(WIAA) – Championships were celebrated in five divisions at the State Girls Volleyball Tournament Saturday at the Resch Center.
In Division 2, top-seeded Xavier (31-11) defeated second-seeded Kettle Moraine Lutheran (31-11) by scores of 25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 27-25 in the championship game to capture the crown.
The Hawks were cruising after winning the first two sets of the match, but the Chargers were ignited in the third set and appeared poised to send the match to a fifth set when Xavier turned the tide late in the fourth set by scoring six of the final seven points of the match.
Bella Daley and Kayla Fournillier were the Hawks’ leaders in kills with 13 and 10, respectively. Xavier finished the match with a .195 hitting percentage. Ray Zurfluh was credited with match-high 36 assists, and Lily Renz contributed a match-high four aces. Among the defensive leaders for Xavier were Lexi Allen with six blocks and Hope Kaufman with a team-best 15 digs.
The Chargers recorded a .148 hitting percentage with a balanced attack. Ana Degner, Mya Mayer and Audrey Kraemer all recorded 11 kills apiece. Brooklyn Luehring and Maitlyn Rhode shared the setting duties with 22 and 17 assists, respectively. Luehring also added a team-leading three aces. On defense, Addison Swaney was the squad leader with 13 digs and Sophia Wendt contributed with three block assists.
The Hawks advanced from the semifinal round with four-set victory over Catholic Memorial. They won their third championship in the school’s seventh appearance in the State Tournament.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran defeated Barron in four sets in its semifinal matchup. The Chargers finished runner-up in their ninth State Tournament experience.
Top-seeded Divine Savior Holy Angels won its fourth Division 1 title in the last five seasons by virtue of a 25-19, 25-11, 25-23 sweep over third-seeded Bay Port in the championship match.
The Dashers fell behind 2-0 early in the first set, but they rebounded to take a 3-2 lead and didn’t trail throughout the remainder of the first two sets. With the third set tied at 20-20, DSHA secured the three-game sweep by outscoring the Pirates 5-3 down the final stretch.
Harper Wendlick paced a highly efficient hitting attack for the Dashers, which resulted in a .376 hitting percentage in the game. She amassed 20 kills with a .500 hitting percentage. Tegan Loechler and Camryn Carr shared the setting duties with 22 and 16 assists, respectively. The Dashers also scored seven times off serves, including a match-high three aces by Reese Kosempa.
The DSHA defense compiled eight blocks in the match, including four block assists by Brooke Umbarger and Aubrey Olson to lead the team. Marley Connor accounted for 17 of the Dashers’ 38 digs in the match.
The Pirates’ offense received production from Brenna Derousseau, who knocked down a team-high 14 kills, and Alexia Stephens, who chipped in with 10. Megan Bruss handled most of the setting duties, dishing out 28 assists. Defensively, Bay Port recorded one block in match, and Bruss led the team in digs with nine.
Divine Savior Holy Angels navigated its way through the tournament with a three-set victory over Verona in the quarterfinals and a four-set win over Wisconsin Lutheran in the semifinals. The Dashers won their seventh State championship in 15 tournament appearances.
Bay Port reached the final by downing Chippewa Falls in three sets in the quarterfinals and Kimberly in three games in the semifinals. The Pirates runner-up finish comes in their second State Tournament experience.
Third-seeded Watertown Luther Prep (35-2) outlasted top-seeded Stanley-Boyd (36-6) to earn a hard-fought 18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12 victory in the Division 3 championship match.
After the Orioles won the first set, the Phoenix captured games two, four and five to secure the victory. Luther Prep built a 14-8 lead in the fifth set before Stanley-Boyd mounted an attempted comeback that fell short.
The Phoenix recorded a .151 hitting percentage with Lorelei Candler and Eden Kieselhorst fueling the Phoenix offense. They both recorded 19 kills and two service aces in the match. In addition, Candler led the team in assists with 28 and Kieselhorst chipped in with 18. On the defense side of the net, Elizabeth Kieselhorst made a match-high 30 digs, and Annika Nottling accounted for seven of the team’s 13 blocks. Additionally, they held Stanley-Boyd to a .071 hitting percentage.
The Lew sisters led the Orioles offensively. Kelly connected for a game-high 20 kills, and Amanda added 14. Both also collected four aces to account for eight of the team’s 14 points from the service line. Megan Pilgrim handed out 36 assists to lead all setters. Defensively, Kelly Lew blocked three shots, and Kennedy Reed led five Orioles’ players in double figures with 23 digs.
Experiencing the State Tournament for the second time, Luther Prep wins the program’s first title after placing runner-up a year ago. They advanced to the championship game this weekend with a three-game win over Marathon in the semifinals.
Stanley-Boyd defeated River Valley in three sets to earn their berth in the final. The Orioles finished runner-up in their third State Tournament appearance.
Top-seeded McDonell Catholic (42-4) captured the Division 4 championship with a 25-23, 25-20, 25-12 sweep of Heritage Christian (32-9), which moved up a division after winning the title in Division 5 in 2025.
After the Macks won the first two closely contested sets, they used a 14-3 run at the end of the third set to secure the victory.
McDonell Catholic recorded a 42-20 advantage in kills and had a pair of players in double figures. Tylan Hanson led all attackers with 13 kills, and Rylie Christianson contributed to the offense with 10 kills. Erin Siegenthaler added a match-high 37 assists. Kherington Mosack served two aces and led the Macks’ defensive efforts with 15 digs. Annie Siegenthaler, in addition to nine kills, made five blocks on defense.
The Patriots’ offense was held in check throughout the match, compiling a .032 hitting percentage. Lucy Boeck and Kalia Stempniewski experienced limited success to lead the team in kills with eight and seven, respectively. Mayah Karcher handed out assists on 16 of the team’s 20 kills. Defensively, Hailey Barningham finished in double figures with 13 digs, and Ada Boeck recorded a game-high five blocks at the net.
McDonell Catholic won its fourth State championship in its sixth appearance in the tournament. The Macks advanced to the title game this year with a three-set sweep over Sheboygan Christian in the semifinals.
Heritage Christian finished runner-up in its second State experience. The Patriots earned a berth in the title match with a three-game win over Columbus Catholic in the semifinals.
In Division 5, second-seeded Central Wisconsin Christian (32-8) won its first State title in the program’s first tournament appearance with a 26-24, 25-23, 26-24 win over top-seeded Turtle Lake (29-11) in the final.
Trailing 23-21 in the first set and 22-18 in the second set, the Crusaders battled back to win each set to take control of the match.
Central Wisconsin Christian utilized a balanced offensive attack with Kiley Beer recording a game-high 11 kills. Hannah Abel and Abigail TenNapel each added eight kills. Abel also contributed to the offense with a team-high 20 assists and two aces. The Crusaders posted a .168 hitting percentage for the game. Defensively, Addie Smits knocked down a match-high four blocks, and Jenna Schouten paced the team in digs with 11.
The Lakers converted on .114 percent of their attacks. Ashlyn Hubbard led the team with 10 kills, and Ava Mau added nine kills. Lacey Popenhagen assisted on 30 of the 34 kills, and she shared the team lead with a pair of service aces with Olivia Korish. The defense was anchored by a match-high 12 digs by Lexi Tarman and two blocks by Charli Molls.
The Crusaders advanced to the championship match with a four-set victory over Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran in the State semifinals.
Turtle Lake finished runner-up in its ninth State experience. The Lakers earned a berth in the championship match with a four-set win over Seneca in the semifinals.
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