Mosinee’s Record Breaking Season

We have seen Wisconsin high school volleyball at the highest level and the best teams play with a certain confidence, swagger, and tenacity. Some programs capitalize on these particular high-level athletes and manage to reproduce this type of play with their athletes year after year. No matter what event it may be, there is a common vibe in the style of play of Mosinee volleyball. You can’t help but watch how they conduct themselves, from their body language to how they play the game. [caption id="attachment_118624" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-118624 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/12/64-Abbi-Martin-3-e1607124678335-300x189.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="189" /> [player_tooltip player_id="118260" first="Abbi" last="Martin"] Photo Credit: Breit Nelson[/caption] There is a distinct sense of strength, speed, focus, and a generally overall high IQ of the game. They all seem to understand their role, what is expected, and its importance to their team’s success. Coach Justin Jacobs always does a really great job of finding a tough, but extremely competitive, schedule for his squad. The Indian’s graduated some of their high-powered offense in 2020. They really found a way to put things together to create a record-breaking season. The Balance Mosinee’s [player_tooltip player_id="80813" first="Brooklyn" last="Montgomery"] (2021 – 5’7 – Setter/Outside Hitter), who broke the Great Northern Conference (GNC) aces record, and [player_tooltip player_id="118260" first="Abbi" last="Martin"] (2022 – 6’1 – Middle Blocker), a high academic student-athlete, will both be playing on Wisconsin Ice 18 National this season. They are so exciting to watch from their strength to the enthusiasm with which they play every single time they step on the floor. But to compete at this high a level as a team, it takes more than 1 or 2 standouts. Outside Hitter/Setter, Jessica Maurer (2022 – 5’6), started her junior campaign without a single hitting error for the first 3 conference matches and just a single error in the 4th and 5th conference matches combined while recording 32 kills. Big blockers Jenna Placek (2022 – 5’9 – Middle Blocker) and [player_tooltip player_id="80822" first="Sheridan" last="Swiderski"] (2021 – 5’10 – Right Side Hitter) both play with high energy and do whatever the team needs at the time. Sometimes is a perfectly timed block to end a rally or a quick tempo swing to get the point. Emily Wicklund (2021 – 5’8) on the right side was an absolute firecracker with her block and lifted her squad with her celebration after a big kill. The defensive play of Zoe Gburek (2021 – 5’6- Libero), Jillian Sirny (2021 – 5’6 – Defensive Specialist), and Claire Selenske (2022 – 5’6 – Defensive Specialist) throughout the season was a gamechanger because of their relentless and gritty style that would wear other teams down physically and mentally. [caption id="attachment_111953" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-111953" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/10/DSC08567.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Jessica Maurer[/caption] The Swagger From the moment they step on the court for warmups, during timeouts, and every point in between, everyone is actively engaged. They can smile and celebrate on and off the court. After a mistake, they are there for each other, knowing that their key to success is keeping the pressure on the opposing team. It’s easy for teams to have positive body language when they are winning, but to have the same confident swagger in the tough situations is something really remarkable. Teams who can carry the swagger no matter the situation are usually in a league of their own. Mosinee is just that type of team, which they demonstrated in their record-breaking season. They won the GNC for the 4th straight year and won 44 consecutive GNC matches. The Indians also went 27-0 in sets played, which is only the 2nd time in GNC history that a team didn’t drop a single set. Then they finished by winning their 4th straight Regional Championship and fell just a match shy of the State semi-finals. [caption id="attachment_28215" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-28215" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2018/11/M-Sheridan-Swiderski.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="80822" first="Sheridan" last="Swiderski"][/caption] A Sense Of Urgency Everything is done with a sense of urgency. They simply don’t wait for the opposing team to put pressure on them, and they operate at a certain tempo all the time. This allows them to play comfortably on another level while they leave the other side of the net to feel like they are swept up in a whirlwind. Over time, this will wear an opponent out if they can ever catch up.