The Badger Region Qualifier and Prep Dig host two large tournaments. Our teams heading to USAV Nationals fight for a bid to higher divisions. Let’s see how our teams did this past weekend!
12 RED
13 BLACK
I AM 13 Black took home the 1st place trophy at the Prep Dig Champions Cup! The girls were thrilled to earn champion t-shirts and secure a free club entry to a Prep Dig tournament next season.
The team went 3-0 on Saturday, sweeping all three matches. Middle hitter Kennedy Bodus had one of her best performances of the season in the opening match, recording five kills and winning a joust at the net. In the second match, both Jane McIntyre (middle hitter) and Emma Schwendimann (setter) delivered impressive overpass kills. Taylor Kellerman’s serving improvements were on full display, as she fired five aces in a key match against ONYX. In the final match of the day, defensive specialist Sydney Massart led the team with 10 digs, hustling to pick up tough hits and tips. Bella Masse (outside hitter) sealed the last win with an incredible serving run, racking up seven aces!
Determined to bring home gold, the team battled two tough opponents on Sunday. Their success came from quick side-outs, scrappy defensive plays, clean serve receive, smart hitting, and consistent serving. Roxy Ehley (DS/libero) stood out in serve receive and tallied five backrow kills over the weekend. Jane McIntyre was named tournament MVP for her aggressive swings, strong serving, and leadership on and off the court.
The energy and teamwork at this tournament was the best the team has shown all season, making this victory even more special. With four tournaments left, there is much to look forward to! The girls have grown not only in skill, but in leadership and team chemistry.
SO proud of the Girls 13 Black team!
14 RED
Day 1 of the Badger Region Qualifier, 14 Red just so happened to draw the 2-team pool! We beat WI Ice 25-20 & 25-14, a team we had lost to earlier this year! With the win, we won our pool and advanced to day 2 and the top 8!
Our first match of day 2 was nothing but exciting! We faced a very talented FC Elite 14 Navy team with a couple of very strong attackers. We took set 1 25-10, lost a battle 24-26 in set 2 and didn’t have quite enough in set 3 losing 15-10. Overall, we played very well against one of the best teams we’ve faced all year!
Our next 2 matches were also close. We didn’t quite get our offense on track though and lost to Sting 14 white in 2 close sets and then lost to FC Elite 14 white 15-13 in the 3rd.
#Shoutout to our defensive players Grace Wetzel and Elin Winkler.
The two of them made a great team this weekend with consistent serve receive and great defense. They are working well together to run our backrow and continue to expand their range. They both earned MVP this weekend!
Next up is MEQ in St. Louis this weekend!
14 BLACK
14 black journeyed to Appleton to play in Prep Dig Champions cup. We were pretty excited to play in the Open division for the first time this year. First match we started a bit slow as we normally do. The Madtown team controlled the ball well and didn't make too many mistakes. Addy had several kills as an outside hitter, while Reagan led the back row defense. We battled hard but fell just a touch short 25-22 and 25-23.
Second set we got to play a tall Keweenaw team from the UP. A back and forth match where we were able to begin establishing more consistent setter and hitter connections. Zoe had several very nice line shots, while Kylie and Ava were able to connect with both setters.
We went into the last match against the Hometown Heat pressing hard for a win to try and take first in our pool. The girls serving kept Heat out of system for much of the match. Ava had a great match connecting on several big kills and protecting the net with a few block touches. We kept control of the entire match and cruised to victory finishing with a 2-1 record and 1st place in the pool.
Sunday we played into the Gold bracket against a tough 414 team. The team showed heart and determination in this match. The first set was a back and forth battle. Down 18-21, the girls pushed to 24-21 and then finally sealed with a big block from Ava. Next set was a bit of a surprise to everyone - we could not find any flow or rythm. We are going to erase that set from our memory. Third set was another battle. Both teams had big swings and outstanding defense, thankfully we outlasted 414 in a few key long rallys. Kylie and Ava both had great matches with several big swings and set a good block. Zoe closed out the match with 5 strong serves including a couple aces. A great team effort - with the key being keeping mental focus even when everything seems sideways,
The next two matches were tough for us. We were very close in the first match, just couldn't finish on a few points, had a few tough receiving runs, and were not able to rely on pure hustle and grit. Proud of the team for maintaining their positive attitude for most of the weekend. We did execute on skills from practice last week - both middles were hitting angles and corners instead of straight down the middle. We executed a few more back row attacks with intent. We will continue to work on our serve receive and are looking forward to repping IAM at Badger Region Championships in a few weeks.
14 WHITE
I AM Volleyball 14 White had an impressive performance this weekend, continuing their strong season with some exciting victories. The tournament started on Saturday with 14 White quickly picking up momentum, sweeping the Spiketown Wrightstown 14s in straight sets, 25-10 and 25-14.
The team's next two matches were nothing short of thrilling. In a hard-fought battle, 14 White triumphed over Wisconsin Ice 14 Purple with a 3-set victory, 27-25, 23-25, 15-10. The excitement continued in the next match as they faced off against the tournament's #1 seed, Wisconsin Blaze. After splitting the first two sets, 26-24 and 23-25, I AM 14 White clinched the win in the decisive 3rd set, 15-9.
These victories earned 14 White a well-deserved bye into the semifinals on Sunday. One of the standout moments of the tournament came during a remarkable serving run by Edie Varney. Edie was instrumental in pulling the team out of a 5-point deficit, leading them to victory and showcasing her clutch performance under pressure.
In the semifinals, I AM 14 White faced the top-seeded Wisconsin Bay 14 Onyx. After a dominant 25-15 win in the first set, they closed out the match with a 25-22 victory in the second set, securing a spot in the final.
A rematch with Wisconsin Blaze in the championship match followed, but unfortunately, 14 White fell short, losing 21-25 and 14-25. Despite the loss, the team showed great heart and perseverance throughout the weekend.
In the end, I AM Volleyball 14 White finished the tournament in 2nd place, bringing their overall match record to 25-9 and an impressive 52-23 in sets. It was a fantastic weekend of volleyball, and the team continues to build on their success as the season progresses.
15 RED
Qualifier weekend came with some awesome challenges that both the players and the families wanted to see how we sized up in WI. Day one we were in a 3-team pool and need to take 1st so we didn't have a to have a crossover match later in the evening. We played FC Elite Blue and Sting United out of Madison. We went to work and had a strong serving game that gave us easier looks on defense. Office was clicking and we rolled through both matches in 2. This continued our track of being the 3 seed for bracket play on Sunday.
Our first match was against Sting White. This was our first interaction with Milwaukee Sting this season and I think that gave our team a bit more nerves than we were used to. We took a pretty good beating losing the first set 9-25. But after an epic speech by me, we were ready for round 2! We came out with 7 or straight points and reset the tone.
#Shoutout to Malia for getting 3 straight blocks on their OH.
We couldn't get a stop the entire first set but we flip the narrative and we couldn't be stopped. We won set two 25-19. Game three was anyones but we once again got an early lead and was able to side out quickly and tack on a few points every time we served and we won 15-7.
Now we face off again #2 seed Madtown National and we were able to watch their match before we played and got a good idea on what were heading into. String serving from Ella and the team gave us a comfortable lead in set one. We won 25-17. Set two was tight the whole way and we had some extra drama with a protested point but it didn't distract the team from the finish line! We were down 20-22 and with an excellent serves run from Brooke, who previously missed her first two serves of that set, closed out the game 25-22!
We made it to the championship against Sting Gold and we decide to play for teh National bid because we most likely won't see Sting Gold again this season. Even though we thought we wanted the challenge... we didn't truly go after it. End of story.
We earned an American Bid for USAV Nationals and we are excited to step up to that challenge in the months to come!
16 RED
16 BLACK
16 Black competed in the Prep Dig Champions Cup Mar 1 and 2. On day 1 of the tournament, our team played with impressive energy and skill, showcasing excellent serving throughout the matches. Leilah Prichard had the game winning over pass kill against Keweenaw VBC with an impressive arm swing, smashing the ball down to the 10’ line. Sierra Hoeft displayed an improved setter IQ with her footwork, effective communication calling out plays, excelling in out of system, spreading her offense and varying her tempo. Summer Wille didn’t let anything past her, playing strong defense and making incredible saves. The hitters were in sync with their setters, connecting well and executing plays with precision. This strong team dynamic helped us dominate our pool, ending day one 1st in our pool!
Day two brought us a match up against our 16 White team with the Fernald twin sisters, both middles facing off. We came out strong in the first match, maintaining momentum with solid communication and aggressive plays. However, in our second match, we started to lose a bit of steam, which impacted our performance. Despite this, our team showed resilience, and we continued to support each other on the court, losing in a close match 23-25 and 21-25.
Our MVPs of the tournament were well deserved. Seirra Hoefts’ leadership both on and off the court helped keep the team motivated. She continues to show improvement, taking feedback and direction very well, making adjustments and working incredibly hard to achieve success. Her effective communication with her teammates, high energy, and confidence led the team through the weekend. Leilah Prichard had an outstanding performance throughout the entire tournament weekend, making significant impact in every match. On offense, she demonstrated superior hitting skills and determination, consistently finding the floor with powerful, well-placed attacks. Leilah also played a key role in blocking, using precise timing and positioning to shut down the play. Her defensive skills continue to improve with precision passing to her setter. She is a standout server, serving aggressive float serves to any zone the coach calls out.
Overall, the tournament was a great display of teamwork and skill, and we’re looking forward to improving and building on our performance for the Mideast Qualifier.
17 BLACK
17 Black traveled north last weekend to play in the Prep Dig Champions Cup. We started the day super strong with a pretty dominating two set win versus South Shore Slam 17 Lime. Next up was an athletic North Star VBC 17 Select team. While we took their first set 25-21, we ended up losing the last two. We battled back in the last match of the day, beating Wisconsin Blaze 17 Black in a two set match.
Day two brought Silver Bracket play for us. We faced Wisconsin Blaze 18 Black first, who had just finished a three set win. We ended up playing hard, but lost in two sets. Determined to end the day on a high note, we beat Madtown 172 Select in three sets.
Sam was our leader in aces and assists on the weekend, with 6 and 59 respectively. Reese remained a beast in the back and front row, tallying 29 digs and 21 kills. Addie also chipped in with 19 kills, many of them being powerful kills when we needed them most. Khiah led the way with 31 digs as libero and Alaina was a steady presence for us in the back row, adding 17 digs of her own. While we didn't win every game, we are proud of the steady improvement we are seeing in these girls as individuals and as a team. Next up is the Badger Region Championships in two weekends!
18 RED
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