Breaking Down the D1 Regional Champs Part 1

The regional finals took place at 7 PM on Saturday night across the state. Teams battled point for point to move onto the sectional semi-finals, taking place this Thursday. The road to the state tournament is intense and this is where we see the best volleyball of the season! Here is a breakdown of your regional champions for Sectionals 1 and 2. All rankings discussed are the teams seed in their respective sectional. <h3>River Falls</h3> River Falls came in as the #1 seed in Sectional 1 and they have proved they are worthy of that honor. After earning a first-round bye, they swept New Richmond in the regional finals. River Falls won their conference (7-0 record) and have a 29-3 season record. Senior captain and middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id="81259" first="Haley" last="Graetz"] (Committed to George Mason) is explosive and powerful at the net. She manufactures kills for this team. Senior pin hitter Maddy Doerre also has a massive impact offensively for this team. One of the most impactful players on this team is setter [player_tooltip player_id="92019" first="Morgan" last="Kealy"] (2023). She has over 1,500 career assists over her three years in this program and over 660 this year alone. She has also earned her team 99 kills, nearly 200 digs, and 45 aces. Fellow junior libero/ds [player_tooltip player_id="92023" first="Abi" last="Banitt"] is another highly influential player on the court. She is scrappy on defense and keeps the ball alive. <h3>D.C. Everest</h3> D.C. Everest (Seeded #5) took out Eau Claire Memorial (Seeded #4) in an incredible 5 set thriller to win their regional championship. This team is gritty and can get the job done. They went 10-2 in their conference (Co-Conference Champs) and have a 22-14 record overall. This team has a deep roster and spreads out their offense well. They have four athletes with over 150 kills this season including Brenna Lehrke (2022), Kiara Hammond (2022), Reanna Edwards (2022), and Riley Zuleger (2022). Kiarra Hammond is also one of the setters on this team and has had 459 assists so far this season. This team is also deep defensively with sophomore Ella Harmon, junior Braelyn Beiler, and seniors Kiara Hammond and Riley Zuleger all having over 200 digs with Brenna Lehrke and Lexi Crawford not far behind. This team is deep and can perform at an extremely high level. They take on River Falls this coming Thursday for the Sectional semi-final. <h3>Marshfield</h3> Marshfield (3rd seed) has swept their way through regionals thus far. They took out Wausau East (14 seed) and Menomonie (6 seed) in their battle for the regional championship. This team has a lot of power led by senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="81338" first="Casey" last="Frankland"], sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="159654" first="Abigail" last="Ongna"], and junior [player_tooltip player_id="119430" first="Caitlyn" last="Pernsteiner"]. Junior setter Reinya Balderson is a huge asset to this team. She has contributed 968 assists 46 aces, and 169 digs so far this season. She has an incredible amount of potential and is a huge reason for this team’s success. This team has built a lot of momentum so far this year and will look to bring home the win on Thursday night. <h3>Chippewa Falls</h3> Chippewa Falls came in as the number 2 seed in this sectional, had a first-round bye, then dominated #7 seed, Hudson. They have a 36-2 record this season and went 6-1 in the conference play (losing only to River Falls). This team is fairly young with junior Sami Pelberg and sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="148971" first="Sophie" last="Robinson"] and Paige Steinmetz leading the team offensively. Setter Maddy Bauer (2023) is a huge leader on this team and only continues to improve every time she steps on the court. This team is very strong defensively and is great in out-of-system plays. The pins are dynamic and not only have power but also have great shots. <h3>Appleton North</h3> It is no surprise that #1 seeded Appleton North won their regional championship matchup handily. They were the alternate season state champions in 2020 and have not lost any steam going into this fall. They have only lost to ranked opponents and are gritty, powerful, and simply impressive to watch. Senior pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id="57241" first="Brianna" last="Cantrell"] (Committed to East Tennessee State University) is powerful and explosive in her approach. Fellow pin hitters [player_tooltip player_id="119394" first="Kennedy" last="Martin"] (2023, committed to Florida) and [player_tooltip player_id="122483" first="Ella" last="Demetrician"] (2024) are also insanely impactful and lead this team offensively. Senior middle [player_tooltip player_id="81262" first="Berkley" last="Mischler"] (Committed to Lipscomb) is unstoppable at the net and has over 100 kills and 41 blocks this season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="81261" first="Madisen" last="Miller"] is one of the best liberos in the state and is hard to get a kill or an ace on. Appleton North will take on Hortonville (#4 seed) Thursday night. <h3>Hortonville</h3> Hortonville has grown a lot this season. They have had some tough losses but always come back stronger than they were the day before. They are a very talented team and have had a winning season. They placed 5th in the highly competitive Fox Valley Conference. They are led offensively by outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id="118266" first="Emma" last="Mullins"] (2022) and [player_tooltip player_id="149604" first="Bridget" last="Moen"] (2023). Middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id="91936" first="Molly" last="Rohde"] (2023) is also very impactful both offensively and defensively. She leads her team in blocks. Freshman DS/libero Molly Fischer has already had a huge impact on this team with 300 digs, 548 service receptions, and 37 aces. The Polar Bears will have a tough match against Appleton North this week but have the talent to fight point for point. <h3>Kaukauna</h3> Kaukauna has had a great season so far with a 28-9 record and placing 3rd in the Fox Valley Conference. [player_tooltip player_id="82936" first="Taylor" last="Tetzlaff"] (2023) is explosive, fast, and consistent on the court and leads this team’s offense. Freshman setter Madison Tripp is incredibly influential on this team. She moves the ball around well and brings a lot of energy to the court. Junior middle hitter Alana Zarneke is a dynamite blocker and contributes a lot on offense as well. Fellow junior and libero [player_tooltip player_id="91878" first="Paige" last="Miller"] is an energizer on the court. It is nearly impossible to get a kill on her. Not only is she fast but she also reads well and has great form. She has contributed over 500 digs this season alone, an achievement most athletes don’t even get over multiple seasons. <h3>Kimberly </h3> This is a powerhouse team that won the Fox Valley Conference (after a thrilling 5-set win against Appleton North). They are 29-10 on the season and are playing at a very high level. [player_tooltip player_id="57288" first="Ella" last="Buddenhagen"] (2022), [player_tooltip player_id="82921" first="Kaitlin" last="Schulz"] (2023), and [player_tooltip player_id="91880" first="Kyla" last="Dunaway"] (2023) lead the Papermakers on offense and contribute as blockers as well. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="91855" first="Macy" last="Herman"] (2023) leads this team extremely well both on and off the court. She feeds her hitters consistently and with great precision. Macy is also extremely fast and hard to read. [player_tooltip player_id="91914" first="Ava" last="Rank"], a junior libero, is averaging nearly 5 digs per set on the season and is scrappy, and brings a lot of talent to the back row for this team.