Classic Eight Conference Preview – Part 2
Don’t Count Them Out We’ve already covered Arrowhead, Mukwonago, and Waukesha West, but there are some other contenders. The Classic Eight is tough, so don’t overlook any of these teams. KETTLE MORAINE: Kettle Moraine went 3-5 in conference last season with…
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We’ve already covered Arrowhead, Mukwonago, and Waukesha West, but there are some other contenders. The Classic Eight is tough, so don’t overlook any of these teams.
KETTLE MORAINE:
Kettle Moraine went 3-5 in conference last season with wins against Waukesha North, Waukesha South, and Muskegon. They finished with a 23-17 record and ranked #55 in the state. Kettle Moraine lost 2 seniors with one being a major contributor.
Colleen DeLisle – Setter/Right Side
DeLisle played in a 6-2, contributing 295 assists, 222 digs, 136 kills, and 35 total blocks.
Kettle Moraine has got a really strong crew returning to make some noise.
Christina Roofe Christina Roofe 5'10" | MB Kettle Moraine | 2019 State WI – 2019 – 6’2” – Middle Blocker
Roofe earned 2nd Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-Conference by leading her team with 225 kills and 80 total blocks
Hailey Grocholski Hailey Grocholski 5'11" | MB Kettle Moraine | 2020 State WI – 2020 – Middle Blocker
Grocholski hit an impressive .321 to earn Honorable Mention All-Conference. Grocholski and Roofe will make a dynamic duo.
Kaleigh Fitzgerald – 2020 – Libero
Fitzgerald was a defensive beast, and 2018 should only get better after a solid club season with Sting 16 White. She served up 45 aces and 556 digs to earn Libero Honorable Mention All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-State honors.
OTHER NOTABLE RETURNERS:
Emma Braun Emma Braun OH Kettle Moraine | 2020 State WI – 2020 – 5’9” – Outside Hitter
Alena Hester – 2019 – Defensive Specialist
Claudia Buchholz – 2020 – 5’7” – Setter
Bri Dubrey – 2019 – Outside Hitter
CATHOLIC MEMORIAL:
Catholic Memorial historically peaks at just the right time. In 2017 they were knocked out of the Division 2 Semifinals by Lakeside Lutheran. Catholic Memorial finished #33 in the state with a 30-22 record. The Crusaders earned a 4th place finish in conference with losses to Mukwanago, Arrowhead, and Oconomowoc.
Catholic Memorial lost 5 seniors including some big contributors.
Emily Mirsberger – 5’8” – Setter
Mirsberger was a regular in the Catholic Memorial rotation and contributed 441 assists, 149 digs, and 52 aces.
Tatum Brim – 5’10” – Middle Blocker – Clark University
Brim earned Division 2 All-State Tournament Team by tallying 228 kills, 63 total blocks, 38 digs, and 11 aces. She will continue her playing career with Clark University.
Paiton Kujawa – 5’7” – Defensive Specialist
Kujawa accumulated 50 aces and 321 digs to make big contributions to Catholic Memorial’s run to the Resch.
Lauren Mudlaff Lauren Mudlaff 5'8" | OH/DS Catholic Memorial | 2018 State WI – 5’8” – Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist
Mudlaff contributed 232 digs, 50 aces, and 44 kills in the 2017 season.
Catholic Memorial may have had a reloading season because they surely are set to bring back some standouts for another season.
Jenna Weinfurt Jenna Weinfurt 5'11" | OH Catholic Memorial | 2019 State WI – 2019 – 6’0” – Outside Hitter
Weinfurt led Catholic Memorial with 370 kills and earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors.
Caroline Dragani Caroline Dragani 5'10" | S Catholic Memorial | 2019 State WI – 2019 – 5’10” – Right Side/Setter – Portland State
Dragani has her next step figured out so she can focus on getting back to that Gold Ball. Last season she was Honorable Mention All-Conference and led her team with 55 aces and 630 assists. It will be interesting to see if they work into a 6-2 with Jessie Connell or continue to 0run a 5-1.
Carly Clausen – 2020 – 6’0” – Middle Blocker
Clausen led the conference with 85 block assists and led her team with 96 total blocks and a .291 hitting percentage to earn Honorable Mention All-Conference in her sophomore season. Big things to come from this player!
OTHER NOTABLE RETURNERS:
Jessie Connell – 2019 – 5’9” – Setter
Isabella Halcomb – 2021 – 5’5” – Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist
Kennedy Crain – 2019 – 5’8” – Outside Hitter
OCONOMOWOC:
Oconomowoc took a share of the Classic Eight Conference title in 2017 with their only loss coming to Mukwonago. They also finished their season with a loss to River Falls in the Division 1 State Semifinal. That loss did not keep them from earning a #1 state rank from their 31-10 record against tough competition. Unfortunately, Oconomowoc is losing a lot of key pieces from their solid 2017 season.
Katy Kluge – 5’8” – Outside Hitter – Southern Illinois
Kluge had a solid senior campaign and it resulted in a late commitment to Southern Illinois. She led Oconomowoc with 404 kills to earn 2017 Conference Player of the Year, Division 1 All-State Tournament Team, and the WVCA 2nd Team All-State honors.
Amanda Garvens Amanda Garvens 5'11" | OH Oconomowoc | 2018 State WI – 5’8” – Outside Hitter – UNC Greensboro
Garvens typically plays libero for Milwaukee Sting and was recruited by UNC Greensboro for her defensive playing. She earned 1st Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-State honors after contributing 304 digs, 202 kills, 33 aces, and 22 total blocks.
Kami Eberle – 5’11” – Middle Blocker
Eberle tallied 159 kills and 55 blocks to earn Honorable Mention All-Conference honors.
Paige Jaeger Paige Jaeger 5'8" | DS/L Oconomowoc | 2018 State WI – 5’8” – Libero – Stonybrook
Jaeger tallied 504 digs in 2017 to give her a career 1,061 digs from 4 seasons of contribution. She earned 2nd Team All-Conference Libero and will continue her playing career with Stonybrook.
Oconomowoc is losing their dynamic defensive unit, but they still have a couple big contributors to build around.
Elle Schult – 2019 – 6’3” – Middle Blocker
Shult earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors after leading the conference with 106 total blocks averaging 1 block per set. With Kluge graduated, Schultz will probably see more hitting attempts. and after hitting a .294 in 2017, that could mean good things to come in 2018!
Tayler Alden Tayler Alden 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2020 State WI – 2020 – 6’0” – Setter – Northern Iowa
Alden led the conference with 1,153 assists to earn 1st Team All-Conference honors. She also led her team with 60 aces to earn 2nd Team All-State honors. Alden is currently at a pace to have over 4,700 career assists.
OTHER NOTABLE RETURNERS:
Tessa Christopherson Tessa Christopherson 6'0" | RS Oconomowoc | 2019 State WI – 2019 – 6’0” – Setter/Right Side
Part 3 coming soon…