The third and final week of the Badger Region Championships hosts our 13s, 16s, 17s, and 18s! All fought hard and few top finishes! Check it out!
13 RED | 4th Place
We had been off for 3 weeks without a tournament, so we were very eager to get back on the court against some good competition! Day 1 of Badger Region Championships and all 3 of our matches in pool play came down to the deciding 3rd set! We ended the day 2-1 overall and in a 3-way tie for first. Fortunately, we came out in the top 2 in our pool, so advanced to the gold bracket on Sunday!
Our quarterfinal match on Sunday morning was our best match of the weekend! We played a tough Heat team and once again took it to 3 sets to get the win. We passed well and had great positive energy for a come from behind win 25-21, 26-28 & 15-12. We had a heartbreaking loss to Sting Silver in the semifinals 25-21 & 26-24 and lost our competitive edge and then fell in the 3rd place game to Milwaukee Juniors, who we beat in pool play the day before.
We tried a few players in different positions and overall saw many great things throughout the weekend! We continue to talk about confidence and giving positive energy to our teammates no matter the score. We have 3 weeks now to prepare for our first 3-day tournament in Louisville! We hope to be playing our best and most consistent volleyball by that time and are looking forward to a fun trip!
13 BLACK | 4th Place
What a great weekend for the 13 Black team. We worked very hard to prepare for the Badger Regional Tournament and came ready to play. We brought home 4th place in the Gold division and I couldn’t be more proud.
Saturday we started pool play by taking a convincing win from Wisconsin Attack 13 Red (25-10, 25-14). Our team looked amazing. We served with authority, we were passing nails and were attacking the ball without fear.
Our second match was much of the same playing South Shore Slam 13 (25-22, 25-20). We played amazing defense and nothing hit the floor without great effort.
We took 2nd in pool play losing a close match to Jr Vikings 13 blue. We had played this team before and was hoping for the outcome to go our way this time. It was a hard fought battle with us losing by the smallest of margins 29-27, 25-22. The first set was a back and forth and we just fell short in the end. And the second set was one we didn’t give up easy. We had a few unforced errors at critical moments which contributed to the outcome.
Saturday #Shoutout to:
Zoe Ryan who served 95% on Saturday with 9 kills for the day.
Edie Varney who served 93% with 12 aces and 8 kills
Sophia Ratkowski who lead the team with 10 kills and was on fire!
Kierstyn West who had 6 aces
Brooklyn Weber whose defense let nothing hit the ground.
Sunday our first match was against Premier 13 Teal. It was a fun match with the majority of their team being old teammates. We were victorious (25-20, 25-22) with bragging rights and on our way to the gold bracket semifinals to play Southeast VBC 13 Blue.
Against Southwest we came out playing hard and with so much energy taking set one but then struggled with mental toughness conceding the match in three sets. Southwest went on to take first in the championship so while we know we could have beat them to get to the finals, we know we faced strong competition and can say this team has grown leaps and bounds from day one. Great work girls. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Sunday #shoutout to:
Kierstyn West served 94% with 13 aces.
Haley Pfeifer serving 89%
Kill leaders- Edie Varney with 13, Sophia Ratkowski and Hannah Kelley with 9 and Zoe Ryan with 6
And Coach Heidi with an ICE pin.
Next stop is Badger Power League next weekend!
13 WHITE | 3rd Place
Coming Soon!
14 RED
After a somewhat disappointing finish at BRC the girls were ready to move forward and prove a little something to themselves. BRC was really the first weekend of the season where we haven't played to our potential and let ourselves down a bit. These lessons are important for our perspective and growth.
For NLQ we came in ranked as the #10 team overall and a #1 seed in our pool. On day 1, we did a great job of setting the tone early on showing solid ball control and controlling the overall pace of the games. All three teams presented different challenges for us. The first team we played showed a lot of balance and scrappiness that forced us to work to finish off points. The second team had many issues with their rotations and consistency which can make it tough to get in a rhythm but the girls continued to push. Our final team presented a lot of size and hitting ability but through our attack we were able to get them off their game early.
Day 2 was an exciting day. All teams in our pool, including us, took either first or second from their pool on day 1. Our first match was against a familiar opponent, a Madtown National team. They were much improved from the first time we faced them, especially in the front row. They put up a good fight but made some clutch plays to finish that match in 2. Our next match was OVC, a team from Kansas City. This team proved to be one of the most balanced teams on the weekend, both offensively and defensively. Through some sloppy play in the first set and because of their consistency we dropped set 1. In set 2 the girls got their game face on jumped on them early and never gave up the lead. They used that same energy in the third set and in the match 3 to win the pool outright.
Day 3, we faced a team that we played on day 1 and again they continued to show a balanced attack. We were down to 8 players on day 3 so the girls knew the push that was needed by everyone. After a first round win in gold, we played some of our best volleyball on the season in the quarterfinals against one of the best teams we have played all year. This match was a pure battle from start to finish. Unfortunately, we dropped this match in 3 sets to finish NLQ in 5th place. The biggest difference was making strong and positive plays in the toughest and biggest moments. It is something that we still continue to work and and emphasize. Rah and I are incredibly proud of the girls and what we accomplished together. 5th place is a great placing considering the weekend we had before and the pressure we were under to improve. We hope this is a springboard for us to take that next step in the final stretch of our season. Every tournament is a big tournament and they will all have big moments. We will need to continue to work so that is shows up when we need it most.
16 RED | 3rd Place
Coming Soon!
16 BLACK
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16 WHITE
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16 GOLD | 2nd Place
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17 RED | 3rd Place
This past weekend, I AM 17 Red stayed local for the Badger Region Championship hosted in Milwaukee. With a few weekends off and many solid reps in the gym, the girls were hoping to have fun and have several successes throughout the tournament. The team came in as the 10th seed and ready to prove everyone wrong as the "underdogs".
The match ups began bright and early Saturday morning where I AM took on a solid 414 Elite team. We started off slow, falling in the first set, 21-25 but did not let that stop our comeback. After sharpening up our serve receive, we were able to run plays and put balls away. The team's mojo started flowing and momentum picked up, never looking back. We took the next set, 25-18, forcing a third set, where we dominated and took the win, 15-9. That momentum continued into the next match against WI Juniors. The two teams battled back and forth but I AM came up short, 27-25. We tried to make some strategic adjustments based off of what the team saw across the net but could not capitalize in the second set, falling 25-21. The team was ready for a short rest before the final match of the day.
Lastly, I AM was ready for one more on the day, a win would put them in the Gold bracket leading into Sunday. The team came out hot, with serve receive and defense on point while setters spread the ball. We battled back and forth both sets 25-20 and 19-25 resulting in a third set once again. The team worked through many adversities, lineups, and opponent strategies, taking the third and final set of the day 16-14. This was truly a team win where everyone played for each other in their role, ON and OFF the court!
We knew headed into Sunday morning that the day was going to bring many challenges and high competition being in the Gold bracket. We were already so proud of each and every girl but we weren't done yet. Our first match was against Sting White, a team that's consistently strong. The first set, I AM won with ease but knew it would be a fight til the end. The team was getting into their groove but had a higher potential to play at. Hitters did a fantastic job executing in crucial moments but we could improve in our blocking series to score more points. Sting came back in the second set and pushed another third set match for I AM during the weekend. The two teams traded points again, tied up 10-10 in the game to 15. We focused more on blocking while staying out of the net and reading on defense leading the team to success. Gabi had a huge serving run, forcing Sting out of system, where we could dig and put the ball away to close out the game. A 5-1 run gave I AM the match win, sending the team to the top four of the tournament!
Shortly after, I AM was back at it against Sting Black. The team had all the momentum from the game prior but came up short both sets 17-25 and 20-25. I AM never gave up the entire match, finishing each game stronger than they started. Finally, I AM faced WI Juniors for the second time this weekend, ready to capitalize on the things we already know about their style and key players. This definitely gave us the advantage, as well as still having energy left after a long day. I AM fought hard, with a goal of winning in two sets! Accomplishing the team goal, I AM finished the match 25-23 and 25-17 walking away with a 3rd place finish. It was awesome to see the effort and camaraderie that the girls had during the games on Saturday and Sunday. The entire weekend was a true depiction of who we are as a team and a demonstration of what we work so hard on during weekday practices. I AM 17 Red continues to improve each week and will continue to be a threat to their opponents down the road. The team will get a weekend of rest before competing at Prep Dig, mid April.
17 BLACK
Coming Soon!
17 WHITE
Despite some players being gone for spring break plans, 8 of us didn't have to travel far to participate in the Badger Region Championship at the Baird Center. We had a fantastic first day of the tournament going 3-0 on the day! We defeated Heat 17 Red, Epic 17 Gray, and Madison Elite 17 Black. With those wins, we returned the next day in the top 6 teams in the Gold Bracket. For the first match, we faced a familiar foe—Adversity 17-1. We were 1-1 with them on the season. We lost that tough match in three. Our second game of the day was against Wisconsin Premier 17 Teal. We won the first game but lost the second two.
#Shoutout to MJ Johnson for leading all servers on the weekend with 18(!) aces.
Jenny Jaros was all over the court with 26 digs over the tournament. Viv Oberg stepped up to play outside this weekend and led the way in kills with 22. Lastly, we got to celebrate Coach James with his second Ice Pin of the season!
Looking forward to getting back in action in two weekends in Franklin to complete play in Badger Region Power League.
18 RED
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