Opening Week Preview: North Central WI

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are all counting down the day until the 2022 season kicks off.&nbsp;&nbsp;We are within a week of practices starting, so it feels like a good time to start talking about some of the early match-ups.&nbsp;&nbsp;Today let's take a brief glance at some of the best weeknight matchups that you will find in the north central area.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;These should kick off the year with some teams making a statement for the season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We won't be into the heart of any rivalries quite yet, but there will be some ambitious campaigns in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;It should be a fun first week of volleyball!&nbsp;&nbsp;Here are some opening week matchups to check out in north central Wisconsin.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Ashland @ Tomahawk &nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most teams will kick off their dual match portion of their schedule on Tuesday, August 30^th.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tuesday night there will be an interesting matchup in the north woods.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Hatchets will return all of their statistical leaders and a majority of their starting line-up.&nbsp;&nbsp;After a 22-10 record in 2021, they are hungry for more and they've got some exciting and experienced talent on their roster.&nbsp;&nbsp;Players like [player_tooltip player_id='91911' first='Meghan' last='Scholz'], [player_tooltip player_id='158543' first='Alyssa' last='Zehner'], and [player_tooltip player_id='445377' first='Macy' last='Jankiewicz'] will be crucial weapons to get their offense into a rhythm.&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile Samantha Gebauer, [player_tooltip player_id='178350' first='Claire' last='Albert'], and [player_tooltip player_id='445379' first='Emerson' last='Lange'] will be sure to take charge defensively and provide [player_tooltip player_id='119404' first='Mackenzie' last='Scholz'] a sound first contact.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On the other side of the net the visiting Oredockers who went 17-10 last fall will also be a fun group to watch as they are returning [player_tooltip player_id='209260' first='Grace' last='Moravchik'] and [player_tooltip player_id='179134' first='Brynn' last='Erickson'] to power their offense, while Olivia Zepczyk protects the net.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cassidy Lustig and Madison Gingras will run the defense to keep Sonja Root in-system.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Edgar @ Colby&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I kind of feel badly that Colby had to meet up with Edgar 3 times last year, so I hope they've made a change in their schedule because after a 22-6 season, the Wildcats return most of their starting line-up, including the heavy-hitting [player_tooltip player_id='91870' first='Reagan' last='Borchardt'].&nbsp;&nbsp;Even better is the fact that the setter she had a great connection with, [player_tooltip player_id='119414' first='Leah' last='Davis'], returns for her senior season as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;They've got some young but experienced players returning with 2024 attackers [player_tooltip player_id='122469' first='Kyra' last='Anderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='122518' first='Emily' last='Murkowski'], and Makayla Wirkus.&nbsp;&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='91872' first='Kendalyn' last='Dahlke'] supplies a healthy dose of defense, along with fellow senior Ashley Erickson.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colby struggled in 2021 going 5-21, but they will return some firepower with Hayden Willner, Sophia Fontoira, and Lydia Decker.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sophomore Savana Thomsen will have a year under her belt and be able to step up in some more situations, and they also return senior setter Jorja Weiland.&nbsp;&nbsp;If they can find a solid first contact, they could be in business!&nbsp;&nbsp;There should be some new faces for this squad.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Auburndale/Lakeland/Marathon @ Wausau West&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors are hosting a trio of teams, including a variety of conferences and divisions which should make it very interesting.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Auburndale is in the tough Marawood South with Marathon.&nbsp;&nbsp;They will return the violent swing of Josie Ertl while Bri Weiler and Gracie Krings provide a strong presence at the net.&nbsp;&nbsp;The scrappy Ashlyn Grimm, Maggie Bultus, and Ashlyn Guldan will keep the ball off the floor and feed the attackers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeland will return Callie Ullius, who is a smaller 6-rotation outside, but she has hops and takes super smart shots.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don't take her size for granted though; if you don't put a block up on her, she will bang it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ullius is super scrappy on defense and sound in serve-receive. Another senior will be setter Brooklyn Pesava, who makes really solid choices and ball placement.&nbsp;&nbsp;She gets the ball quickly out of her hands and is fast to the 2^nd&nbsp;ball.&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, the junior, [player_tooltip player_id='122492' first='Meg' last='Pfannerstill'] is super strong in serve-receive and scrappy on defense.&nbsp;&nbsp;She can read the other side of the net and stays active on defense.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a pin hitter, she can hit line, hard cross, or whatever else is needed to score. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marathon was a force in 2021 and may be doing some rebuilding this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;Their core returners include [player_tooltip player_id='122517' first='Ava' last='Krueger'], who trained with the Badger Region High Performance program in July and led her squad in kills, hitting percentage, blocks, and aces.&nbsp;&nbsp;She's a great all-around 6-rotation player who can swing from anywhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another returner will be senior setter Ashley Phakitthong, who is super scrappy on the defensive side of the ball and quick to the 2^nd&nbsp;contact.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wausau West had a rough 2021 and will be out to make a statement.&nbsp;&nbsp;They will return attackers [player_tooltip player_id='122556' first='Alli' last='Schauls'] and Kenzie Deaton.&nbsp;&nbsp;Allison Kirsch will protect the net, and Isabelle Gullickson may move into a more substantial setting role.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->