Bracket Busters - Four Seeds Breakthrough to D1 Sectionals

We are one day away from the section round of playoffs. We’ve had teams switch to the spring, teams where players have had to quarantine at some point throughout the season, coaches who have had to quarantine (or are still in quarantine), and some who have had to forfeit. Rather than talk about all that Covid has taken away, we can celebrate that there is still a postseason which at one point this summer we didn’t know if there would be a season, let alone a postseason.   With new classifications of teams switching divisions along with less matches during the year this made seeding a little different. Teams who have typically gone to the same tournaments might play each other three to four times a year along with conference matches. With no major tournaments, that throws a little bit of a wrinkle into being able to compare wins and losses. Another factor is did the team have their full team? It’s one thing to have an ankle sprain and have a player miss a match, but to have multiple athletes or even a whole team who needs to quarantine forcing them to miss potentially up to 14 days definitely puts a dent in the schedule.   When it comes to the end of the year, teams who have a game, have a chance. And for these four seeds in their group and were able to break through to the sectional round are taking every bit advantage of the matches in front of them.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> This setter/middle combo is 🧈 for Sauk Prairie <a href="https://t.co/Nie3wvD5r8">pic.x.com/Nie3wvD5r8</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1298778326056800257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Sauk Prairie Yes, Sauk Prairie is legit. I’ve had people ask me about Sauk Prairie and I was fortunate enough to watch this team at two Prep Dig Events later this August where they had match point against Howards Grove and competed with some of the best teams in the state. This team is full of athletes where you could put them on any court or field and they are going to compete. [player_tooltip player_id="80802" first="Olivia" last="Breunig"] is the one everything goes through. The Senior setter/attacker has 356 assists, nearly 200 kills, and 170 digs. Extremely athletic and dynamic, again - she does it all. On the outside is rising 2022 outside hitter in [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"] who has nearly 400 kills. She can score points from any rotation and spot on the court. This all starts with the first contact provided by libero in Junior, Alia Schimgen. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"] from <a href="https://x.com/SportsSauk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SportsSauk</a> is on 🔥<a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepDigChris</a> <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigWI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepDigWI</a> <a href="https://t.co/NzWcejLdxp">pic.x.com/NzWcejLdxp</a> — Breit Nelson (@BreitNelson) <a href="https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1298756533522751489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   [caption id="attachment_105308" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-105308 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/Melia-Johnson1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="122499" first="Melia" last="Johnson"][/caption] Slinger Slinger is one of the few teams who had to play three matches in the post season and just casually went 9-0 in sets played sweeping West Bend East, West Bend West, and Port Washington. The Owls are led in attacking by Freshman, [player_tooltip player_id="122499" first="Melia" last="Johnson"] where she has found a connection with [player_tooltip player_id="90600" first="Elise" last="Gillen"]. Gillen is another one of those types of setter who just finds a way to get it done for her team. She gets her hands to the ball, knows where the open spots are for attackers, and can take it herself to score points. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> If there were fans in the stand they would all stand up and applaud both sides with the effort and overall great play! Menomonie Falls takes the 🏆 in three sets <a href="https://t.co/ejZE0FiiKm">pic.x.com/ejZE0FiiKm</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1298725612421513224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Menomonee Falls I was able to see Menomonee Falls play in one of our Prep Dig Events this summer where they fought every single point. There was one play where their setter took a hard spike to the face, got up, said “I’m Ok”, set a quick to the middle on the next play and just kept rolling. That’s their team in a nutshell, they just keep chipping away and are relentless on defense. On the outside is Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="82908" first="Katherine" last="Lockwood"] who is so fun to watch and has a violent swing. Libero, [player_tooltip player_id="56451" first="Kady" last="Stigler"] is someone you need on your side of the net. She is present in every play, she’s vocal, a definite leader and is someone who is keeping her teammates up. With big wins against Germantown and Nicolet, they can say, “Why Not Us?” as they head into a gauntlet of GMC teams with Brookfield Central, Hamilton, and DSHA. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> K Lockwood on the rise playing the pin for Falls. K Stigler controlling the back court <a href="https://t.co/ymCoVOrTcH">pic.x.com/ymCoVOrTcH</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1298719351156039690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>