Breaking Down the WIAA D1 State Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The D1 quarterfinals start Thursday, and it will be an absolute battle of three days to crown a state champion. Here is a breakdown of the 8 teams who qualified for the state tournament and will be headed to Green Bay! Only two of last year's state qualifiers are returning in Division 1, so there will be a lot of new faces at the state tournament!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DSHA</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DSHA is coming to the state tournament as the back-to-back state champions. They have a trio of athletes who have been leaders on their team since their sophomore year, including setter [player_tooltip player_id='246946' first='Jordan' last='Czajkowski'] (Belmont), [player_tooltip player_id='178026' first='Olivia' last='Durst'] (Michigan State), and [player_tooltip player_id='178033' first='Madison' last='Quest'] (UW-Madison). All three are top-5 ranked athletes in their class and have been key contributors in each of their seasons on varsity. Junior pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='403531' first='Addison' last='Buckner'] has been a huge addition to the Dashers dominant team. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='376271' first='Kaitlyn' last='Jones'] has been another huge impact player for DSHA with 427 assists. Middles [player_tooltip player_id='453657' first='Maddie' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='284007' first='Alyiana' last='McMahon'] are both efficient and solid blockers as well. On the right side, [player_tooltip player_id='249645' first='Callie' last='Carr'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='545505' first='Tegan' last='Loechler'] have been huge assets on both offense and defense. Defensive specialists [player_tooltip player_id='277439' first='Caroline' last='Abbott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='403531' first='Addison' last='Buckner'] also see significant playing time and never miss a beat from the service line, on defense, or in serve receive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Holmen</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holmen is a young team and one I think is just getting started. They only have one rostered senior, and the rest are sophomores and juniors. Junior pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='437479' first='Charley' last='Casey'] is a go-to hitter for their team. Some other offensive weapons include [player_tooltip player_id='522866' first='Moira' last='Linse'], [player_tooltip player_id='522861' first='Hadley' last='Teff'], and [player_tooltip player_id='515473' first='Brenna' last='Schmidt']. Makenna McHugh and [player_tooltip player_id='522863' first='Sadie' last='Mayer'], both juniors, are talented setters, averaging 4.8 and 3.7 assists per set, respectively. [player_tooltip player_id='388556' first='Macy' last='Kline'] is a huge asset to this team. She is a libero who has nearly 100 assists. She also has more than doubled the number of digs of anyone else on her team and brings the heat from the service line as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mukwonago</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seeing Mukwonago at state is a long time coming. This is an incredibly talented team whose losses this season almost exclusively came at the hands of teams who will also be at the state tournament. Their offense is led by Illinois commit [player_tooltip player_id='178034' first='Gabriella' last='Pitcel']. She has 433 kills and is hitting 0.260 on the season. Right-side hitter [player_tooltip player_id='453628' first='Lucy' last='Sarna'] is a spark on the court and a huge energizer. She is another huge contributor to offense and a game-changer on the court. [player_tooltip player_id='202177' first='Keira' last='Robidoux'] and [player_tooltip player_id='178031' first='Natalie' last='Powers'] (Florida International) set for Mukwonago and are gritty in every aspect of the word. [player_tooltip player_id='178257' first='Alexis' last='Gardner'] (UW-Green Bay) is a stud at the libero position and has 416 digs and 153 assists this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hudson</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hudson has a wide range of offensive weapons, including [player_tooltip player_id='285234' first='Ellie' last='Burns'] (Southeast Missouri State), [player_tooltip player_id='571376' first='Addison' last='Leach'], Hannah Kendhammer, and [player_tooltip player_id='181197' first='Jana' last='Jankowski']. [player_tooltip player_id='285234' first='Ellie' last='Burns'] is also a setter on the team who has over 600 assists this season alone. [player_tooltip player_id='571376' first='Addison' last='Leach'] leads the team in kills, and [player_tooltip player_id='181197' first='Jana' last='Jankowski'] (Lehigh) is highly efficient and lethal in the front row. She is nearly unstoppable and puts up a massive block as well. Chloe Lockheart does an incredible job holding down the backcourt. Her serve receive is impressive, and she puts in huge hustle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Menomonee Falls</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Menomonee Falls has been very impressive this season. [player_tooltip player_id='275794' first='Kennedy' last='Nimmer'] has been crucial to their offense. She has 325 kills this season and is both smart and powerful. [player_tooltip player_id='277426' first='Kaylee' last='Harder'] sets and swings for the Falls and is a consistent force in everything she does. [player_tooltip player_id='587079' first='Quinn' last='Ische'] is another talented offensive weapon who gets a lot of reps for the Phoenix. In the back row, [player_tooltip player_id='249647' first='Cassidy' last='Bruns'] (West Virginia) stops nearly everything on serve receive and defense. She is consistent and incredibly fast in the backcourt. Menomonee Falls is an impressive team across the board and one that I am excited to see on the state floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bay Port</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bay Port is led by setters [player_tooltip player_id='509331' first='Meghan' last='Bruss'] and [player_tooltip player_id='202187' first='Alaina' last='Shimon']. They work incredibly hard on the court and put up the best possible balls for their offense. Some of their top offensive weapons include [player_tooltip player_id='202186' first='Chloe' last='Parker'] (Bradley), Jolie Jacques, [player_tooltip player_id='202161' first='Kendra' last='Shimon'], and [player_tooltip player_id='179097' first='Aubrey' last='Engles']. [player_tooltip player_id='202186' first='Chloe' last='Parker'] is a fun middle to watch. She is incredibly well-rounded and does all of the little things right. This Bay Port team has only dropped two matches this season - to Luxemburg Casco and Kimberly, both of which they beat later in the season. This is a team that is gritty and does not take no for an answer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sussex Hamilton</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hamilton made quite an impression last year at the state tournament, and they are back for more. Pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='178038' first='Eva' last='Finnessy'] (Northern Illinois) is an absolute powerhouse of a 6-rotation pin. She really can do it all from anywhere on the court. [player_tooltip player_id='178023' first='Brooke' last='Aslakson'] (Minnesota-Duluth) and [player_tooltip player_id='277422' first='Aubrey' last='Hicks'] are huge contributors out of the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='249644' first='Brooke' last='Baldwin'] (Rutgers) is a dominant setter with an incredibly high volleyball IQ. She sees the court in a very strategic way and uses it to her team's advantage. [player_tooltip player_id='249651' first='Emily' last='Zgonc'] runs the defense and is very good at her job. She never misses a beat. This is a very well-rounded team that is looking for a deep run at the state tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Oak Creek </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Creek has had an impressive end to a very competitive season. [player_tooltip player_id='223818' first='Isabella' last='Ruether'] (Troy) has absolutely exploded onto the scene in the last year and was nearly unstoppable ever since. She has over 300 kills this season and is hitting at 0.220. [player_tooltip player_id='249669' first='Lucy' last='Tapp'] and [player_tooltip player_id='376272' first='Ava' last='Turlais'] are also offensive weapons that cannot be ignored on this talented Oak Creek team. [player_tooltip player_id='202188' first='Julia' last='Erdmann'] is a clean setter who is smart and savvy. She has great court awareness and keeps her hitters engaged. [player_tooltip player_id='275798' first='Callie' last='Panasuk'] is a quick, disciplined libero who can run down any ball. She is consistent and scrappy for her team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->