Midseason Report: Classic 8 Conference

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The top teams in the Classic 8 conference are in a heated battle for first place. Two teams are currently undefeated and four teams with winning records. All four teams at the top of this conference are currently ranked by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association (WVCA) in their respective divisions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Please note: All rankings in this article are from the Week 4 WVCA rankings. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oconomowoc (5-0 conference record, 26-5 season record)</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This team’s only losses have been to Brookfield Central (ranked 5th), Appleton North (ranked 2nd), Burlington (ranked 10th), and twice to Howards Grove (Ranked 1st Division 3). Oconomowoc itself is currently ranked #1 in the state and most recently won the Charger Challenge at the Milwaukee Sting Center and took second at the Sprawl, taking out huge top-ranked opponents in the process. Sophomore setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="122568" first="Lilly" last="Wagner"]</strong> is one of the core athletes in this team’s success. She already has over 700 assists this season alone. Senior libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="81331" first="Hadley" last="Strohkirch"]</strong> has been a rock in the back row. She is level-headed and reads opposing servers and offenses like a book. Hitters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="122475" first="Anna" last="Bjork"]</strong> (2024), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91876" first="Cordelia" last="Kearns"]</strong> (2023), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57245" first="Haley" last="Koch"]</strong> (Committed to Cedarville, 2022) have been key to the success of this offense and also are the three ace leaders on the team. Cordelia and Haley are also both dominant in the back row and on serve receive. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Muskego (4-0 conference record, 19-3 season record)</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Muskego has dominated this season and has only been building momentum. Their losses have all come in tournaments. Their only losses are to a highly competitive Brookfield East, Lake Mills (ranked 10th in Division 2), and Pewaukee (ranked 9th in Division 2). Setters <strong>Abbi Hassforth</strong> (2022) and <strong>Bella Peterson</strong> (2023) have been running this offense. They have explosive hitters and really know how to put tempo on the ball. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57264" first="Brooke" last="Porter"]</strong> (2022) has been dominant on the pin and has also been impactful as a server, defender, and on serve receive. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149582" first="Angelina" last="Schkeryantz"]</strong> (2023) has also been a key athlete on both offense and defense. She is dynamic as a hitter and excels in out-of-system plays. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kettle Moraine (3-1 conference record, 16-5 season record)</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This team has a lot of chemistry on the court. Setter <strong>Rebecca Seidenberg</strong> is an incredibly impactful athlete on this team. She knows her hitters very well and also has a great view of the opposing blockers. Rebecca is very hard to read as a setter and can hold blockers based on her form alone. Pin hitters<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="91875" first="Grace" last="Grocholski"]</strong> (2023) and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="81303" first="Sophie" last="McCormack"]</strong> (2022) are key on both offense and defense. Grace can manufacture kills in both the front and back row and is one of the top athletes in her class. Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="82910" first="Kyleigh" last="Coghlan"]</strong> (2023) has been an impactful player on this team since her freshman year. She is scrappy on defense and has great control on serve receive. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholic Memorial (3-2 conference record, 18-12 season record)</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholic Memorial has had an incredibly challenging schedule this season. They have played and beaten top-ranked opponents including Brookfield Central and Arrowhead. Pin hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61787" first="Emily" last="Clausen"]</strong> (2023) leads the team in kills and is a top contributor in digs and service receptions. As she has continued to develop in her volleyball career, she has only expanded her impact on this team. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91906" first="Elena" last="Dragani"]</strong> is fast and dynamic on the court. She is a top-level setter and is great at bettering the ball when her team is out of system. <strong>Brooke Bielinski</strong> has also had a huge impact offensively for the Crusaders, bringing in over 100 kills so far this season. Catholic Memorial is currently ranked in Division 2 and is definitely a contender in the state tournament this year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other Classic 8 Teams: </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mukwonago (2-2 conference record)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Arrowhead (2-3 conference record)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Waukesha West (1-3 conference record)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Waukesha North (0-4 conference record)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Waukesha South (0-5 conference record)</span></p>