Happy Opening Day – What To Watch In Wisconsin

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opening Day! Let's do it! After plenty of open gyms, coaches collecting paper work, and preseason meetings and practice - we get to play volleyball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a quick glance at some events happening around the state on Tuesday, August 26.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chippewa Falls</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of powers will be colliding from Central and Western Wisconsin.&nbsp; Eau Claire Regis was a D4 state runner up, Hudson was a state tournament team in D1, Marshfield and DC Everest are coming off big seasons, and Mosinee will be in the hunt in D2 this year.&nbsp; This could be a coin clip with who even gets to the final four of this event.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Battle at the Valley - Appleton Area hosted by Xavier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Xavier is going to be one to watch in D2 again with a loaded roster of talent. They have sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='545532' first='Rose' last='Kendall'] and [player_tooltip player_id='815790' first='Lexi' last='Allen'] attacking, but watch for [player_tooltip player_id='249687' first='Sydney' last='Neilitz'] to quarterback the offense for the Hawks.&nbsp; Other top teams to take a look at here will be Oconto Falls and Loyola commit [player_tooltip player_id='435897' first='Lucy' last='Ripley'], Fox Valley Lutheran always has a strong program, and watch out for Appleton East as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Neenah Quad - Neenah High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a bit of a conference crossover here with the Fox River Classic Conference, Fox Valley Association, and Northeastern Conference.&nbsp; Teams include Bay Port and Notre Dame (FRCC), Neenah and Appleton North (FVA), and Luxemburg-Casco and Freedom (Northeastern).&nbsp; Bay Port was a state tournament team in 2024, Lux-Casco was state runner up in D2, and Freedom was a conference champion with LC last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kimberly</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a new event in the Fox Valley where Kimberly will be hosting Oshkosh West, Fond du Lac, Shawano, and Brookfield East.&nbsp; The three FVA teams in West, Fondy, and Kimberly will all be in the hunt to win a conference title and look to play big matches come the end of October.&nbsp; Shawano was a D2 state team in 2024.&nbsp; Brookfield East is going to be very competitive this year Maggie Czjaka will be a key piece for the Spartans where the senior is a dominant middle blocker committed to Winthrop.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Slinger</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This could be an interesting combination of teams colliding in Slinger.&nbsp; Slinger will be hosting Edgewood, Hamilton, and Muskego.&nbsp; Edgewood will be in the hunt for a state tournament run in D2 while Slinger and Hamilton will be in the hunt for a D1 state tournament appearance and then some.&nbsp; However, they are in the same section.&nbsp; I anticipate this to be the first of a few meetings between these two teams this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SPASH </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stevens Point will be hosting a tournament with teams across [program_tooltip program_id='428569' first='Central' last='Wisconsin'].&nbsp; The Panthers will be one to watch this year as they return [player_tooltip player_id='522106' first='Nora' last='Kruger'] who led all freshmen in kills in 2024.&nbsp; They have some key pieces for a team that could see a lot of success. Newman Catholic out of Wausau will be in the field,&nbsp; they were a D5 state tournament team in 2024.&nbsp; Another team in the field who will be in the hunt is De Pere.&nbsp; They have quite the middle blocker duo in [player_tooltip player_id='622312' first='Avery' last='Tripp'] and [player_tooltip player_id='510430' first='Erin' last='O'Connor']. Green Bay NEW Lutheran will be a team to watch in D5.&nbsp; They had over 30 wins in 2024.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->