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Special contribution to WSN by UW-Stevens Point communications student Charlie Klumb

Tomahawk has seen its’ fair share of good volleyball teams, but the current squad may be putting itself in the books as the best to ever do it. 

With an incredible 33-3 record so far this year, 12-0 in the Great Northern Conference, the Hatchets’ are just two matches away from claiming the state title. They take the court against Waupun on Friday afternoon in the State Semi-Final. 

By blowing through most of their conference schedule, a question of if Tomahawk will be battle tested may arise, but Head Coach Amanda Kriese knows her team will be ready to go.

“I think my kids will be alright when we get out there tomorrow. We need to control what we do on our side of the net by playing hard, passing well, serving aggressively, playing good defense and limiting our unforced errors,” Kriese said.

Kriese credits their tough non-conference schedule that included two major tournaments (UW-Whitewater and DC Everest Invites) as a way of preparing themselves for opponents such as Waupun, who also went undefeated in their conference.

“Waupun will put up a fight but we are capable of fighting point for point with them. We play some tough competition throughout the season to prepare us for the end of the season,” Kriese said.

One of the standout players on the Hatchet’s is senior Anna Nyberg, who not only leads the team in almost every offensive category, but also the hands down verbal and emotional leader of the team.

“Anna had been a leader for our program for the past few years. She leads by example and is focused and works hard each day to make herself and those around her better,” Kriese said.

Tomahawk is lead by a group of attacking juniors and seniors that are always trying to push the pedal to the metal, a strategy that Coach Kriese uses based off the strong personnel she has this season. 

With an experienced group of kids this style is much easier to coach as all the players have gone through the trials and tribulations of multiple seasons, and with that experience the players feel a responsibility to pass it down to the younger generation, a quality that has made the Tomahawk program consistently successful. 

“The older girls have that experience and have shared what they know with their younger teammates to help them improve and they are prepared to step up for a game like this if needed,” Kriese said.

The focus of Coach Kriese squad all week has been to take care of their side and everything else will fall into place. With a bit of unfamiliarity with Waupun, Tomahawk has stressed this point even more so.

“We don't know a lot about Waupun other than they have some good hitters. We will try to set up our block to slow them down and keep the ball in play. Like I said before, we need to try to control our side. We want to serve aggressively so that they have difficulty running their offense,” Kriese said.

A spot in the State Championship is on the line Friday afternoon for Tomahawk, and Coach Kriese’s girls aren’t going to look past Waupun, but can taste how close they are to the ultimate goal. 

“I am pleased with how we have done so far, but we have higher goals that we hope to attain by the end of the weekend. I know that it will be a disappointing end if we don't leave it all out on the court,” Kriese said.