Who Could Have Repeat Appearances at the D1 State Tournament?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high school season starts this week, and I am incredibly excited. As a coach and a scout, this is one of the most fun few months of the year. Few will earn their spot in the WIAA State Tournament, and even fewer will have repeat appearances. Here are some teams I think could have repeat appearances this season in the Division 1 tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DSHA - 2022 State Champion</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DSHA returns numerous key players following their Division 1 championship run last season. While they graduated some very impactful athletes in the class of 2023, this program runs DEEP. They currently have two Big 10 commits in the class of 2025 - [player_tooltip player_id='178033' first='Madison' last='Quest'] (Wisconsin) and [player_tooltip player_id='178026' first='Olivia' last='Durst'] (Michigan State). Madison won unanimous 1st Team All-State honors and is the top-ranked athlete in her class in the state. Olivia was a 6-rotation outside for DSHA last year but transitioned into a role as a libero this last club season. Both play at an elite level and will be leaders for DSHA this year. [player_tooltip player_id='122569' first='Sophia' last='Wendlick'] (Creighton) will be a senior leader on this team. She earned 2nd Team All-State recognition and was on the All-Tournament Team. Sophia also was recognized on the USAV All-Tournament Team at nationals this year. She is explosive and has an incredibly high hitting percentage. Sophia was absolutely key in their win over Oconomowoc last year. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='246946' first='Jordan' last='Czajkowski'] runs a fast and efficient offense. Jordan will be an even bigger player this high school season with her experience at the 18 Open level on [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 18 Elite. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DSHA has dominant athletes across four different teams. Some up-and-coming athletes on the team last year include setter [player_tooltip player_id='144911' first='Ava' last='Kharitou'], an energizer and talented setter. [player_tooltip player_id='181737' first='Nadia' last='Perkovich'] is a talented defensive specialist who was utilized as a serving specialist last year. [player_tooltip player_id='144791' first='Addison' last='Leffler'] is a pin who excels in the back row and plays high-level serve receive. All of these athletes could play roles again on the team this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Oconomowoc - 2021 State Champion, 2022 State Runner Up </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oconomowoc has been a staple in the state tournament for the past several years, and they are not going anywhere anytime soon. They only graduated one starting senior. They return Big 10 commit and 5-1 setter [player_tooltip player_id='122568' first='Lilly' last='Wagner'] (Maryland) and dominant middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='122475' first='Anna' last='Bjork'] (Notre Dame). Both regularly train with the USAV National Team Development Program. [player_tooltip player_id='122516' first='Olivia' last='Kwiatkowski'] (Troy) and [player_tooltip player_id='249678' first='Marlee' last='Sivak'] are both high-level pin hitters who can play all six rotations. Marlee recently was recognized as a part of the USAV All-Tournament Team in the 15 National Division, where she was a key player in her team's national championship run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Naveah Keller was a dominant libero during the high school season and had a very successful club season. [player_tooltip player_id='388590' first='Grae' last='Hunter'] played middle for Oconomowoc last year but is dynamic across the net and can play multiple positions. This is another incredibly strong program at every team. I am excited to see how this team rounds out this season, as they will be hungry for another state championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Burlington </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burlington has had numerous state appearances in the past few years. They had quite a large graduating class, but have a lot of talent within their program. [player_tooltip player_id='122555' first='Ella' last='Safar'] is a very talented setter who has been leading this program for several years. [player_tooltip player_id='122578' first='Caitlyn' last='Flees'] (Eastern Kentucky) is a 6'0" middle who can terminate on offense and block consistently from pin to pin. In the back row, Burlington will be returning [player_tooltip player_id='178024' first='Kati' last='Berezowitz'] (Vanderbilt) who is scrappy and smart in the back row. [player_tooltip player_id='122575' first='Sophie' last='Chase'] and Ellie Mcginley will both be rising seniors who could have a significant impact this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Appleton North</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Appleton North has been a dominant force in the state of Wisconsin for the past several years. [player_tooltip player_id='122483' first='Ella' last='Demetrician'] (Michigan) is one of the top outside hitters in the country and only keeps improving and impressing. She has an incredible amount of power and will be a key offensive weapon for the Lightning this season. [player_tooltip player_id='122566' first='Emerson' last='Van Lannen'] (Kansas) is a high-level setter who feeds her hitters precise and clean balls. [player_tooltip player_id='178223' first='Teegan' last='Charapata'] is a rising junior who can swing across the net and is a utility player for this talented team. [player_tooltip player_id='194790' first='Maggie' last='Hahnke'] is another setter who is clean and competitive. She is also a talented defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->