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Wow, what a nightcap of Division 1 games! The Resch Center was packed with great turnouts from all four schools and the energy was electric. Middleton asserted its dominance with a sweep of D.C. Everest, while Kaukauna edged Fond du Lac 3-2. Middleton and Kaukauna will battle tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.



Middleton 3, D.C Everest 0



Box Score



It was close for one set, but then Middleton took over in a 3-0 sweep of D.C. Everest by scores of 27-25, 25-19 and 25-18 Thursday night in a Division 1 quarterfinal in Green Bay.



Senior Outside Hitter Molly Toon erupted for a double-double on the night with 20 digs and 19 kills on .484 hitting, as the Cardinals size was no match for the Evergreens. Senior Middle Hitter Andrea Barman added 10 kills, and Setter Kasey Williams put up 32 assists.



In set one, the DCE battled the Cardinals tight, owning a 20-16 lead. Middleton rallied to tie it up at 23 and held off a set point just in time for Toon to work her way into the front row.



Using its momentum from set one, the Cardinals dominated set two by jumping out to a 12-point lead early in the set. Middleton never looked back.



Set three was a bit closer with D.C. Everest hanging around for a while, before Middleton's size took over and earned the 3-0 sweep.



Senior Outside Hitter Molly Leith tallied 10 kills on the night for D.C. Everest.



Game Ball: Molly Toon is on a mission this season. After last year's quarterfinal sweep at the hands of eventual State champ Kenosha Tremper, Toon looked more than good in this year's match. Her near-20-20 statline is right in line to break State records.



Kaukauna 3, Fond du Lac 2



Box Score



We said it was tough to beat a team three times in one season--a fact Kaukauna found out first hand Thursday night in a Division 1 State quarterfinal match against Fox Valley Association rival Fond du Lac. The Galloping Ghosts dropped the first two sets before pulling out a dramatic come-from-behind five-set thriller by scores of 19-25, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 15-13.



Sophomore Outside Hitter Jenni Fassbender tallied a match-high 22 kills, with senior Right Side Hitter Leah Van Zeeland adding 21 for the Ghosts, who also outblocked Fond du Lac 12-5.



Games one and two were more or less dominated by Fond du Lac who came out of the gates hot. Junior Outside Hitter Kayla Pickart swung with a heavy hand, blasting the holes in the Kaukauna block and backrow. The Cardinals also played excellent defense behind senior Libero Katie Boardman, whose passes couldn't get much more perfect. Tack on several errors and miscues by Kaukauna and it looked like Fondy was on its way to the upset.



Yet the Ghosts fought back hard in set three, grinding out a back-and-forth battle that saw Fond du Lac picking up several blocks to open the set. The Ghosts remained cool though, and strong hitting from Fassbender and Right Side Hitter Leah Van Zeeland kept Kaukauna in the match.



Set five was played as close as possible. No team owned more than a three-point lead the entire set, as teams were siding out often. Owning match point, Kaukauna received a free-ball, that Friemuth may have pushed a bit wide for the Outside Hitter. Luckily for the Ghosts, that hitter was Fassbender, who reached back and laid a perfect cut shot to seal the 3-2 win.



Fond du Lac's Pickart registered 18 kills with junior Outside Hitter Morgan Nick adding 14. The Cardinals actually outdug Kaukauna 76-65, but could not find an answer for Fassbender's play down the stretch.



Game Ball: Kaukauna's sophomore Outside Hitter Jenni Fassbender was the obvious go-to for the Ghosts, as she was a huge factor in turning a 17-20 deficit into a 25-20 set four win via four kills and a block.



Semifinal Preview



Both teams coming in as favorites survived, pitting a pair of solid teams against one another. Middleton looked incredibly dominant in sets two and three, but the way Kaukauna fought back tonight was impressive. Kaukauna will need a huge and quick block to battle Toon and company, but Middleton's defense might be its Achilles' Heel. It may be uncharted territory though, as Middleton's last semifinal berth was in 2002 and Kaukauna's in 1995, when pool play still determined the overall champion.