Will It be a Different Sort of Hilltopper This Year? A Preview of Girls Division Four Sectional Four

2008 RECAP
This sectional (and division, for that matter) has belonged to Burlington Catholic Central for years--and 2008 was no exception. The Lady Hilltoppers defeated Sheboygan Christian in three in the sectional final (and defeated everyone else in three prior to that). The other sectional semifinalists were Cambria-Friesland and Hustisford.

2009 CONTENDERS AND RANDOM NOTES

Regional A

• Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran They return second-team Packerland all-conference senior outside Alexis Schaefer, honorable mention Packerland all-conference senior libero Cassie Sarokin and junior outside Rachel Bordeleau. Look for senior middle Stephanie Nier, senior right side Shauna Wachholz, junior setter Carley Valentine, junior outside Val Mielke and junior middle Gabby VanBever to make significant contributions throughout the season.
• Hilbert After losing to a tough Sheboygan Christian team in five last season, the Wolves not only have a legitimate shot to win the Olympian conference, they could also reach reach the Resch. They return nearly everyone, including senior setter Whitney Stecker.
  
• Lena The Wildcats move from sectional two, where they lost to Niagara in the first round last season.
• Manitowoc Lutheran The Lancers are making the move from division three. They were undefeated in the Olympian conference in 2008 thanks in large part to their two top hitters, seniors Kelly Hauf and Brianna Robley.
• Oneida Nation Like Lena, the Thunderhawks were in sectional two last season and lost in the first round.
  
• Stockbridge They graduated one honorable mention Central Lakeshore all-conference player last season.
• Suring Another team that moves to this sectional from sectional two, Suring made it past the first two rounds last season before falling to Wabeno.
  

Regional B

• Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah The Resorters (that's right, Resorters) will likely resort to using junior Abbey Neils frequently. She was honorable mention Central Lakeshore last season.
• Hustisford The Falcons were a senior-laden team last season, graduating no fewer than three Trailways South all-conference players, including first-team selection Shyla Kuehl. Junior Brandi Peltier returns, along with senior Cassy Coles.
  
• Kohler Senior Kelsey Stefanczyk and Megan Patterson were honorable mention Central Lakeshore all-conference last season for the Blue Bombers.
• Lake Country Lutheran Their offense will likely point to sophomore Emily Wineinger on numerous occasions.
• Living Word Lutheran We need more inforamtion about this school.
• Sheboygan Christian The Eagles made it all the way to the sectional finals last season, but lose Michigan State recruit Elizabeth Egerer, which means they'll likely turn to senior Jennifer Ongna, who was honorable mention Central Lakeshore all-conference last season.
• University Lake School We need more information.

Regional C

• Abundant Life Christian The Challengers face the challenge of replacing graduated honorable mention Trailways South all-conference selection Candice Wood. They fell to Rio in the first round of last season's playoffs.
  
• Cambria-Friesland The Hilltoppers feature junior Arianna Wiersma, who was Player of the Year in the Trailways North last season and junior Kayla Wiersma was honorable mention Trailways North all-conference.
• Central Wisconsin Christian One player the Crusaders will more than likely rely on is senior Anna Hofman , who was second-team Trailways North all-conference last season.
• Fall River We need more information on the Pirates.
• Johnson Creek The Bluejays will likely revolve around senior Ashley Rome, who was first-team Trailways South all-conference last season, senior Kassidy Lemminger, who was second-team, and senior Joelle Bauer, who was honorable mention.
• Randolph We need more information on the Rockets.
• Rio The Vikings graduated honorable mention Trailways South all-conference player Paula Voung.
  

Regional D

• Albany We need more information on the Comets, who are in the Six Rivers East conference.
• Black Hawk The Warriors were the No. 3 seed in their regional last season and made it through round one before falling to Faith Christian.
• Burlington Catholic Central Sure the Lady Hilltoppers graduated Colorado State recruit Michelle Smith, Marquette recruit Carol Henney and several others who dominated division four in recent memory, but they'll still be a force to contend with. They return three experienced starters in senior Kelli Smith (195 kills in 2008), senior setter/outside Heather Czarney (23 aces in 2008) and junior libero Danielle Stoppenbach (201 digs in 2008).
  
• Faith Christian The Eagles will be led by senior middle/outside Rae Ann Brandes and three other regulars from last year's team: senior opposite Nicole Ackatz, libero/setter Becca Brandes and senior middle/outside Kara Flikkema.
• Juda We need more information on the Panthers.
• Monticello We need more information on the Ponies.
• Williams Bay Senior Becca Hobbs was second-team Trailways South all-conference last season.

OUR PREDICTION
Cambria-Friesland over Hilbert in five.

2009 KEY LINKS

• WVCA Division 4 Scores
• Rosters (Incomplete)

2009 SEASON NOTES

• Until we get around to putting them up here, please see comments below.

Will C-FC Be A-OK With a Trip to the Resch? A Preview of Girls Division Four Sectional Three

2008 RECAP
This was the definitive "five-set thriller" sectional as no fewer than four key matches were decided in the maximum number of sets. For starters, Potosi defeated Spring Valley in the sectional final with a 15-12 fifth set victory. One round earlier, Spring Valley beat Royall in a sectional semifinal with a 17-15 fifth set victory. And one round earlier still, Spring Valley topped Cochrane-Fountain City with a 15-13 fifth set victory. Meanwhile, in the other sectional semifinal, Potosi outlasted Weston in a 15-9 fifth set victory. Phew, it wears us out just typing about it. (Note: We had a really tough time finding all-conference lists for most of the schools in this sectional so it was equally tough finding players to watch. Any help with lists or names would be greatly appreciated.)

2009 CONTENDERS AND RANDOM NOTES

Regional A

• Alma The Rivermen graduated Maggie Grisen, who had received first-team Dairyland all-conference honors last season. However, they return senior Ali Ritscher, who was honorable mention Dairyland all-conference in 2008.
  
• Cochrane-Fountain City Senior Erica Willadsen was a unanimous first-team Dairyland all-conference selection last season. She has more than 1,100 career kills in her three seasons of high school volleyball, including 30+ kills in the aforementioned five-set loss to Spring Valley in the regional final. She's also an outstanding backrow player. Senior Katie Baures and junior Kelly McCamley were second-team Dairyland all-conference last season.
• Elmwood The Raiders lost to Spring Valley in the first round of last season's playoffs. They're in the Dunn-St. Croix Small conference.
• Gilmanton The Panthers will look to senior Erin Davis, an honorable mention Dairyland all-conference selection last season. They had the thankless task of facing a tough Cochrane-Fountain City squad in the first round of last season's playoffs.
  
• Independence It'll be a senior-led season for the Indees: Senior Stephanie Walek was first-team Dairyland all-conference last season, while senior Calla Nelson made second-team and senior Brittany Dascher honorable mention.
• Pepin Unfortunately, we can't find an all-conference list for the Dunn St. Croix Small conference so we don't have much on the Lakers.
  
• Plum City The Blue Devils are also in the Dunn St. Croix Small conference. They defeated Pepin in the first round of last season's playoffs before falling to Spring Valley.
  

Regional B

• Cashton The Eagles are in the Scenic Bluffs conference and took No. 2 seed Royall to four sets in the first round of last season's playoffs.
  
• De Soto We're light on specifics about the Pirates or how they stack up in this regional or the Ridge & Valley conference, but the link will take you to a roster page and we assume it's somewhat current. In last season's playoffs, they took No. 3 seed North Crawford to four sets in the first round.
  
• Hillsboro The Tigers are perennial favorites within this sectional and the Scenic Bluffs conference. Last season, they lost to Royall in the regional final. Junior outside Taylor Peterson and junior DS Julie Stekel went to the Resch as freshmen in 2007.
  
• Kickapoo We need more information on this Ridge & Valley conference team.
  
• La Farge The Wildcats are in the Ridge & Valley conference.
• New Lisbon The Rockets are in the Scenic Bluffs conference.
• North Crawford They made it to the second round last season before falling to Royall.
  
• Royall The Panthers are are a favorite in the Scenic Bluffs conference, as well as this regional. They'll likely rely heavily on junior Hailey Brown, who was honorable mention all-state last season.

Regional C

• Cassville We need more information on this Six Rivers West conference team.
• Highland They're also in the Six Rivers West conference and were one of only two conference teams to take a set from Potosi during the regular season (the other was Shullsburg). They feature junior middle Kendall Wienkes.
• Ithaca We need more information on this Ridge & Valley conference team.
• River Ridge We need more information on this Six Rivers West conference team.
• Seneca We need more information on this Six Rivers West conference team.
• Wauzeka-Steuben They're in the Ridge & Valley conference.
• Weston The Silver Eagles defeated Seneca last season for the regional title and took Potosi to five games in their sectional meeting. They lost two Ridge & Valley all-conference performers, but return senior all-conference players Hilary Frey and Lindsay Escher, along with two junior starters (thanks, anonymous).
• Wonewoc-Center We need more information on this Scenic Bluffs conference team.

Regional D

• Argyle We need more information on this Six Rivers East conference team.
• Barneveld We need more information on this Six Rivers East conference team.
• Belmont We need more information on this Six Rivers West conference team.
• Pecatonica The Vikings had a five-set thriller of their own in last season's playoffs, winning their first-round match over Belmont with a 15-11 fifth-set outcome.
• Potosi The Chieftains reached the Resch last season in the aforementioned thrilling fashion, but have graduated many of their statistical leaders from 2008, including two first-team Six Rivers selections in Danielle Flesch and Teresa Ellskamp. Senior middle Brianna Reising (138 kills in 2008) and senior outside Katie Reynolds (207 kills in 2008) will likely be asked to pick up much of the burden.
• Shullsburg They took a set from Potosi last season in their Six Rivers West conference match, which was quite an accomplishment since they were one of only two teams to do so. In the 2008 playoffs, they reached the second round. They feature junior setter Anna Burgess and middle Jayde Russell.
  
• Southwestern Two years ago, junior setter/outside Haley Jansen and junior middle Amy Tranel were honorable mention SWAL all-conference as freshmen. Last year, both moved up to first-team as sophomores.
  

OUR PREDICTION
Cochrane-Fountain City over Potosi in, you guessed it, five incredibly competitive sets.

2009 KEY LINKS

• WVCA Division 4 Scores
• Rosters (to come)

2009 SEASON NOTES

• Southwestern junior Amy Tranel named "Prep Huddle Hero" by Madison.com, 9/1/09

Will One of Last Year's Threes Reach the Resch in Four? A Preview of Girls Division Four Sectional Two

2008 RECAP
Rosholt, which moves up to division three this season, defeated Wausaukee in three. Wabeno and Athens were the other sectional semifinalists.

2009 CONTENDERS AND RANDOM NOTES

Regional A

• Abbotsford Junior Kira Kalepp was honorable mention Marawood North all-conference last season for the Falcons, who lost a heartbreaker to Loyal in four (the last game was 31-29).
  
• Athens The class of 2011 is the key to the Bluejays' success in 2009. Junior Taylor Literski was a unanimous first-team Marawood North all-conference selection last season, while juniors Heather Schreiner and Tanya Literski made second-team. The Bluejays lost to Rosholt in last season's playoffs.
  
• Granton The Bulldogs lost in the first round to Assumption.
  
• Greenwood This is a team that returns nearly everyone, including junior Taylan Johnson (first-team Cloverbelt East all-conference) and senior Brittani Morrow, (second team). They also return two honorable mention selections: senior Jordan Ehlers and junior Kati Smith. Last season, they were in sectional one, where they reached the regional final before bowing out to Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran.
  
• Loyal The Greyhounds fell to Athens in the second round after defeating the regional No. 2 seed Abbotsford in round one. Senior Abri Englebretson was honorable mention Cloverbelt East all-conference.
• Newman Catholic Dropping from division three to division four for the 2009 season, the Fighting Cardinals are poised to make some serious noise in sectional two. They return all five of their top hitters, including senior outside Andrea Schuster (274 kills in 2008), senior outside Emily Schuster (183 kills in 2008) and junior middle Taylor Thomas (117 kills in 2008).
• Northland Lutheran Last season, the Wildcats made it to the second round before falling to Tigerton.
  
• Wisconsin Valley Lutheran The Wolves also made it to the second round before losing to eventual sectional champion Rosholt.
  

Regional B

• Almond-Bancroft The Eagles will likely revolve around first-team Central Wisconsin 10 all-conference player senior Katie Schude, as well as two honorable mention selections: juniors Mandi Crahan and Stephanie Rodriguez.
  
• Assumption We really should have more information on the Royals, seeing as they made it past two rounds of the playoffs last season. Sorry.
  
• Columbus Catholic They fell to Athens in the first round of last year's playoffs.
  
• Green Lake Junior Megan Sharkey was honorable mention Trailways North all-conference last season.
  
• Port Edwards It will be a rebuilding year for the Blackhawks, who graduated three Central Wisconsin-10 all-conference players. They lost a five-set heartbreaker to Assumption last season in the second round.
  
• Princeton We need more information on this team.
  
• St. Mary Central They upset White Lake in five in the first round of last year's playoffs.
  
• Valley Christian Senior Alyssa Frees was first-team Trailways North all-conference last season. Junior Lizzy Potratz was second-team. They were in sectional four last season, where they lost to a very tough Sheboygan Christian team in the second round.
  

Regional C

• Bowler The Panthers return two honorable mention Central Wisconsin-10 all-conference players: senior Taylor Rosinski and junior Alyx Peters.
  
• Conserve We need more information on this Northern Lakes school.
  
• Elcho The Hornets fell to Tigerton in the first round.
  
• Gresham-Community After defeating Marion to start last season's playoffs, they lost to Wabeno in the second round.
• Marion We need more information about this school.
  
• Phelps Senior Lindsey Beaman and sophomore Lyndsey Jonas were both honorable mention Great Northern all-conference last season. The Fighting Knights lost to Rosholt in three.
  
• Tigerton The Tigers have two second-team Central Wisconsin-10 all-conference players: Rachel Gwidt and Sara Sellner. Last season, they lost in four to Rosholt in the regional finals.
  
• White Lake The Lakers return honorable mention Great Northern all-conference seniors Magon Holbrook and Nicole Solin.
  

Regional D

• Florence Sophomore Bobcat Kaycee Lund should have been on our freshmen on the floor list last season since she was first-team Northern Lakes last season. Senior Alyssa Kerscher and junior Annette Lemanski were honorable mention all-conference.
  
• Goodman Junior Jessica Janczy was honorable mention Northern Lakes all-conference last season for the Falcons.
  
• Laona Two of the Laona Kellys were all-conference last season: Senior Kenzie Krawze was second-team Northern Lakes all-conference and senior Alyssa Tinsman was honorable mention.
  
• Niagara We need more information on this school. We know they graduated Jamie Vandenberg, who was a perennial presence on our 25+ kill list last season.
  
• Pembine The Panthers lost in the first round to Wausaukee.
  
• St. Thomas Aquinas Academy We need more information on this school.
  
• Wabeno The senior-led Logrollers could surprise this year after losing to Wausaukee in a sectional semifinal. Class of 2010 student-athletes to watch include Autumn Aderholdt, Kristen Baugnet, Jessica Miller and Beth Pries.
• Wausaukee We need more information on the school, which is a little embarrassing since they made it all the way to the sectional final last season.
  

OUR PREDICTION

Newman Catholic over Wabeno in four.

2009 KEY LINKS

• WVCA Division 4 Scores
• Rosters (to come)

2009 SEASON NOTES

• (to come)

Will the Bears Claw Their Way Back to Ashwaubenon? A Preview of Girls Division Four Sectional One

2008 RECAP

Clayton defeated Mellen in four. Shell Lake and Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran were the other two sectional semifinalists.

2009 CONTENDERS AND RANDOM NOTES

Regional A

• Bayfield The No. 6 seed in this regional last season, the Trollers lost in the first round to Shell Lake.
• Drummond Last season, the Lumberjacks won a thrilling five-setter against Lac Courte Oreilles in the first round before losing to Solon Springs in three.
• Lac Courte Oreilles While we don't have any specific knowledge on players, we were able to find a roster from two years ago on the MaxPreps site. The following were freshmen and sophomores then, and would presumably be on this year's team as upperclassmen: Junior Ricki Ann Belille, and seniors Marissa Wade, Rachel Yanez, Tienna Crowe, Kayleigh Edley, Kaleena Dust, Elizabeth Ton and Charleigh Clause.
• Northwood Junior Deana Scheller was 2008 Lakeland East all-conference last season and will likely be a major contributor season.
• Shell Lake Senior middle Ashley Anderson was first-team Lakeland West all-conference last season. She'll likely be on the receiving end of many fine sets from senior Steph Clark.
• Siren Janey Emery, the go-to offensive threat for the Dragons last season, graduated in the spring so the Dragons will rely heavily on juniors Carley Emery and Ashley Guevara.
• Solon Springs Senior Rachel Hanley should get plenty of kills for the Eagles, who went 16-3 last season under coach Chris Lesneski.
• South Shore The team lost to Northwood in the first round of last year's tournament.

Regional B

• Birchwood The No. 3 seed in this regional last season, they would lose to the eventual sectional finalist Mellen in three.
• Bruce They were the No. 8 seed in this regional last season and would lose to eventual state qualifier Clayton.
• Butternut The No. 8 seed in their regional last season, they lost to Rib Lake in the first round.
• Mellen The Granite Diggers, coached by Rachel Kuehl, lost to Clayton in four last season.
• Mercer The Tigers lost to Birchwood in the first round last season.
• Prentice Junior Abbie Anderson returns. She was second-team Marawood North last season.
• Rib Lake They return two unanimous first-team Marawood North all-conference players in senior outside Julie Thums and Jordyn Anderson, as well as second-team all-conference setter senior Sadie Brehm.
• Winter They lost to Prentice in the first round last season.

Regional C

• Clayton The division four runner-up in 2008, the Bears only graduated Sadie Schradle, but she did have 402 kills. Senior middle Clairiann Thompson (205 kills in 2008 and second-team Lakeland West all-conference) and junior outside Shelby Reindahl (180 kills in 2008) will be turned to for offense--and senior setter Annie Grossenbacher (816 assists in 2008 and second-team Lakeland West all-conference) will likely be able to help them deliver just that. Junior Lindsay LeBlanc, honorable mention Lakeland West all-conference last season, will also contribute.
• Frederic The offense will likely revolve around senior outside Chrissy Chenal, who was both Lakeland West all-conference and one of the few non-Grantsburg players to be named to the Burnett County Sentinel all-area team. Junior Jade Johnson was tabbed a "player to watch" by the same newspaper.
  
• Lake Holcombe They will rely heavily on senior Jess Bearrows.
• Luck Seniors Morgan Denny and Taryn Pilz were honorable mention honorees on the Burnett Journal Sentinel all-area team.
  
• New Auburn Lost to Weyerhaueuser in the first round last season.
• Prairie Farm Lost to McDonell Central in the first round last season.
• Turtle Lake Junior Alex Tschida was first-team Lakeland West all-conference last season. Sophomore setter Ashley Lahti was honorable mention.
• Weyerhaueuser Senior Kalley Kraczek was first-team Lakeland East all-conference last season.

Regional D

• Augusta Lost to Lake Holcombe in the first round last season.
• Cornell Sophomore Molly Brion was first-team Lakeland East all-conference as a freshman.
• Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran The Lancers return three seniors who were Dairyland all-conference honorees: Katherine Kazemba was named to the first team and Jess Ohmann and Ranae Markus were honorable mention.
• Eleva-Strum The Cardinals graduated first-team Dairyland all-conference star Sadie Rustad, but return senior Ronnie Moltzau, who made second team.
• Gilman The Pirates lost to Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran in the second round last year.
• Lincoln The Hornets lost to Greenwood in the first round last season and graduated honorable mention Dairyland all-conference player Sam Engel.
• McDonell Central Even though they graduated two all-conference players, the only player to make first-team Cloverbelt West all-conference, senior Christi Schoch, returns.
• Owen-Withee Junior Anna Goerlitz was first-team Cloverbelt East all-conference.

OUR PREDICTION

Clayton over Rib Lake in four.

2009 KEY LINKS

• WVCA Division 4 Scores
• Rosters (to come)

2009 SEASON NOTES

• (to come)