Opening Week Preview: North Central WI

We are all counting down the day until the 2022 season kicks off.  We are within a week of practices starting, so it feels like a good time to start talking about some of the early match-ups.  Today let's take a brief glance at some of the best weeknight matchups that you will find in the north central area.   These should kick off the year with some teams making a statement for the season.     We won't be into the heart of any rivalries quite yet, but there will be some ambitious campaigns in 2022.  It should be a fun first week of volleyball!  Here are some opening week matchups to check out in north central Wisconsin.    <h2>Ashland @ Tomahawk  </h2>   Most teams will kick off their dual match portion of their schedule on Tuesday, August 30th.  Tuesday night there will be an interesting matchup in the north woods.  The Hatchets will return all of their statistical leaders and a majority of their starting line-up.  After a 22-10 record in 2021, they are hungry for more and they've got some exciting and experienced talent on their roster.  Players like [player_tooltip player_id='91911' first='Meghan' last='Scholz'], [player_tooltip player_id='158543' first='Alyssa' last='Zehner'], and [player_tooltip player_id='445377' first='Macy' last='Jankiewicz'] will be crucial weapons to get their offense into a rhythm.  Meanwhile Samantha Gebauer, [player_tooltip player_id='178350' first='Claire' last='Albert'], and [player_tooltip player_id='445379' first='Emerson' last='Lange'] will be sure to take charge defensively and provide [player_tooltip player_id='119404' first='Mackenzie' last='Scholz'] a sound first contact.    On the other side of the net the visiting Oredockers who went 17-10 last fall will also be a fun group to watch as they are returning [player_tooltip player_id='209260' first='Grace' last='Moravchik'] and [player_tooltip player_id='179134' first='Brynn' last='Erickson'] to power their offense, while Olivia Zepczyk protects the net.  Cassidy Lustig and Madison Gingras will run the defense to keep Sonja Root in-system.    <h2>Edgar @ Colby </h2>   I kind of feel badly that Colby had to meet up with Edgar 3 times last year, so I hope they've made a change in their schedule because after a 22-6 season, the Wildcats return most of their starting line-up, including the heavy-hitting [player_tooltip player_id='91870' first='Reagan' last='Borchardt'].  Even better is the fact that the setter she had a great connection with, [player_tooltip player_id='119414' first='Leah' last='Davis'], returns for her senior season as well.  They've got some young but experienced players returning with 2024 attackers [player_tooltip player_id='122469' first='Kyra' last='Anderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='122518' first='Emily' last='Murkowski'], and Makayla Wirkus.  [player_tooltip player_id='91872' first='Kendalyn' last='Dahlke'] supplies a healthy dose of defense, along with fellow senior Ashley Erickson.      Colby struggled in 2021 going 5-21, but they will return some firepower with Hayden Willner, Sophia Fontoira, and Lydia Decker.  Sophomore Savana Thomsen will have a year under her belt and be able to step up in some more situations, and they also return senior setter Jorja Weiland.  If they can find a solid first contact, they could be in business!  There should be some new faces for this squad.    <h2>Auburndale/Lakeland/Marathon @ Wausau West </h2>   The Warriors are hosting a trio of teams, including a variety of conferences and divisions which should make it very interesting.       Auburndale is in the tough Marawood South with Marathon.  They will return the violent swing of Josie Ertl while Bri Weiler and Gracie Krings provide a strong presence at the net.  The scrappy Ashlyn Grimm, Maggie Bultus, and Ashlyn Guldan will keep the ball off the floor and feed the attackers.    Lakeland will return Callie Ullius, who is a smaller 6-rotation outside, but she has hops and takes super smart shots.  Don't take her size for granted though; if you don't put a block up on her, she will bang it.  Ullius is super scrappy on defense and sound in serve-receive. Another senior will be setter Brooklyn Pesava, who makes really solid choices and ball placement.  She gets the ball quickly out of her hands and is fast to the 2nd ball.  Finally, the junior, [player_tooltip player_id='122492' first='Meg' last='Pfannerstill'] is super strong in serve-receive and scrappy on defense.  She can read the other side of the net and stays active on defense.  As a pin hitter, she can hit line, hard cross, or whatever else is needed to score.     Marathon was a force in 2021 and may be doing some rebuilding this season.  Their core returners include [player_tooltip player_id='122517' first='Ava' last='Krueger'], who trained with the Badger Region High Performance program in July and led her squad in kills, hitting percentage, blocks, and aces.  She's a great all-around 6-rotation player who can swing from anywhere.  Another returner will be senior setter Ashley Phakitthong, who is super scrappy on the defensive side of the ball and quick to the 2nd contact.    Wausau West had a rough 2021 and will be out to make a statement.  They will return attackers [player_tooltip player_id='122556' first='Alli' last='Schauls'] and Kenzie Deaton.  Allison Kirsch will protect the net, and Isabelle Gullickson may move into a more substantial setting role.

We are all counting down the day until the 2022 season kicks off. We are within a week of practices starting, so it feels like a good time to start talking about some of the early match-ups. Today let's take a brief glance at some of the best weeknight matchups that you will find in the north central area. These should kick off the year with some teams making a statement for the season.