Beyond The Net: Wisconsin Ice 18 National

One of the Badger Region’s top club programs out of Central Wisconsin is Wisconsin Ice Volleyball Club. Ice is a compilation of talent from all over the North Central portion of the state. On the court you can see the drive and the intensity that go along with the fun this group has playing together. But how are they off the court? Are there any funny stories, rituals, and what about the inside jokes? Every team has some, and with all the competition and travel, there are these great bonds formed among a group of women who come into a season as strangers and leave as friends for life. WI Ice has done some damage during the 2020 club season so far. Let’s get to know some of the members of Wisconsin Ice 18 National, who after completing about half their season have won their Season Opener, the JVA MKE Jamboree, and the Adidas President’s Day Spectacular.   18 National Betty Lange coaches this squad of gifted juniors and seniors. Defense is a strength for this team, as it has two dependable liberos to turn to in [player_tooltip player_id="80210" first="Lauren" last="Shields"] (2020 - Newman) and Breanna Weiland (2020 - Committed to Rock Valley). Ellie Hartson (2020 - Merrill) and Taylor Barwick (2021 – 5’7 – Marshfield) are the proven setters on the team, and they have some fantastic weapons to feed. [player_tooltip player_id="80729" first="Molly" last="Lawlis"] (2021 – 5’10 - Pacelli) and [player_tooltip player_id="80236" first="Linnea" last="Svennes"] (2020 – Committed to St. Norbert) will guard the net as the middle blockers. [player_tooltip player_id="80191" first="Mady" last="Hanse"] (2020 – Committed To UW-Stevens Point), [player_tooltip player_id="80182" first="Maddy" last="Dokken"] (2020 – Committed To UW-Parkside), [player_tooltip player_id="80180" first="Taylor" last="Pagel"] (2020 – Committed to Winona), and [player_tooltip player_id="80155" first="Jacqueline" last="Smith"] (2020 – Committed to Northern Michigan) are all effective and powerful pin hitters for the team. Betty Lange – Head Coach We become a better working unit each time that we play. As adjustments are made, the players seem to figure out how to work together. So the team chemistry is improving every tournament. Players are trusting each other and knowing what balls each other will go for, setters making better decisions during each situation and learning what their hitters need so they can connect better. This is a great group of players and parents. They like each other and seem to have fun off the court. They are kind people. I just love the sport and the opportunities it has for young female athletes Kasie Holt - Assistant Coach This team often asks for more team bonding time. You can tell they genuinely care for each other, and in the end, that is just helping us build our chemistry for game time. Pregame rituals include [player_tooltip player_id="80182" first="Maddy" last="Dokken"] and I loading up on essential oils for that extra boost of energy. Defensively, we have girls that are making some outrageous saves and who always get the team jacked. You know it’s a good play when you hear Shields squeak. I love the highs and lows of volleyball. It’s one of few sports that ends when you hit a certain score. There’s no running clock or amount of innings. It’s often 25 points where the team is working for every point to be yours. It’s crazy to me how energy affects the game and how big kills or crazy saves can put the underdog on top. I also love that every team leaves a special place in my heart. Your team becomes family. They are truly a great group of girls. They are all very smart, kind, and funny. They look out for each other and know when to have fun and when to get down to business. [player_tooltip player_id="80210" first="Lauren" last="Shields"] – 2020 – 5’6 – Outside Hitter/Libero - Newman My favorite thing about this team is our mix between competitiveness and having fun. We do a great job at balancing those two things, and that makes us work harder and have a good time doing it. We have a pregame ritual where we break down (our huddle) by saying, “Shawn White on 3” because Shawn White never loses. [player_tooltip player_id="80729" first="Molly" last="Lawlis"] – 2021 – 5’10 – Middle Blocker - Pacelli [caption id="attachment_85271" align="alignleft" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="80729" first="Molly" last="Lawlis"][/caption] I would describe our team chemistry as really close knit. In just a short matter of time, we became very close and it was like we’ve known each other for a long time. We work well together on the court as well. A funny story is the time when [player_tooltip player_id="80210" first="Lauren" last="Shields"] told me I could eat the skin off her baked potato but then she threw it away. I screamed, “Wait!” and everyone looked at me weirdly as I ate a baked potato out of the trash. My favorite thing about volleyball is the intensity and drive on the court. Off the court, there are many amazing people I meet and friendships develop. My favorite thing about my teammates are that they are all understanding and want the best for each other. [player_tooltip player_id="80180" first="Taylor" last="Pagel"] – 2020 – 6’1 – Middle Blocker/Pin Hitter – Committed to Winona Our club team chemistry is different than any school team I’ve been on. Everyone is so willing and happy to be there. Off the court, we are one big family. A lot of us on this team have been playing together since we were 16, so we have a close relationship where we can joke around with each other. To put it simply, we have fun. We have lots of strong hitters on our team, and we like to go crazy when big plays are made. We are so supportive of each other, which makes everyone want to keep improving. My favorite thing about volleyball is the lessons it has taught me and the incredible sport itself. Something we do as a team to remind ourselves to keep pushing our way through the game is that we “step on the gas”. This helps us remember to not coast during games and play to our level of game play. [caption id="attachment_85269" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="80155" first="Jacqueline" last="Smith"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="80155" first="Jacqueline" last="Smith"] – 2020 – 5’11 – Pin Hitter – Committed to Northern Michigan I’d say my favorite thing about volleyball is how many opportunities you have to make up for a mistake. The pace is so quick, and it is such a quick scoring game where you don’t have time to dwell on the mistake, so you learn to shake it off and get the next pass or kill! My favorite part about my team is definitely how close we are and how much we all love playing this sport with each other. [player_tooltip player_id="80191" first="Mady" last="Hanse"] – 2020 – Pin Hitter – Committed to UW-Stevens Point Being new to the club, everyone was so welcoming and very easy to talk to! We all go to different schools, but since everyone is so easy to talk to, it makes our conversations never dull! [caption id="attachment_85270" align="alignleft" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="80191" first="Mady" last="Hanse"][/caption] Another inside joke: freeze the frogs. One thing that we try to do is keep pressure on the other teams, whether it is on the serving line or at the net. A fun fact about myself would probably be that I am 100% deaf in my left ear! It’s been tough, but it’s made me a better player. I believe it has made my court awareness so much better and my focus needs to be spot on! I wouldn’t change it for anything. This sport has brought me so close to so many people. It’s taught me so many life lessons, from staying in a positive mindset to just having fun. There have been sad tears and happy tears. Starting this sport at a young age was such a privilege, especially being able to see from where I started to where I am now. Overall, this sport has shown me so much, and I love it! The girls on this team are so incredibly hard working, and it’s so rewarding to see our hard work is paying off during our tournaments. I love being with such a hard-working group of people that push me to be the best athlete I can be.