2021 Greater Metro Conference Preview

The GMC Conference is one of the top conferences in the state and has brought home four state championships in the past ten years (2013 Menomonee Falls, 2014 & 2015 DSHA, 2020 Hamilton). This conference consistently has some of the best volleyball schools across Wisconsin. Here is a preview of the teams in the conference (in alphabetical order): <h3>Brookfield Central: </h3> This could be a big year for Brookfield Central. They have [player_tooltip player_id="22407" first="Mckenna" last="Wucherer"] (Committed to the University of Minnesota) and [player_tooltip player_id="81253" first="Morgan" last="Daugherty"] (Committed to Marquette) entering their senior year along with starting setter [player_tooltip player_id="81283" first="Tatum" last="Kebisek"]. There is a ton of firepower behind this team in their upperclassmen along with a fairly deep bench that includes incoming junior Alex Kiel (Outside Hitter), Katie Taticek (Outside Hitter), [player_tooltip player_id="81314" first="Ana" last="Knutson"] (Middle Blocker), and [player_tooltip player_id="91950" first="Claire" last="Purtell"] (Libero/DS). After a tough loss in 2020 to Sussex Hamilton who ended up winning the state tournament, Brookfield Central will be looking for a deep run into the state tournament in 2021. <h3>Brookfield East: </h3> Brookefield East has a solid program that should never be counted out. They took down DSHA last year and had an overall winning season. A majority of their starting athletes were juniors last year and that talent will only continue to build. Middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id="82901" first="Maddy" last="McGath"] (2023) is one of the top middles in her class. She is incredibly athletic and has a lot of power on her swings. Pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id="81328" first="Paige" last="Platz"] is an all-around great athlete and is effective as a hitter, blocker, server, and defender. Fellow pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id="81302" first="Madeline" last="Barton"] is also effective on offense and is a solid blocker as well. This team graduated their libero and starting setters so will look to younger athletes to fill those roles and balance their powerful offense. <h3>DSHA: </h3> DSHA is a school that is always up there among the top competitors in the state no matter what their record is. Never does someone come up against DSHA and think “well this should be an easy win.” This team is athletic and gritty and can put a ball away. Middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id="81284" first="Julia" last="Wojciak"] (2022) clocked in 71 blocks in the 2020 season, 28 of those were solo blocks. She also brought in nearly 100 kills. Defensive specialist Shaeley Graczynski (2022) was also a key player for the 2020 season. DSHA graduated 7 seniors in 2021 but has a lot of great athletes coming up through the ranks including pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id="91882" first="Olivia" last="deGuzman"] (2023) and setter Mae Scheuing. <h3>Germantown:</h3> In 2020, Germantown only lost two matches. And, they had a fairly young roster. In 2021, they will be looking to win even more matches. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="81278" first="Maddie" last="Connor"] (Committed to Viterbo) has been a mainstay on this talented team since her freshman year and has over 1,400 assists in her three years. She will be a huge leader and impactful athlete on the court for this team. Class of 2023 pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id="122568" first="Lilly" last="Wagner"] (Committed to Liberty College) led the team in kills last year and can execute in all six rotations. There are two talented libero/DS athletes from the class of 2022 on this roster including [player_tooltip player_id="81276" first="Madelyn" last="Weyda"] and [player_tooltip player_id="81292" first="Aerene" last="Lim"]. This team has a lot of talent in all positions and will challenge any team they come up against. <h3>Sussex Hamilton:</h3> Sussex Hamilton is the 2020 WIAA Fall Season State Champions. They only dropped one match in 2020, a 5 set thriller against DSHA. While this team graduated some incredibly impactful seniors, they have a lot of talent coming up including [player_tooltip player_id="81266" first="Riley" last="Dahlquist"] (2022, MB), [player_tooltip player_id="82916" first="Sylvie" last="Zgonc"] (2023, OH), [player_tooltip player_id="81334" first="Trisha" last="Shankar"] (2022, L/DS), [player_tooltip player_id="57287" first="Tatum" last="Baldwin"] (2022, S), and [player_tooltip player_id="82949" first="Mya" last="Trafficante"] (2023, OH). These athletes were all a part of the 2020 State Championship team and will be looking to bring in some big wins this season. <h3>Menomonee Falls: </h3> This is a team that can hang with the biggest names in the state. They are gritty and talented and can never be counted out of a match. Their two biggest scorers, [player_tooltip player_id="82908" first="Katherine" last="Lockwood"] (2023) and [player_tooltip player_id="81308" first="Taylor" last="Larson"] (2022) will be returning this year. They did graduate their starting setter and libero though and will be looking to younger athletes to fill these roles. 2023 setter Gabby Selear may be one of those athletes. The middle blocker and right side [player_tooltip player_id="117341" first="Paige" last="Stickney"] (2022) will also be a huge scorer for this Menomonee Falls team. <h3>Wauwatosa East: </h3> Even though this team did not clock in as many wins as some of the other teams in this conference, it is important to remember it is a very tough conference. They also have a fairly young team including 2024 setter [player_tooltip player_id="144790" first="Eavan" last="Finnerty"] and outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="122529" first="Lydia" last="Otto"] who both played nearly every set. Middle blocker Olivia Scallon (2022) led the team in kills and blocks last year. Devin Esch also had a huge impact for the team on offense. Libero Lauren Hill will also be returning. She is a huge leader on this team and should have a major impact during her senior season. <h3>Wauwatosa West: </h3> This team will have a lot of returners this year who have a lot of experience on the court. Val Koenig (2022) will have a huge impact on the pin for the Trojans. Mackenzie Jacoby led the team in aces last year and will look to bring that firepower from the service line to her play this year. Returning libero Shannon Damuth (2022) has a major impact on the court with her fast play and tough defense. <h3>West Allis Central: </h3> There will be a good number of incoming seniors this year for the Bulldogs including pin hitters Lexi Cantrell and Ava Schaer, setter Macy Freeland, and defensive specialists Brianna Williams and Marissa DelaRosa. Their experience on the court will make them competitive in tournaments they host and play in and they should be a fun team to watch! <h3>West Allis Hale: </h3> The Huskies show a lot of grit and tenacity on the court. They never give up on a ball and can bring a lot of energy to matches. Their kill leader from last year Marissa Konkel will be an incoming senior. 2023 middle/opposite hitter Bella Rivera should have a breakout season for the Huskies. She had a big impact for them her sophomore year and will look to continue her growth on the court. Libero Jordan Ksobiech (2023) led the team in digs and service receptions last year.