32 Teams, 32 Athletes To Track At Charger Challenge

Charger Challenge Weekend!  The Charger Challenge is the ultimate mid-season check in for teams throughout the state with 32 of them heading to the [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] Center for competition Friday and Saturday.  This has been a battle of the best with the winner of this event finding themselves in the drivers seat when it comes to rankings and seeding.  The event hosted by Sussex Hamilton will start at 3 PM Friday with pool play which concludes Saturday morning with brackets to follow.  Here are 32 athletes from the 32 teams that are ready to compete in the state's top tourney.    See you there on Friday!   Pool A     The junior libero from DSHA has asserted herself as one of the top liberos in the Class of 2028 from Wisconsin.  She has been part of highly successful [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] teams and now gets to command the backrow for one of the top high school teams in Wisconsin and the Midwest. So far this season she has collected over 150 digs, good for four per set.  She has demonstrated she can serve receive at a high level while also taking away points from the other side of the net.  She covers a lot of ground and knows how to keep the Dashers in system with the first touch.      Kettle Moraine is off to an 11-5 start with a lineup full of youth!  They have underclassmen leading in multiple statistical categories. One name to know would be Addy Feyen. The sophomore is off to a blistering start at the net.  She is averaging two kills per set while hitting .369 (thats really good).  She is also leading the Lasers with 39 total blocks on the season.  They will open the Charger Challenge against West Bend West.      Luxemburg-Casco is always going to be in the mix of this tournament as they continually make long postseason runs.  They were the 2024 D2 state runner up finishers and in the 2025 season made it to the state semifinals.  A rising 2029 sophomore attacker is [player_tooltip player_id='915843' first='Ali' last='Jansen'].  She brings a high contact point where she has demonstrated she can score on the outside as well as the right side.  She has 73 kills on the season and has become a dependable and consistent point scorer for the Spartans.      [player_tooltip player_id='500276' first='Emmalee' last='Heniadis'] is the one who can take over a match for West Bend West.  The UW-Eau Claire commit has been playing her club volleyball at I AM VBC where she has trained with an all around skill set.  She can serve receive, pass, and attack.  She is leading the way for WBW with 2.5 kills per set while also handling a bulk of the serve receive.      Pool B     There is a dynamic style to Jillian Flannery where she can do a little bit of everything.  The junior for Oconomowoc is currently serving as the role of setter where she already has over 200 assists on the season.  This is a high powered Raccooon offense led by kill scorers [player_tooltip player_id='497647' first='Charlotte' last='Hayes'], [player_tooltip player_id='435890' first='Greta' last='Schreiber'], and [player_tooltip player_id='745070' first='Avery' last='Bork'].  Flannery can take command of the entire court while also scoring points from behind the service line.  Ocon won the first opening tournament of the season defeating DSHA in the finals of the Joust.  They will be one of the favorites heading into the weekend.      Kettle Moraine Lutheran always plays a rigorous schedule which allows them to be battle tested come tournament time, this weekend will be no different. One of their setters to know is [player_tooltip player_id='760649' first='Brooklyn' last='Luehring']. The junior has racked up over 150 assists on the season and also just shy of 100 digs. Her dynamic skill set allows her to help her side of the net in multiple ways. KML will kick off the Charger Challenge against perennial power in Burlington.     Welcome to Wisconsin.  New Trier is out of the Chicago burbs where they will make the trip up to the Milwaukee area.  Sussex Hamilton has been traveling to the New Trier tournament in Winnetka, Illinois and now NT will make the trip North.  One of their attackers to know is [player_tooltip player_id='530741' first='Kate' last='Andersons'].  The outside hitter is extremely dynamic in her skill set where she is rock solid with her passing and serve receive game. She is also fast to the ball in her approach that allows her to score plenty of points all along the front row.      Burlington will always be in the mix when it comes to big tournaments.  They have the tradition built on discipline and defense.  Their serve receive and balance will keep them in any match.  They are sitting at 14-5, led by two senior standouts in [player_tooltip player_id='509328' first='Emma' last='Tenhagen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='509327' first='Madelyn' last='Reesman'].  [player_tooltip player_id='509328' first='Emma' last='Tenhagen'] is a six rotation outside hitter who can do a little bit of everything. She's well trained from her serve receive to passing to attacking.  A gamechanger for the Demons.  She will continue her volleyball career at Northern Illinois.     Pool C     Kimberly has been on fire to start the year.  They are 14-2 with a strong performance at the Joust, went undefeated at the Triton Classic at Notre Dame defeating the top team in D2 in Mosinee, and recently defeated Fond du Lac in conference play who will be a team to know in D1.  A key setter for the Papermakers is [player_tooltip player_id='522644' first='Morgan' last='Buechel'], the junior has 237 assists so far this season.  Their team hitting efficiency is .237 with [player_tooltip player_id='545677' first='Brianna' last='Hagglund'], [player_tooltip player_id='805698' first='Harper' last='Van Lannen'], and [player_tooltip player_id='806875' first='Natalie' last='Weyenberg'] leading the way as attackers.       Franklin is going to be an exciting team to see this weekend with [player_tooltip player_id='545503' first='Kaitlyn' last='Marx'] leading the way.  This past club season we saw her playing libero for [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 16 Gold, but she is one of the state's top outside hitters as well.  The Butler commit is one of the top kill scorers in D1 where she has 166 kills on the season while also collecting just as many digs.  With Marx being able to make contact on two of the three contacts, that's good news for the Sabres.      Mukwonago came into their opening tournament weekend at the Crusader Cup outside of the top eight seeds.  No problem for Muk as they have gotten off to an 11-6 start that has included big wins over Muskego, Oak Creek, Arrowhead, and Kettle Moraine.  A new athlete on the radar is freshman [player_tooltip player_id='881391' first='Natalie' last='Galewski'].  The setter has collected 133 assists with her top target being junior [player_tooltip player_id='545511' first='Angelina' last='Dorow'].  They will open the tournament against Kimberly Friday afternoon.      Kewaskum has plenty of experience where libero [player_tooltip player_id='800624' first='Morgan' last='Vetter'] and setter [player_tooltip player_id='435886' first='Camilla' last='Kreif'] have been starting since their freshman year. However, their top point scorers are sophomores with [player_tooltip player_id='918322' first='Isabelle' last='Boyung'] and [player_tooltip player_id='781376' first='Ava' last='Komp'].  Boyung is averaging nearly three kills and two digs per set.  She has an all around skillset that allows her to pass to attack while being available to score points from anywhere on the court.     Pool D     This will come at no surprise to see Elli [player_tooltip player_id='510426' first='Ellisyn' last='Shultis'] at the top of the leaderboard for the Cardinals averaging six kills per set.  She has the length, athleticism, and physicality to take over a match.  She has been on the Badger Region High Performance All Star teams and has given her verbal to play collegiately at Green Bay.  Fondy is coming off a tough loss to conference opponent Kimberly, but will look to bounce back this weekend against some high level competition starting with McFarland who is off to a 14-4 start.      Sussex Hamilton is coming off a D1 state championship, but took a hit to graduation.  They return plenty of firepower in sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='734111' first='Claire' last='Baldwin'], [player_tooltip player_id='781698' first='Faith' last='Benson'], and Kaitlyn Duehring but a defender to know would be senior [player_tooltip player_id='509348' first='Molly' last='Harrigan'].  She leads the team averaging just over two digs per set.  She saw plenty of court time in their state title run and will use that experience for the Chargers this weekend and beyond.      Opponents going toe to toe with McFarland are going to get a heavy dose of Jordyn Trott Czebotar.  The junior middle blocker is averaging nearly three kills per set, totally 147 on the season.  She has been key to the 14-4 start for the Spartans.  They are currently 10-1 in the month of September.  They have an efficient and balanced offense ran by junior setters Alex Faust and [player_tooltip player_id='734118' first='Callie' last='Spanos'] who have combined for nearly 400 assists.      Waukesha West will be looking to bounce back this weekend after a challenging opening season schedule.  They have plenty of attackers who can find ways to score points and will look to [player_tooltip player_id='962205' first='Arianna' last='Rodriguez'].  She provides length and athleticism out of the middle blocker position where she can cause an opposing hitter to think twice with her block and can find the deep corners with her swing.      Pool E     Wisconsin Lutheran is sitting at 13-2 on the year and has big goals for the end of the season. This weekend at the Charger Challenge will be a great way to make a statement. The Vikings have three D1 commits in [player_tooltip player_id='435889' first='Gigi' last='Chasco'] (Florida Gulf Coast), [player_tooltip player_id='487025' first='Nicalai' last='Eismann'] (St Thomas), and [player_tooltip player_id='545510' first='Addy' last='Abramowski'] (Illinois State). Another athlete who has been stepping up big in the scoring department has been [player_tooltip player_id='501162' first='Emily' last='Becker']. The senior has collected 61 kills, good for two per set. She can be a key piece to providing a third scoring option which will be key in big matches down the stretch.     Manitowoc Lincoln has three seniors who have played plenty of matches together in [player_tooltip player_id='484915' first='Abigail' last='Weidmayer'] (Juniata), [player_tooltip player_id='595947' first='Cora' last='Foster'], and [player_tooltip player_id='724537' first='Mollie' last='Junk'].  [player_tooltip player_id='724537' first='Mollie' last='Junk'] is an outside hitter who is currently sitting at 701 kills for her career and is averaging 4.3 kills per set in her senior season.  She can serve receive and defend with consistency and is also someone who can tally plenty of service aces as well.  The Ships are sitting at 10-5 and will be ready for the challenge this weekend.      Catholic Memorial always loads up their schedule with top teams which prepares them for postseason play.  They have Wake Forest commit in [player_tooltip player_id='435874' first='Addison' last='Kelenic'] who is averaging over four kills per set, but another attacker to have on the radar is [player_tooltip player_id='832353' first='Grace' last='Parker'].  The junior is averaging over three kills per set, good for 92 kills on the season.  She is also averaging nearly two digs per set as well.      Westosha Central is going to put a lot of pressure on teams with their balance and ball control.  One of their top attackers is Kathlen Willis who is leading the Falcons with 91 kills this season.  She has a whip of an arm swing where they can look to her to score points on either pin.  They've played a rugged schedule and this upcoming weekend will be no different.  They know what it takes to compete at a high level and could be one to knock off some teams.     Pool F    Neenah is going to be a fun team to watch this weekend who could be one to make a statement.  They are full of firepower and a junior middle blocker on the rise is [player_tooltip player_id='499499' first='Cara' last='Bosovic'].  At 6'2, her presence is known where she has collected 23 blocks, 39 kills, and is hitting over .300.  The balance of the Rockets is real impressive, they will be in the hunt in the FVA, the post season, and some of these tough tournaments inbetween.      Waunakee is going to be in the hunt come the postseason.  They play a rugged schedule and are battle tested.  They also have the top senior in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='345274' first='Lauren' last='Sprague'] who is heading to Notre Dame. A sophomore to have on the radar is Whitney Williams out of the middle.  She has 71 kills on the season hitting .323 and has 48 total blocks.  This could be a key weekend for the Warriors to have some “statement” wins that could move them up the ranks in D1.      Slinger has some new names in the rotation when it comes to scoring points. The one leading the way is a sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='850362' first='June' last='Fassbender'].  She is putting up big numbers with 173 kills, good for 3.2 kills per set, she also has 74 digs on the season.  Slinger is going to gain valuable experience this weekend going toe to toe with top teams,  The Owls will also have [player_tooltip player_id='772830' first='Mya' last='Zukowski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='915860' first='Megan' last='Zuern'] that can put the ball on the floor too.      The South Dakota State commit will be key for Pewaukee this weekend.  She is someone the other side has to take note of.  With her length and athleticism she poses a big defensive threat with how she can shut down an opposing attacker.  If the Priates can be in system, plan on Gray getting the ball and terminating out of the middle.     Pool G     Cedarburg is off to an exciting start at 12-3 and the style of their play will be fun to watch this weekend.  They can control the ball and run a fast offense where the opposing side of the net has to be ready at all positions.  Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='510485' first='Hannah' last='Heitzkey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='796549' first='Maddie' last='Katte'] have been leading the way averaging just under three kills per set.  Katte had a strong club season for [program_tooltip program_id='557038' first='Milwaukee' last='Juniors'] and has continued her momentum into the high school season.  They will kickoff the weekend against Menomonee Falls who has key state tournament experience from the past couple years.      The senior setter has plenty of presence where she just passed 2,000 assists in her career.  She is one of the top uncommitted setters in the Class of 2027 and would be a steal at the next level.  She is quarterbacking Arrowhead to a 10-2 start where this team is always in the highest level tournaments.  This is a weekend where they can get some signature wins that would be helpful come seeding time in the tournament.  Her top targets are fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id='486283' first='Natalie' last='Krogwold'], [player_tooltip player_id='483886' first='Ally' last='Schwab'], and [player_tooltip player_id='810252' first='Addie' last='Merck'].      [player_tooltip player_id='587079' first='Quinn' last='Ische'], the Toledo commit, does a little bit of everything for Menomonee Falls.  She leads the team in digs, assists, and hitting percentage.  As a left handed setter in the front row she puts a lot of pressure on the defense because they need to be ready for her to attack or dish.  She is accustomed to high level competition and training playing for the [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] Gold teams being part of their top ten finish at USAV 16 Open Nationals this summer.      Appleton North is making their return to the Charger Challenge and their sophomore setter who will be making an impact is [player_tooltip player_id='522072' first='Kerstyn' last='Ott'].  Ott has surpassed 100 assists on the season, demonstrating that she has fundamental footwork, a smooth release, and a high IQ.  Another sophomore to have on the radar for the Lightning will be [player_tooltip player_id='522077' first='Briah' last='DeBoard'] at libero who covers plenty of ground and is solid in serve receive.     Pool H     The senior outside hitter for River Falls will be leading the Wildcats into one of the top tournaments this weekend with a 17-3 record.  River Falls has been a Western Wisconsin power with a string of state tournament appearances.  They are coming off an impressive weekend at the Southwest Minnesota Challenge going toe to toe with some top teams out of Minnesota.  Dusek is quite the combo with [player_tooltip player_id='511138' first='Amelie' last='Pankonin'] where the two combine for nearly six kills a set.  Dusek is a Minnesota State Mankato commit where there could be some big wins in their future over the weekend.      The senior middle blocker for Xavier will be one to watch this weekend at the Charger Challenge.  She has 43 total blocks on the season and is hitting just under .300.  She provides length and athleticism to this high powered offense and clean defensive team.  Xavier has played in high level tournaments at their home Battle of the Valley tournament along with the Joust at Homestead and Kettle Moraine Lutheran.  They will be ready to take on top teams at the Charger Challenge.      There are plenty of sophomores who are having a breakout season and will showcase their talents at the Charger Challenge.  [player_tooltip player_id='781421' first='Lily' last='George'] will be one of them for Muskego, averaging two kills per set, good for 85 on the season.   Muskego is sitting at 10-10, playing a difficult schedule against the likes of Sussex Hamitlon, Franklin, and close five set losses to Oak Creek and Kettle Moraine.  With a big weekend at the Charger Challenge, this could give them plenty of momentum the rest of the season.      The defending D2 state champions are in the field of 32.  They took a hit to graduation, but still return experience and have a strong tradition of winning.  A key player for the Eagles is [player_tooltip player_id='828296' first='Lila' last='Shadewald'].  The middle blocker is averaging three kills per set and hitting just under .300.  She is an offensive and defensive force where the other side of the net needs to recognize when she's in the front line.

Charger Challenge Weekend! The Charger Challenge is the ultimate mid-season check in for teams throughout the state with 32 of them heading to the Milwaukee Sting Center for competition Friday and Saturday. This has been a battle of the best with the winner of this event finding themselves in the drivers seat when it comes to rankings and seeding. The event hosted by Sussex Hamilton will start at 3 PM Friday with pool play which concludes Saturday morning with brackets to follow. Here are 32 athletes from the 32 teams that are ready to compete in the state's top tourney.