system, forcing lots of unforced errors finishing 25-21. The team did not come out strong enough in the third to overtake the opponent and win the match.
Next, I AM faced Madtown 171 and came out hot. Defense and serve receive held the team together through key moments and executing opportunities helped shift momentum after the first match of the day. The team won both sets,
capitalizing on mistakes from Madtown and controlling our side of the net. I AM won 26-24 and 25-23.
The last match of the day was another tough one. We needed to win to get into the Gold bracket on Sunday. The team started strong and played our game, winning set 1 25-21. A few mistakes in the second set and letting our foot off the gas pedal, led us to falling 14-25. The final set, we came out hot once again and went on a serving run that gave us a three point advantage 9-6 but we couldn’t hold on for a few more points. We finished 14-16 and bumped down to the Silver bracket for Sunday afternoon.
The next day, everyone was on the same page and we were ready to roll. The goal was to stay consistent and have fun throughout the entirety of the matches. The first two teams we faced, I AM swept single handedly, holding them to 16 points or less in the four sets. Tuning in on our eye sequencing and strong hands, helped our front row block several balls. Serve receive was spot on all day, helping our offense run the system. In the last match of the day, we came out hot, even keeping their libero off the court for the rest of the set. We won 25-15, 23-15, and 15-6, taking the match. I AM has a few weekends off before heading back to Madison for the Badger Region Qualifier in March.
17 RED
The 17 White team had a busy weekend playing in our second of three Badger Power League Tournaments! We started the first day with a tough rematch with Adversity which we lost in 3. We later came back to beat a hometown Madtown team in two. We were able to finally start our last game of the day around 9pm, and won in a three set thriller over Select. Shoutout to Viv, who had some key kills over the weekend and especially in the last match. Maria was also tallying up many digs on defense (18 over the weekend), and also earned a 5 aces pin in that late game vs Select!
Day two started with a hard loss to an experienced Lakes Jrs 18s team. But we didn't get too down on ourselves, because we pulled out the win against another 18s team in Epic-18 Gray. We ended the tournament with a great win over a team we had seen before -- Milwaukee Jrs Select 17s.
Major #shoutout to Gretta, whose serving led us to an impressive 15-4 win in the last set on the day.
She also earned a 5 aces pin! Megan also got a 5 aces pin and had a team-high 8 block kills during the tourney. Can't forget that Coach James timed out his way to 2 ice pins this weekend as well Overall we are definitely growing as a team and can't wait to continue at our next Green Bay tourney in two weeks. Catch us back in Power League action on April 6-7 to finally crown a champion!
18 RED
The 18s team went into the second weekend of the Badger Region Power League looking to turn around the tough start they had in the first weekend back in January and to prove they were better than they showed back then. They certainly accomplished that feat as all 6 matches were competitive and exciting all the way to the end. The first match featured two sets that went back and forth with several lead changes however I AM VBC came up just short 19-25, 18-25. This would be the only match of the weekend that didn't need a tie breaking 3rd set and the only loss for the team on Saturday. The next two matches would see 18s on the victorious end of a few nail biters with scores of 23-25, 25-19, 15-12 and 23-25, 25-11, 16-14. Day two was almost a carbon copy of day one with 18s coming up just short in their first match 25-18, 13-25, 9-15 and winning the last two matches of the weekend in 3 super exciting sets each. The scores were 25-13, 16-25, 15-6 and 19-25, 25-10, 16-14. It was a very fun weekend and going 4-2 is a big confidence boost for the rest of the season.