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WIAA Girls Volleyball State Tournament Preview

10/30/2017, 11:30am CDT
By WIAA

From the WIAA -- 

THE STATE TOURNAMENT:  The 45th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Volleyball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 2-4, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session with school ticket packages available. To order tickets online, go to the WIAA website at: www.wiaawi.org/Tickets.aspx.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features matches with a best-of-five-sets, rally-scoring format. Eight teams will play for the State title in Division 1, with four teams still in contention for the State crown in Divisions 2, 3 and 4. Below is the schedule and match-ups for the tournament. 

Division 1
Thursday, Nov. 2
River Falls (40-0) vs. Kimberly (26-10) - 4:30 p.m.
Waunakee (44-7) vs. Oconomowoc (30-9) - 4:30 p.m.
Greendale (32-10) vs. Divine Savior Holy Angels (36-14) - 7 :30 p.m.
Mukwonago (33-6) vs. Burlington (32-10) - 7:30 p.m.        

Friday, Nov. 3
Semifinal (Thursday's 4:30 p.m. winners) - 7 p.m.
Semifinal (Thursday's 7:30 p.m. winners) - 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 4
Championship Match - 4:30 p.m.

Division 2
Friday, Nov. 3
Merrill (32-7) vs. Luxemburg-Casco (40-8) - 4 p.m.
Lakeside Lutheran (37-5) vs. Catholic Memorial (30-21) - 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 4
Championship Match - 2 p.m.

Division 3
Friday, Nov. 3
Regis (25-6) vs. Stratford (44-1) - 1 p.m.
Waterloo (27-15) vs. Lake Country Lutheran (43-5) - 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 4
Championship Match - 11:30 a.m.

Division 4
Friday, Nov. 3
Clayton (30-2) vs. Newman Catholic (29-11) - 10 a.m.            
Benton (25-2) vs. Lourdes Academy (35-9) - 10 a.m.

Saturday, Nov. 4
Championship Match - 9 a.m.

FINALS ON FS WISCONSIN PLUS:  Watch the broadcast of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball finals  Saturday on FS Wisconsin Plus. The Division 4 and the Division 3 finals will be aired live at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. The Division 2 and Division 1 championship finals will be aired at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Check local cable listings for the FS Wisconsin Plus channel in your area.

PRE-FINAL MATCHES LIVE ON THE WEB:  The Division 1 quarterfinals and semifinals of all four divisions of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the graphic in the middle of the page. Archived streams of the games will be available on demand on the NFHS Network 72 hours after the tournament without requirement of a subscription. The finals will be streamed on Fox Sports Go with cable system authentication.

LAST YEAR:  Neenah won the Division 1 title with a 25-17, 25-23, 25-10 sweep over Burlington in the championship final. Catholic Memorial won its third straight title in Division 2 with a 25-23, 25-19, 25-14 win over Notre Dame in the championship match. Howards Grove captured the Division 3 crown by downing Lourdes Academy 26-24, 25-13, 25-21 in the title match. Newman Catholic won its fourth straight Division 4 title with a 25-22, 25-10, 25-13 triumph over Clayton in the final.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Last year’s runner-up Burlington qualifies for the State Tournament for the fourth straight season and for the ninth time overall. The Demons have won two State championships, those came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. Their return to the quarterfinals comes by virtue of a 25-18, 25-11, 25-21 sweep over Westosha Central in the Elkhorn Sectional final. They finished second in the Southern Lakes Conference standings behind Waterford this season. Kimberly is appearing in its 11th State Tournament overall and its first since 2014. The Papermakers won the Division 2 championship in 1990 and finished runner-up in 1995 and 1999. They downed Appleton North 25-20, 22-25, 25-14, 25-18 in the sectional final held at Pulaski to gain their position in the final eight. They are the champions of the Fox Valley Association this season. This will be the fourth straight appearance and the 10th overall for Divine Savior Holy Angels. The Dashers captured the crown in 2001 and added back-to-back titles in 2014-15. In addition, they finished runner-up in 2012. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Dashers won WISAA titles in 1972 and 1985. This season, they defeated Brookfield Central 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 in the Brookfield East Sectional final to earn their return to the State quarterfinals. The Dashers finished fourth in the Greater Metro Conference this fall. Waunakee will experience the State Tournament for the eighth time and for the first time since a string of five straight appearances in Class B and Division 2 from 1989-93. The Warriors have won three championships. They won back-to-back Class B championships in 1985-86 and another in 1989. They added a Division 2 title in 1991 and were runners-up in Division 2 in 1990 and 1992. They outlasted Sun Prairie 25-17, 13-25, 25-19, 17-25, 15-13 in the Baraboo Sectional finals to advance on to State, and they finished runner-up in the North Division of the Badger Conference this fall. Greendale returns to the State Tournament for the third straight season and for the sixth time overall. The Panthers’ most notable outcome of their five previous experiences was a runner-up finish in Class A in 1974. They advance to the quarterfinals this year following a 19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-16 victory over West Allis Hale in the sectional final played at Greenfield. The Panthers won the Woodland Conference championship this season. River Falls qualifies for the second year in a row after making its first tournament appearance and falling in the quarterfinals last season. The Wildcats’ return to State comes by virtue of their 25-21, 25-15, 16-25, 25-14 win over D.C. Everest in the Menomonie Sectional final. They won the Big Rivers Conference title this fall. Oconomowoc is back in the State Tournament for the second time in the past three seasons. The Raccoons finished runner-up in their only other appearance in 2015. They beat West Bend West 21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-21 in the Watertown Sectional final to advance to the quarterfinals. They are the co-champions with Arrowhead in the Classic Eight Conference this season. Mukwonago will appear in the State Tournament for the first time in program history. The Indians posted a 25-17, 23-25, 26-24, 25-19 win over Menomonee Falls in the Cedarburg Sectional final to earn their first trip to the Resch Center. They finished third in the Classic Eight  Conference this year behind co-champions Arrowhead and State qualifier Oconomowoc. 

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Three-time defending champion Catholic Memorial makes its fourth straight appearance in the State Tournament and its 10th overall. The Crusaders have won seven championships. In addition to the current three-year run, they won three consecutive titles from 2009-2011. They also won the championship in 2006. In addition, they advanced to the final and finished runner-up in 2008. The Crusaders defeated Pewaukee 25-21, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20 in the final of the Whitnall Sectional to earn a shot at a fourth straight title. They finished fourth in the Classic Eight Conference this season. Two of the teams ahead of the Crusaders were Division 1 qualifiers Oconomowoc and Mukwonago. Merrill will make its second consecutive State appearance and its  ninth overall. The Blue Jays’ furthest advance in the tournament was to the semifinals in Division 1 in 2012. Their State berth comes following their 25-23, 25-18, 19-25,  25-21 win over St. Croix Central in the sectional final played in Merrill. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Valley Conference this year. Lakeside Lutheran makes is second consecutive appearance in the tournament and its third overall. They finished runner-up in Division 3 the first time they advanced to State in 2000. The Warriors swept Mount Horeb 25-17, 25-17, 25-11 in the final of the Adams-Friendship Sectional to reach the final four. During the regular season, they placed first in the North Division of the Capitol Conference. Luxemburg-Casco has qualified for the State Tournament for the first time after a 12-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Little Chute in the Chilton Sectional final. The Spartans are the champions in the North Eastern Conference this season. 

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Regis is back in the tournament for the second time in the last three seasons and for the seventh time overall. The Ramblers won the championship in 2013. They also have two runner-up finishes on their ledger, those came in Division 4 in 2003 and in Division 3 in 2004. Prior to joining the WIAA, Regis won Division 2 titles in the defunct WISAA in 1992, 1995 and 1997. Regis beat Grantsburg 23-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-18 in the sectional final played at Regis to advance to the semifinals. The Ramblers are the runners-up in the Western Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this year. Waterloo returns to the tournament field for the first time since back-to-back championships in 2014-15, which accounts for the Pirates’ two previous appearances. Their quest for a third title continues following a 25-11, 25-10, 25-16 sweep of Winnebago Lutheran in the Dodgeland Sectional final. They are the co-champions with Wisconsin Heights in the South Division of the Capitol Conference this season.  Lake Country Lutheran is making its second State appearance in the past three seasons. The Lightning finished runner-up in their first appearance in 2015. They downed Manitowoc Lutheran 25-22, 25-16, 25-20 in the Kohler Sectional final to advance to the semifinals. They finished atop the Midwest Conference standings this season. Stratford is making its first State Tournament appearance following a hard fought 23-25. 25-14, 17-25, 25-18, 15-9 victory over St. Mary Catholic in the Athens Sectional final.  The Tigers shared the title in the South Division of the Marawood Conference this year with Division 4 qualifier Newman Catholic.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Four-time defending champion Newman Catholic is back attempting to continue its impressive string of championships in Division 4. The Fighting Cardinals are making their 10th overall appearance and their ninth in the last 10 seasons. They are attempting to join Waupun as the only program to win five consecutive titles. The Fighting Cardinals’ have had two runner-up finishes as well, those came in 2009 and 2012. They advance to State for the seventh season in a row after sweeping Florence in the Bowler Sectional final by scores of 25-5, 25-12, 25-7. They finished tied for first with Division 3 qualifier Stratford in the South Division of the Marawood Conference this fall. Last years’ runner-up Clayton makes its fifth straight appearance and its ninth overall. The Bears have won two State titles, those coming in 1990 and 1996.  In addition to last season, they also finished runner-up in 2008 and 2013. Their return to the Resch Center this season is a result of a 25-18, 25-7, 25-16 triumph over Shell Lake in the sectional final played at Shell Lake. They are the champions in the Central Division of the Lakeland Conference this season. Last year’s Division 3 runner-up Lourdes Academy returns to State for the third straight season. Both of the Knights’ previous appearances were in Division 3. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Knights won a WISAA Class B championship in 1996. They edged Catholic Central 25-17, 25-18, 19-25, 24-26, 15-8 in the sectional final hosted at Lourdes Academy. They are the co-champions in the East Division of the Trailways Conference this year with Central Wisconsin Christian. Benton is making its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Zephyrs began celebrating their accomplishment after a 30-28, 25-23, 25-19 victory over Bangor in the Wauzeka-Steuben Sectional final Saturday. They are the co-champions in the West Division of the Six Rivers Conference with River Ridge this fall.

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