Storylines From The 1st Weekend Of Badger Region Championships
The first weekend of the Badger Region Championships is all wrapped up. We were able to see teams from 16s-18s and in three different divisions in each age group. Some teams I’ve seen play plenty of times before, some I had…
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Continue ReadingThe first weekend of the Badger Region Championships is all wrapped up. We were able to see teams from 16s-18s and in three different divisions in each age group. Some teams I’ve seen play plenty of times before, some I had heard about but not seen, and some I have never even heard of!
All these teams in one building for 1 weekend! The weekend went pretty smoothly and that is due to the great coaches, players, and supportive parents who give up their time, money, and sometimes a little sanity. Here are a few more observations and storylines from the Badger Region Championships.
Dramatics Of A Tie
Matrix 18 Red lost the first match to One Wisconsin 18 National, and that was the start of a domino effect in Pool D Saturday afternoon. Matrix then took down Milwaukee Sting 18 Black, while Sting turned around and beat 1W. 1W ended up with the three seed, but this wasn’t their only 3-way tie of the weekend. In the Bronze pool, they ended up deadlocked with SWVBC G18 and Midwest Penguins 18-Black. Milwaukee Sting 18 Black managed to fight their way to a 2nd place finish in the 18 Open Division.
17 Open also had a 3-way tie in their Silver Pool with 3 very close matches, including One Wisconsin 17-1 beating Adversity 17-1 in a tight 3-set match. This clearly didn’t sit well with Adversity because they turned around and beat 17 ROYAL in 2. 17 ROYAL fought for a 2-set win over 1W.
Wisconsin Ice 17 BlackIn the 17 Badger Division, there was a 3-way tie for first in Pool C, including WILD 17s, Wisconsin Ice 17 Black, and WI Performance 17UA2. This pool was one of the last pools playing Saturday night with a tie breaking match.
16 Open had another 3-way tie, but for 2nd place in Pool A. Since the tie breaker would eliminate a team from the Gold Bracket, tie breaking matches to 15 points had to be played. I’ve heard a few teams about coaches, teams, and parents not being fans of this procedure, so it should be interesting to see if this procedure sticks around in the future. The 16 Club Division wasn’t immune to the 3-way ties; in fact, Pools B and D experienced this. Capital 18 Navy managed to come out on top in Pool B and finished 2nd in the Club Division. 16 Badger Division also had a 3-way tie for 2nd.
Elite Status
FC Elite has been establishing their elite status in the region by competing against some of the top teams in the region in the past month and consistently coming up in the championship match. Did I mention that I’m not just talking about 1 age group, but rather their 16, 17, AND 18 Navy teams? These teams are not just riding on 1 or 2 stud players, but they have depth at all positions competing in the Open Divisions.
Hannah Vanden Berg18 Navy took the gold with Illinois commit, Brooke Mosher (2021 – 5’11 – Setter – Waterloo – Prep Dig Ranked #1), Hannah Vanden Berg (2019 – 6’1 – Outside Hitter – Little Chute – Committed to Marquette – Prep Dig Ranked #2) and Maggie Cartwright (2019 – 6’1 – Pin Hitter – Kimberly – Committed To Arkansas – Prep Dig Ranked #4) just to name a few. 17 Navy boasts strong athletes, including Myka Roethal (2022 – Outside Hitter – Howards Grove – Prep Dig Ranked #9), Katherine Walch (2020 – 5’6 – Libero – Green Bay Notre Dame – Prep Dig Rank #24), and Katie DiRaimondo (2020 -6’0 – Outside Hitter – Manitowoc Lutheran – Prep Dig Ranked #26). 16 Navy doesn’t roster any slouches either with the likes of Cora Behnke (2021 – 6’0 – Outside Hitter – Oconto – Prep Dig Ranked #5), Hattie Bray (2021 – 6’1 – Middle Blocker – Wautoma – Prep Dig Ranked #13), and Brooke Bolwerk (2021 – 5’6 – Setter – Appleton North – Prep Dig Ranked #15).
Badger Region Championship Success
I was able to attend the High Performance Tryouts, as well as the first weekend of Badger Region Championships (BRC). Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it this weekend, but from what I hear, Rachel will have you covered! This is always a great event for the state of Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee. The BRC is a celebration of the sport of volleyball and how it is inclusive of all ages, genders, and skill levels. For some clubs, this was their season finale.
For clubs with Nationals in their sights, the BRC marks the halfway point. I think we sometimes take events like this for granted, but not all states have a regional championship. And this really is a special event that shows how amazing the Badger Region and Wisconsin volleyball communities are. Thank you to Brian Sharkey and the awesome Badger Region Board and Staff members for another amazing event!