Brick Walls at the Burlington Invitational
Burlington gets their season rolling hosting their 8th Annual Burlington Girls Volleyball Invitational. Like the Early Bird Invite in Watertown you will see coaches utilize these valuable live competition reps to observe some competition battles before conference play gets underway.…
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Continue ReadingBurlington gets their season rolling hosting their 8th Annual Burlington Girls Volleyball Invitational. Like the Early Bird Invite in Watertown you will see coaches utilize these valuable live competition reps to observe some competition battles before conference play gets underway. Events like these also give programs a chance to not show their hand to conference opponents while getting looks at teams they wouldn’t normally face in their dual meet schedules.
A | B | C | D |
Sussex Hamilton | Burlington | Verona | Mukwonago |
Fort Atkinson | Kenosha Tremper | Jefferson | Pius |
Whitefish Bay | Greenfield | Racine Case | Franklin |
Battle of the bigs in Pool A:
The Chargers and Blue Dukes will have their hands full trying to slow down Emma Mans of Fort Atkinson. Last season, Mans got to play along side her older sister before Grace went off to Saint Leo University to start her collegiate beach career. The Class of 2021 is starting to fill out with college commits from her club team (FC Elite 16 Navy). Emma Mans is sure to be one of the next from that team to announce their future plans. Viterbo University commit Riley Steffes will look to step up and solidify the front line for the Blackhawks along with Mans. Sussex is stacked in the middle with Lakyn Graves, Ava Rebarchik, and Riley Dahlquist all deserving of opportunities to solidify themselves as the teams top middle.
Emily Alan attacking out of the middleHome Court Advantage in Pool B:
The host Demons. They have a three headed monster in the back row and a returning setter to run the offense. However, Emily Alan (IUPUI) is back patrolling the net for Burlington. Alan is coming off an impressive club season with Wisconsin Juniors 17 Elite. The defending state champions lost major contributors offensively and will rely on her big block. Injury cut Camryn Lukenbill‘s club season short. If she is able to get on the court healthy in 2019, Burlington will have a two athletic middles. Their talented backcourt will love playing behind two of the top middles in their respective classes.
Pool C puts Capital on display:
The Wildcats are looking to build on a successful 2018 campaign, even with losing 6 seniors. Verona will welcome back middle blocker Madelyn Kelley back for her senior year. Her club team, Capital Volleyball Academy 17 Adidas, also included two high school teammates in Amelia Hust and Jordan Armstrong. You typically don’t see numerous players from the same high school program on a highly touted club team. Having Amelia and Jordan take care of the defensive and setting duties will prove very beneficial for Verona. Maddy established herself as the lead blocker a year ago, and playing year round with her libero and setter will only make her more dangerous.
Returning Leaders of Pool D:
Nicole Pozorski BlockingYou won’t see a dominate, game changing middle in this pool. However we have the rare occurrence of all of the top blockers returning from all three teams. Ashlyn Wollmer and Reagan Boswell are ready for their senior year with their eyes set on dethroning Greendale and end their careers in Green Bay. Royal’s Katie Pogodzinski will also look to finishing her senior year improving on her Woodland West Conference Honorable Mention nod a season ago.
The Indians also get both of their starting middles back in Sarah Pavletich and Dru Henning. While those two look to funnel opposing offenses to libero, Abby Gardner, you will want to keep an eye on Nicole Pozorski. The Upper Iowa University commit runs a great offense, but her athleticism leads to many huge one on one block kills every match she plays in. I wouldn’t be surprised if she led the team in solo blocks throughout pool play.
The Burlington Invitational is sure to be a great way for all teams to solidify their line ups for conference play. Middle blockers are often the unsung heroes of their team. They are expected to close every single block and make themselves available each time the setter get her hands on the ball. The block kill is one of the most exciting plays in volleyball. You will see teams get off their bench with passion every time a teammate shuts down their opponent. This event will be a fun one to watch, getting a little taste of what is to come for all programs involved. Check back in Thursday to for results and some players who stood out.
**Featured Photo Credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel