Who Could Have Repeat Appearances at the D1 State Tournament?
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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,…
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Continue ReadingThe 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.
DSHA – 2022 State Champion
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 – Madison Quest Madison Quest 6'3" | OH DSHA | 2025 State #13 Nation WI (Wisconsin) and Olivia Durst Olivia Durst 5'9" | DS/L DSHA | 2025 State #140 Nation WI (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. Sophia Wendlick Sophia Wendlick 6'0" | OH DSHA | 2024 State #100 Nation WI (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 Jordan Czajkowski Jordan Czajkowski 5'11" | S DSHA | 2025 State WI 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 FC Elite 18 Elite.
DSHA has dominant athletes across four different teams. Some up-and-coming athletes on the team last year include setter Ava Kharitou Ava Kharitou 5'8" | S DSHA | 2024 State WI , an energizer and talented setter. Nadia Perkovich Nadia Perkovich 5'3" | DS/L DSHA | 2024 State WI is a talented defensive specialist who was utilized as a serving specialist last year. Addison Leffler Addison Leffler OH DSHA | 2024 State WI 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.
Oconomowoc – 2021 State Champion, 2022 State Runner Up
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 Lilly Wagner Lilly Wagner 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2024 State #42 Nation WI (Maryland) and dominant middle blocker Anna Bjork Anna Bjork 6'3" | MB Oconomowoc | 2024 State #54 Nation WI (Notre Dame). Both regularly train with the USAV National Team Development Program. Olivia Kwiatkowski Olivia Kwiatkowski 6'0" | OH Oconomowoc | 2024 State WI (Troy) and Marlee Sivak Marlee Sivak 6'1" | OH Oconomowoc | 2026 State WI 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.
Naveah Keller was a dominant libero during the high school season and had a very successful club season. Grae Hunter Grae Hunter 5'10" | RS Oconomowoc | 2026 State WI 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.
Burlington
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. Ella Safar Ella Safar 5'9" | S Burlington | 2024 State WI is a very talented setter who has been leading this program for several years. Caitlyn Flees Caitlyn Flees 6'1" | MB Burlington | 2024 State WI (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 Kati Berezowitz Kati Berezowitz 5'3" | DS/L Burlington | 2025 State WI (Vanderbilt) who is scrappy and smart in the back row. Sophie Chase Sophie Chase 5'11" | OH Burlington | 2024 State WI and Ellie Mcginley will both be rising seniors who could have a significant impact this season.
Appleton North
Appleton North has been a dominant force in the state of Wisconsin for the past several years. Ella Demetrician Ella Demetrician 6'2" | OH Appleton North | 2024 State #40 Nation WI (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. Emerson Van Lannen Emerson Van Lannen 5'10" | S Appleton North | 2024 State #144 Nation WI (Kansas) is a high-level setter who feeds her hitters precise and clean balls. Teegan Charapata Teegan Charapata 5'9" | OH Appleton North | 2025 State WI is a rising junior who can swing across the net and is a utility player for this talented team. Maggie Hahnke Maggie Hahnke 5'10" | OH Appleton North | 2024 State WI is another setter who is clean and competitive. She is also a talented defender.