MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Oct. 17–24)
WIAA DIVISION 4 VOLLEYBALL: No. 3 Southwestern 3, No. 1 Highland 1
By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent
Third seeded Wildcats upset No. 1 seed Highland to win regional title
HAZEL GREEN – Throughout the regular season, Southwestern volleyball coach Savannah Winters has seen the growth in her team, both physically and mentally, and that growth appears to be giving the Wildcats an edge as they cruised through the regional portion of their WIAA Division 4 playoff bracket.
In victories over Cassville, Albany and Highland, the No. 3 seeded Wildcats lost only one set while collecting the D4 regional title.
Coach Winters’ squad disposed of Cassville 3–0 last Tuesday night in regional quarterfinal action, then defeated Albany last Thursday evening, 3–0, in a regional semifinal contest. Against No. 2 seed Highland on Saturday, the Wildcats lost the first set, but then took the next three, beating the Cardinals, 3–1.
“My girls have really become so mentally tough the past couple weeks,” said coach Winters. “We are trying to keep them focused while trying to also keep life the same. The girls are showing so much passion and grit at this point in the tournament because they aren’t ready to be done, and neither am I.”
Beginning their tournament run last Tuesday night against the visiting Comets of Cassville, the Wildcats won in three straight sets, 25–11, 25–18 and 25–13.
Senior hitters Alana Splinter and Brielle Schneider each put down 10 kills in the win, while senior setter Deanna Ramaker dished out 27 assists. Schneider also had a team-high six blocks in the match, followed by four from Allison Kennicker.
Junior libero Laila Theill came up with a team-high 22 digs, followed by Splinter with 15, Ally Stanton with 10 and Brynlee Droessler with six.
At the service stripe, Ava Curwen served up five aces, while Stanton had three.
On the following Thursday night, the Wildcats welcomed No. 6 seed Albany, and sent them home with three straight losses of 25–23, 25–16 and 25–22.
Curwen put down a team-high 16 kills to go along with nine blocks to lead the Wildcats at the net, followed by Splinter who had nine kills and six blocks.
Ramaker dished out 33 total assists to go along with 15 digs, while Theill had a team-high 31 digs to go along with four assists.
Splinter chipped in 24 digs and Lainey Schueller had 10, while Stanton and Splinter each had one ace in the contest.
“My girls showed up to play,” said coach Winters. “We battled point for point with Albany, who was a very tough competitor.”
“They were just what we needed, to see good competition before moving on. Albany gave us a run for our money and we battled hard and wanted it so bad,” Winters added. “I am so proud of these girls for staying level headed and listening to adjustments and applying.”
With Thursday night’s victory, the Wildcats punched their ticket to Saturday night’s regional final match, where the No. 2 seed Highland Cardinals were waiting for them after knocking off Juda and Belmont.
The host Cardinals took the early momentum with a 25–19 victory of set one, but that only appeared to motivate the Wildcats even more, as they won the next three sets by scores of 25–22, 25–15 and 25–22.
“Our match against Highland was as I expected, one tough battle that would help push these girls to their limit and beyond,” said coach Winters.
“Highland has some big hitters that we were able to stop a lot with blocks to slow it down or take the point, which helped us stay ahead when those points were crucial,” the Wildcats coach added.
At the net, Curwen came away with a team-high 14 kills to go along with four blocks, while Splinter finished with nine kills and Schneider six. Stanton led the team with five blocks, while Kennicker had four.
Ramaker distributed a team-high 32 assists in the win, and came away with a team-high 19 digs as well. Splinter chipped in with 18 digs, followed by Theill with 14 and Stanton with 10.
The Wildcats now take the court against No. 1 seed Barneveld Thursday night, with the winner moving on to Saturday’s sectional final in Johnson C
