Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

As always, it was another busy week of volleyball from around the state as the girls season nears the halfway point. With just over a month left for conferences to be decided, some teams have already began to rise above the fray. Here's a brief rundown of last week's matchups.

Burlington lost four out of five matches against regional rival Muskego last season, but this year the Demons are on a mission to avenge that record. Burlington knocked off the defending state champion Warriors at the Brookfield Central Invite Saturday en route to a second-place finish, then beat them 3-1 Thursday in a non-conference matchup. Sophomore phenom Ciara Capezio hit just .038 on the night, but tallied a match-high 16 kills for the 17-3 Demons.

Menomonee Falls was ranked No. 1 in the state for the second consecutive week, and rightfully so after an impressive performance at the Lancer Invite in Brookfield Saturday. The Indians knocked off Nicolet, Wauwatosa East and Greenfield in pool play, then Brookfield Central, Kaukauna and Burlington to earn the crown. Falls, now 20-2 and 3-0 in the Greater Metro, has one of the state's best attackers in Becca Fuchs, ranking third on our WSN Kills Leaders rankings.

De Pere handed Green Bay Preble its first Fox River Classic loss since 2008 Thursday, as the Redbirds remained atop the conference standings with Notre Dame and Manitowoc Lincoln. The Tritons and Ships each earned sweeps Thursday over Sheboygan North and Green Bay Southwest, respectively.

Bay favorite Luxemburg-Casco won its second tournament of the year Saturday, knocking off Altoona and Eau Claire North in the championship bracket to win the Beaver Dam Invitational.  Outside hitter Janelle VandenPlas led the Spartans with 17 kills in the championship rounds, while setter Marissa Kline added 50 assists to aid in L-C's run. The Spartans are currently tied with Oconto Falls atop the early league race, with Denmark also unbeaten just one-half game back. Luxemburg will take its 22-5 record southwestward to the always-competitive Middleton Invite this weekend.

While the Bay began its conference schedule last week, the Marinette & Oconto Conference is already nearly halfway done. In what is proving to be an all-out war in the top half, five teams remain just one game out of first place. Gillett earned a solid win against a pesky Suring squad Thursday, while Niagara knocked off Crivitz to force a four-way tie at the top.

The neighboring Central Wisconsin Conference has has seen some separation in the Eight division, as still-undefeated Wittenberg-Birnamwood knocked off Bonduel and Amherst this week to move to 4-0 in the conference. In the smaller CWC Ten division, Tigerton and Port Edwards remain unbeaten and atop the standings with matching 5-0 records.

Altoona took big step in its quest for a Western Cloverbelt title, knocking off defending league champ McDonell Central Thursday 3-1. The Rails, who took third last weekend in Beaver Dam, will take on Regis next Tuesday in what could prove as the regular season championship with just four more matches remaining. Also in the Eau Claire area, Rice Lake upset Chippewa Falls Tuesday, leaving both Eau Claire schools atop the early-season standings at 2-0. The Cardinals will get a chance to knock off North Tuesday, but will need to do so on the road.

Sparta has opened up a two-game lead at the midway point of the Mississippi Valley league race, dropping just three sets in MVC play thus far. Tomah also surprised Aquinas Thursday in a five-set thriller to pick up its first win of the year. In the Coulee conference, Arcadia and West Salem are on a collision course for Tuesday, as both the Raiders and Panthers remain unbeaten in league play. Scenic Bluffs favorite Hillsboro kept its one-game lead over Royall with sweeps of Bangor and Brookwood this week, while Highland's sweeps of River Ridge and Potosi kept the No. 1-ranked Cardinals atop the Six Rivers West.

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau may have lost its Thursday matchup against Black River Falls, but G-E-T didn't walk away empty handed. After a long search for a new nickname, G-E-T officially anounced their new mascot at the home match against BRF, and the "Redmen" mascot became the "Red Hawks".