When the Southwestern varsity volleyball team needed to close out the regular season with two more wins to keep their share of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League title, they did just that.

With wins over Fennimore and Riverdale last week, the Wildcats closed out the regular season with a SWAL record of 11-1, claiming a share of the league title with Cuba City (11-1).

Last Tuesday night, coach Jane Wills’ squad handed visiting Fennimore three straight losses of 25-7, 25-11 ad 25-14.
Michelle Budden led her team with 19 kills, six blocks and two service aces, while Madison Kuhl dished out 29 assists to go along with five kills.

Claire Splinter led the team with 10 digs, while Melissa Tranel was close behind with nine. Miranda Kemp put down four service aces to go along with three blocks.

“All of the girls played awesome, taking a great win on senior night,” said coach Wills. “One more game before the postseason, and we are really excited with the way we’ve been playing.

The Wildcats continued their winning ways the following Thursday night, leaving Muscoda with wins of 25-14, 25-8 and 25-13 against host Riverdale.

Budden put down a team-high 21 kills on Thursday to go along with nine blocks.

Kemp put down five kills and had two blocks, while Kuhl dished out 26 assists to along with a team-high five service aces.
Tranel added nine digs and four aces to the win, while Rachel Mueller had three blocks and Amber Brand two aces.
Overall, Southwestern enters their WIAA division 4 regional bracket as the top seed with a record of 21-1-1. The second seed in their bracket is Benton (18-5-1), while Potosi is third and Pecatonica fourth.

The Wildcats kicked off tournament play this past Tuesday night against Belmont, and will play either Cassville or Pecatonica this Thursday  night. Regional finals will be held on Saturday night.

Southwestern 3,
Fennimore 0
(from Tuesday, Oct. 13)
Fennimore    7    11    14
Southwestern    25    25    25
Southwestern leaders
Kills - Michelle Budden 19, Madison Kuhl 5. Digs - Claire Splinter 10, Melissa Tranel 9. Aces - Miranda Kemp 4, Tranel 2, Budden 2. Assists - Kuhl 29. Blocks - Budden 6, Kemp 3.

Southwestern 3,
Riverdale 0
(from Thursday, Oct. 15)
Southwestern    25    25    25
Riverdale    14    8    13
Southwestern leaders
Kills - Michelle Budden 21, Miranda Kemp 5. Digs - Melissa Tranel 9, Claire Splinter 8. Aces - Madison Kuhl 5, Tranel 4, Amber Brand 2. Assists - Kuhl 26. Blocks - Budden 9, Rachel Mueller 3, Kemp 2.