Five Live Eye Takes From The Ultra Competitive Joust

Friday and Saturday's Joust at the Homestead High School is the best way to see where the top teams stand. This is traditionally the top tournament in the state opening weekend. This past weekend lived up to any expectations with extremely high level volleyball on multiple courts, ending with a three set victory for Appeton North over Howards Grove, two teams who will be at the top of their class heading into the Week 1 rankings. There were also standout performances, small storylines with a big impact, and plenty of new players we are excited to start writing about. Here is what you need to know from the Joust. <img class=" wp-image-155375 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/08/DSC09115.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> What a match. <a href="https://x.com/anorth_vb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@anorth_vb</a> defeats BC in three sets 17-15 to head to the Gold Finals. Howards Grove and DSHA up next. <a href="https://t.co/oHVwUGdRAP">pic.x.com/oHVwUGdRAP</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1431695807380590595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> All Stars Point “North” Appleton North came in as the favorite and finished on top. That wasn't without two tight matches in the Gold Bracket where they defeated Brookfield Central 17-15 in set three to send them to the finals and Howards Grove 15-12. North was without [player_tooltip player_id="81262" first="Berkley" last="Mischler"] (committed to Lipscomb, attending a family wedding) and [player_tooltip player_id="119394" first="Kennedy" last="Martin"] (college visit), but their depth in the frontline ran deep throughout the whole tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="57241" first="Brianna" last="Cantrell"] (East Tennessee State) was consistent all weekend from the outside scoring points and one of the more efficient players from the right side was Junior [player_tooltip player_id="91877" first="Karissa" last="Fortune"] who time and time again found the open spot on the other side of the court. Senior, uncommitted libero [player_tooltip player_id="81261" first="Madisen" last="Miller"] stepped up in a big way in their match against BC managing to get some touches against [player_tooltip player_id="22407" first="Mckenna" last="Wucherer"] and her powerful swing. North will have a big FVA conference match this Thursday against Kimberly who finished 6th at the Joust and will follow up with tournaments at Brookfield Central and the Charger Rally held at Milwaukee Sting. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I knew I was going to (almost) get drilled by a <a href="https://x.com/mckennawucherer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mckennawucherer</a> line shot <a href="https://t.co/zIA9A5TCjD">pic.x.com/zIA9A5TCjD</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1431622886012432384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Wucherer on a New Level I've seen [player_tooltip player_id="22407" first="Mckenna" last="Wucherer"] of Brookfield Central play since she was in 8th grade in the club world, the same year she committed to Minnesota. She's always been a highlight waiting to happen, with big swings, and all-around solid play. There is very little weakness to her game, especially at the high school level (although the standard that Wucherer sets for herself I'm sure she could list plenty of fine details she is working on). This weekend was a different [player_tooltip player_id="22407" first="Mckenna" last="Wucherer"] than in previous years, a no mercy, take no prisoners, I'm going to find a way to win these matches. From serve receive to having such a range with her defense in middle back, and scoring with more than just her pure power. When she attacks looking she is for sure going cross-court, she goes thumb up roll to the corner for a point. Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id="81283" first="Tatum" last="Kebisek"] had a great weekend where she is putting Wucherer in a position to score but also making the smart sets where she is getting others involved. Wucherer will leave midway through the season to play with the U18 Youth National Team for a few weeks and during that time, BC will be able to develop their younger athletes and be even stronger when Wucherer returns.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Kaminski kill sends Howards Grove to the championship against Appleton North <a href="https://t.co/AEvwYs5Isv">pic.x.com/AEvwYs5Isv</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1431711479938654210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The Kaminski Method [player_tooltip player_id="22384" first="Karissa" last="Kaminski"] of Howards Grove will do whatever it takes to beat you - in anything. She has a fiery edge that is tough to top. She wills her team to win and her competitiveness is contagious for the rest of her squad. She also has a skill set that is extremely rare. When she was in her 14s/15s year, she made the Badger Region High-Performance Team as a setter, then was an All State outside hitter, and will head to Dayton as a libero. As an outside hitter, where she is currently playing, she is most dangerous when it's out of system. She has eyes all over the court, and her IQ is beyond her years where she knows where to put the defense out of position. A perfect example of a player you are going to struggle to play against, but would also want on your side.   Final Position Isn't Everything All it takes is a bad match on day one and it will make day two look drastically different for some teams. Kimberly, Kettle Moraine, and Burlington were all in the same pool on day one. In my opinion, three teams all deserve to be in the top ten. Burlington finished 13th and had a 5-2 record with their only losses coming to Kettle Moraine and Kimberly. Technically not in the top ten, but definitely a top ten worthy team. The same goes for Sussex Hamilton and Menomonee Falls. Two teams stubbed their toe on day one, but came back strong on day two. Hamilton lost plenty of parts from their 2020 state championship team, but give them time and they will be competing among the best in the state. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Put her on the radar! 6'3 Class of 2025 Madison Quest of <a href="https://x.com/dsha_vb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dsha_vb</a> out of Milwaukee. <a href="https://t.co/bLwawpyA66">pic.x.com/bLwawpyA66</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1431655105682620418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [caption id="attachment_155380" align="alignright" width="341"]<img class="wp-image-155380 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/08/DSC09172.jpg" alt="" width="341" height="227" /> Madison Quest[/caption] Say Hello To Madison Quest There is a 6'3 Freshman from DSHA named Madison Quest. Welcome to high school volleyball. Quest and her DSHA team are going to be a force to be reckoned with. They have the ball control, two solid setters in [player_tooltip player_id="144661" first="Ellie" last="Connor"] and [player_tooltip player_id="81330" first="Paige" last="Yelmene"], middles [player_tooltip player_id="91901" first="Bella" last="Lipski"] and Julie Wojciak, and plenty of ball control all around. Quest was one that took the tournament by storm. She can play from either pin, is playing six rotations, and has become a primary passer in serve receive. Adding a player like Quest into the mix for the Dashers will have an instant impact and will be much needed in the GMAC which will be a gauntlet as always this season. I won't even start with the depth of Section 5 in D1 which continues to be the toughest section in the state.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Find the latest event list here ⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/PwUj7sNVoW">pic.x.com/PwUj7sNVoW</a> — Prep Dig Circuit (@PDCircuit) <a href="https://x.com/PDCircuit/status/1420535143706546177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>