KAUKAUNA, Wis. – Top-seeded Appleton North (15-0) swept second-seeded Manitowoc Lincoln (16-2) 25-20 25-21, 25-17 to win the Division 1 championship of the alternate season State Girls Volleyball Tournament Saturday at Kaukauna High School.
Brianna Cantrell delivered a match-high 15 kills for the Lightning, and Ella Demetrician added 10 kills. Brooke Bolwerk assisted on 36 of the team’s 43 kills in the match, which lead all setters, and she served a pair of aces. Madisen Miller sparked the defense with 18 digs, and Bolwerk chipped in with 12 digs.
Mary Satori led the Ships hitting attack with 14 kills, and Lauren Borchardt and Claire Swoboda added eight and seven kills, respectively. Lauren Delmore handed out 28 assists. Brooke Parrish and Delmore were the leaders on defense with 13 and 10 digs, respectively.
Appleton North wins the program’s first State title in its sixth State appearance, with the five previous experiences coming in the traditional fall season. The Ships finish runner-up in their fourth State appearance.
Second-seeded Washburn (18-0) captured the Division 2 title of the alternate season Girls Volleyball State Tournament with a 25-22, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21 win over top-seed Brodhead (12-4) in the championship final.
Caitlin Wheeler paced the Castle Guards’ hitting attack with 18 kills. Lily Wheeler and Meghan Dougherty added 15 kills apiece. Reilly Johnson led all players in assists with 48. Johnson, Caitlyn Wheeler and AnnaMarie Wright led the team defensively with 12 digs each. The Castle Guards recorded nine aces in the game and owned a 55-38 advantage in kills.
The Cardinals were led by Abbie Dix. She was the only player to record double-figures in kills with 18 for a .298 hitting percentage. Alexis Kammerer dished out 29 assists. Defensively, Dix had a game-high seven blocks, including a solo and six assists. Madisyn Kail and Onnikah Oliver contributed with 12 digs each.
Washburn wins it second championship in its fourth appearance at State, with three previous appearances in the traditional fall season producing a Division 3 State title in 2000. Brodhead finishes runner-up in its third State appearance.
Kimberly (18-2) won the alternate season State Boys Volleyball Tournament championship with a 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 25-23 victory over Middleton in the final.
Cooper Polczinski was dominating on the offensive attack for the Papermakers. He collected a match-high 23 kills with a blistering .514 hitting percentage. Hayden Karpinski also added double-figures in kills with 11. Connor Hussey handed out a match-high 47 assets with a pair of service aces. The Papermakers recorded a .303 attack percentage in the match. Defensively, Garrett Fisher led the team in digs with 12.
The Cardinals hit at an impressive .347 efficiency, but were hampered by 11 service errors in the match. They were led by Cole Sweitzer with 13 kills, Nick Stott with 44 assists and Ruben Emmerich with four aces. On defense, Colton Tubbs had four digs and Emmerich had three blocks, including two solos and an assist.
Kimberly wins its second State championship, and essentially its second in a row, having won the traditional fall title in 2019. The Papermakers finished runner-up in their only other appearance in 2018. Middleton finishes runner-up in its 12th State appearance, including the 11 experience in the traditional fall season.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
