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2009 Recap



Colby and Greenwood shared the Cloverbelt East title last season with matching 7-1 league records. Greenwood won the regular season matchup in thrilling 3-2 fashion, but lost the season finale to Spencer by the same score to force a tie for the trophy. Both the Indians and Hornets reached respective Regional finals, with Greenwood losing to Division 4 State runner-up Newman and Colby losing to Division 3 State semifinalist Auburndale. Spencer finished tied with Owen-Withee for third place at 6-2, and both those squads dropped Regional semifinal games to Colby and Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran.



2009 Final Standings

2009 All-Conference Teams



2010 Preview



Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Greenwood

2) Colby

3) Spencer

4) Owen-Withee

5) Neillsville

6) Columbus Catholic

7) Augusta

9) Gilman

8) Loyal

10) Granton



Players to Watch:

Nicole Duvall, Colby

Megan Hopperdietzel, Colby

Kayleigh Mertens, Colby

Taylan Johnson, Greenwood

Kelsey Kirn, Greenwood

Kati Smith, Greenwood

Sammie Pfeiffer, Neillsville

Anna Goerlitz, Owen-Withee

Danica Johnson, Spencer

Courtney Schulz, Spencer



2010 Outlook:

The Cloverbelt East should be an absolute war this season, as four teams stand a legitimate chance of winning the 2010 title. The conference was incredibly young last season (thus the reason we listed 11 players to watch) with just one senior gracing each All-Conference First and Second Teams. Greenwood gets the nod this season, boasting a pair of returning seniors in Taylan Johnson and Kati Smith both of whom were on the First Team All-Conference. Indians head coach Jenni Mayenschein said her team offers "athletic ability, quickness and tough defense" but is unsure "how quickly the less experienced players develop." The younger players will need to replace a pair of Honorable Mention graduates, and look for Second Team nominee and incoming junior Kelsey Kirn to have a breakout year alongside Smith and Johnson.



Colby earned a Sectional semifinal berth in 2008, and has expectations of getting back there this season. As do the other teams listed in individual paragraphs, the Hornets are loaded with experienced award-winners that will undoubtedly vie for the conference title. It was Colby who had the only senior on the entire First Team All-Conference list in Kelsey Lynn, but fellow First Team nominee Morgan Hopperdietzel and Second Team nominees Nicole Duvall and Kayleigh Mertens should bring back enough court experience to make another run for the title. If the Hornets can get past the season opener against Neillsville, they can look forward to a rough schedule to close out September, playing Spencer, Greenwood and Owen-Withee in three consecutive Cloverbelt East matchups.



Spencer's Courtney Schulz was the only sophomore to make the First Team last season, though she isn't the team's only weapon. Also coming back are Second Team honorees Nicole Bruss and Danica Johnson for their senior and junior seasons respectively. Marcie Hebert, also a senior this year was an Honorable Mention and that quartet of experienced athletes spells good things for Spencer fans. The Rockets picked off then-unbeaten Greenwood in the season finale, and now they know they can not only compete with the best of the league, they can beat them.



Owen-Withee welcomes back a pair of coaches' daughters that should keep the Blackhawks in the running for league laurels this season. Senior Anna Goerlitz and sophomore sister Aleyna, First Team and Honorable Mention All-Conference nominees last season, will be aided by junior Alyssa Gordon, also an HM in 2009. Owen-Withee has a strong group of athletes that know how to win in more than just volleyball as well, as the drive and athletic intelligence should be there once again for the Blackhawks.



Neillsville was on the outside looking into the top tier of Cloverbelt East squads last year, finishing at an even 4-4 league record. This year could be the same story, as the Warriors will look for a pair of incoming seniors in First Team Sammie Pfeiffer and Honorable Mention Arielle Bixby to lead them to some potential upset victories.



In a league divided, the bottom half of the Cloverbelt East should be just as much a war as the top half among the five squads. Columbus Catholic will need to replace Honorable Mentions Nikki Karl and Melissa Ptak, while Augusta also lost HM Kate Berlin to graduation. Cloverbelt West transfer Gilman, which beat Granton in the Cloverbelt Crossover last season, might not have chosen the best year to make the division shift, considering the talent the East heavyweights return in 2010. Regardless, second-year head coach Tammy Olson is "looking forward to the new challenges."



Loyal and Granton tied for the eighth place in the Cloverbelt East basement and neither team had an All-Conference nominee. Unfortunately, these two might again battle to stay out of the cellar-- the Greyhounds will host the Bulldogs are scheduled to meet up Tuesday, September 21 in a good ol' fashioned dogfight.