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Special contribution to WSN by UW-Stevens Point communications student Rebecca Vosters

The East Troy girls volleyball team’s goal has been set in stone since the beginning of the season.

“On the first day of practice I sat all the girls down and said, ‘If your goal isn’t to win the state title then there’s the door, see ya,’ ” Trojans coach Jeremy Weis said. “All of the girls were with me on that, nobody left.”

East Troy, which is ranked No. 5 in the nation in the most recent MaxPreps national poll, is the clear favorite in the WIAA Division 2 playoff field. The Trojans enter Thursday night’s regional semifinal against Shorewood riding a 38-match winning streak.

“Our goal is to win state and get the gold ball. That has always been out goal and it’s not going to change,” said senior setter Brittney Jakscht, a Kent State recruit.

 Troy has plenty of talent outside of Jakscht, who earned all-state honors last season. Fellow seniors Bryzena Santos, Myranda Dallas and Mikelyn Olson also earned all-state honors, as did sophomore M.E. Dodge.

And everyone associated with the Trojans’ program has their sights set on a potential sectional semifinal matchup with Catholic Memorial, the team that knocked East Troy out of the playoffs last season.

“We’ll face them this year on Halloween night (in a potential sectional final on Oct. 31). But this time the game is at home so we’ll have some crazy costumes and some great energy out there in the crowd,” Weis said, looking ahead.

Weis isn’t the only one interested in seeing how the Trojans fare in the postseason. Menomonee Falls coach Jason Bruns, whose top-ranked Division 1 team lost a pair of matches to East Troy during the regular season, is eager to see how the Division 2 bracket unfolds.

“(East Troy hasn’t) lost yet, but their sectional has the other best D2 teams in it,” Bruns said. “It will be one heck of a battle between them, Catholic Memorial, and Kettle Moraine Lutheran. I’m interested to see how that will play out.”

The Trojans have a number of players who assumed bigger roles this season, including the team’s captains, Zakscht and Olsen.

“Brittney (Zakscht) is an outstanding setter,” Weis said. "She does things that normal kids don’t do. She looks on the other side of the net and gets the one on one matchup and our libero, Mikelyn (Olsen), is willing to do anything for the team.”

Dodge and Santos, meanwhile, have set the pace at the net, combining for 573 kills on the season. Dodge leads the team in kills with 365, and has drawn praise from her coach for more than just her offense.

“M. E. Dodge is probably the top sophomore in the country. Overall, she is the best kid on offense and defense,” Weis said. “This year we are looking to step up her game offensively. I challenged her to be as good on offense as she is on defense.”

The push for perfection on the court is visible in all of East Troy’s players and the excitement is tangible as the postseason play begins.

“Everyone has been making strides and working toward our shared goal of state,” said Olsen, the Trojans’ defensive libero and UW-Milwaukee recruit.

This type of hard work is no stranger to these girls. Not only are the Trojans strong on the court, but they are close off the court as well and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.59. 

The Trojans are also very close knit. “It’s like playing with all your sisters. I love everyone on the team,” said Olsen. “I love everyone on the team and the success this year is amazing.”