SOS! Strength of Schedule Provides MAJOR Return On Investment
Whether it’s the WVCA Rankings or the Prep Dig Rankings there will be teams near the top where at this point in the season will have anywhere from five to ten losses and teams that have just cracked the top…
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Continue ReadingWhether it’s the WVCA Rankings or the Prep Dig Rankings there will be teams near the top where at this point in the season will have anywhere from five to ten losses and teams that have just cracked the top ten who are undefeated, how is that possible?
SOS! No, its not a cry of distress, but the acronym for Strength Of Schedule. In volleyball, teams will play anywhere from 30 to 40 plus matches where maybe eight of those are from their own conference. This gives coaches and athletic directors the opportunity to provide the schedule that is going to fit their team the best. Making a schedule really is an art form and a compass for where a program is and where it wants to go.
Division 1
The teams that get to the state tournament are going to have losses. It happens. Playing against top competition week in and out, there are going to
DSHA will compete at the ASICS Challenge in Chicago this weekend.be times where the margin of error is so small between the top teams. Tournaments such as the Joust, Charger Challenge, and the Sprawl in West Bend are the elite tournaments with the top teams in the state. Teams who compete for state titles come here to be tested, they don’t come to pat themselves on the back. There are more teams who are heading out of state to play in top tournaments. River Falls has been building a schedule the past couple years where they have been playing the top teams out of Minnesota being only 30 minutes from the Twin Cities Metro area. This upcoming weekend is the Asics Challenge held in the Chicago area with top programs from across the country where DSHA, Kettle Moraine, and Catholic Memorial will be playing. The season is a grind for most of these teams playing in back to back weekends (or more) in two-day tournaments. There are going to be times where teams have to play their “A” game just to stay competitive in a match. In order to get to this level, up and coming programs put themselves in a vulnerable position going up against top talent. However, if progress and growth is to be made, it comes in a spot where the results could be ugly at times. Now there are qualifying tournaments for programs to get into the top tournaments with the Crusader Challenge at the beginning of the year with the top three teams earning a spot at the Joust and the Qualifier for the Sprawl where the top three teams qualify for the next year as well.
Division 2
Wisconsin Lutheran, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, and Catholic Memorial have loaded their schedule with the top teams in the state and some even traveling to Illinois to play top teams as well. Their record takes a bit of a hit, but they need to see top teams all year long when they face a rigorous sectional. When they take the court, there is a certain confidence and experience they have where they’ve played the best and know what it takes to beat the best. Seeding for this sectional is going to be interesting with all of them playing a similar schedule with wins against top teams.
After a rugged schedule and some injuries, KML is starting to build momentum.The Madison area and West Milwaukee area is loaded with teams who are flying around the rankings. Edgewood, East Troy, Lake Mills, Lakeside Lutheran, Lake Country Lutheran, McFarland, Mount Horeb, and Sauk Praire are all going to be competing against each other to get to state – throw in Platteville and theres another party. Middleton hosted a tournament the same weekend as the Charger Challenge and plenty of these teams were there. Lake Country Lutheran hosts a tournament full of top D2 and D3 teams while Lake Mills went to Kettle Moraine and took down ranked Verona in D1 and a set off of Kettle Moraine. East Troy has been a couple points away from some huge wins, most recently at the Sprawl where they lost to Arrowhead losing 17-15 in set three. East Troy will play McFarland tonight!
“Up North” the likes of Luxemburg-Casco has beefed up their schedule with trips to Sun Prairie, Notre Dame, and the Charger Challenge. The upgraded strength of schedule proved to be a huge boost for their program as they were state runner up in 2017 and were sectional runner up in 2018. Having Lux-Casco on your side of the bracket has become a scary matchup.
Division 3
Brooke Moser goes for an attack against MukwonagoHowards Grove and Waterloo are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Howards Grove was runner-up to Kettle Moraine at the Crusader Challenge, earning them a spot in the Joust next year while also finishing second to Oconomowoc at Mukwonago, a final four finish at the Charger Challenge, and winning the Lake Country Lutheran title with wins over the top two teams in D2 in Lakeside Lutheran and Lake Country Lutheran.
Waterloo has put themselves against some of the best as well competing in the Brookfield Central tournament where they were able to beat Mukwonago and had a tight match against Appleton North. At the Charger Challenge, they were able to beat Howards Grove as well as other D1 and D2 schools.
Stratford has made a mark in the rankings with some big wins recently with two of them against 2nd ranked in D2, McDonnell Central Catholic. The defending state runner-up has the experience from the state tournament and a core of players who have filled into play big roles. They will play Auburndale who has given them one of their losses so far this season.
Division 4
Maggie Craker of McDonnell Central CatholicPhoto Credit: Chippewa Herald
Everyone….go to the Division 4 state tournament! The whole town comes to watch their teams play and it gives you all the feels with so much energy (My PSA for D4 Teams!) Division 4 teams just beat up on each other. In our Prep Dig Rankings we have the top three teams at:
Columbus Catholic 28-8, McDonnell Central Catholic 23-7, and Catholic Central 18-9. These teams are playing the toughest teams in their area. Are there losses? Of course, but they are also coming back and beating the teams who have beaten them before. One tournament that is great for the Northern part of Wisconsin to open up the season is the Menomonie Sprawl which will bring teams out of the Oshkosh area as well as Northern and Western Wisconsin. Another tournament where all the Catholic schools battle it out is the Diocesan Tournament that includes Eau Claire Regis, Columbus Catholic (Marshfield), Wausau Newman Catholic, Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, Stevens Point Pacelli, and La Crosse Aquinas. Newman Catholic has made it a tradition to get to the state tournament where Aquinas is looking to get back to the Division 3 state tournament for the first time since 2016 when Senior Lexi Donarski was a Freshman.