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Trojan volleyball can’t find their groove in Sparta
Volleyball Generic
CHARLEY PREUSSER
Published: Sep 13, 2019, 5:08 PM

“The Trojans struggled as a team at the Sparta tournament, but if we grew as a team, then it’s a win,” coach Vickie Stevenson said whe it was over. “Call it the first week back in school?  Our day was riddled with errors.”  

North Crawford played in a seven-team round robin. The Trojans played five straight matches. Then, they sat round six and finished with playing round seven. The Trojans ended in sixth place overall, defeating only Wonewoc-Center.

 

Highlights of the day included:

Lydia Barr had 77 assists in the tournament. Hallie Toedter led the team in kills with 26, followed by Rachael Peterson with 22 and Sarah Hanson with 18

Rachael Peterson had 10 solo blocks and 17 block assists, Lydia Barr had 18 block assists, and Emily Hanson had 13 block assists and 4 solo blocks 

Sarah Hanson led the team with 22 digs, Rachael Peterson and Lydia Barr followed with 21 and 20 digs respectively.

Angie Herfel and Lydia Barr led the team with five service aces each and they were among the girls who served over 90 percent for the day, along with Rachael Peterson, Hallie Toedter, Lexis Rew-Evers, Lindsey Stevenson and Audrey Mellem.

North Crawford’s scores for the day were as follows against their opponents:

13-25, 19-25 Black River Falls 

10-25,10-25 Edgar

20-25, 20-25 Mauston 

9-25, 17-25 Fall Creek

21-25, 23-25 Sparta

27-25, 25-17 Wonewoc-Center 
SUPPZ.COM SWNEWS4U ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Belmont's Kalli Hodgson
Senior pitches and hits Belmont to Division 5 regional title
Kalli Hodgson
Belmont senior Kalli Hodgson (13–2) settled in after allowing a lead off home in last Thursday's 5–1 WIAA Division 5 regional final victory over Wauzeka–Steuben to just one hit and two walks the rest of the way, while striking out nine to earn her 13th win of the season. She also went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and an RBI double. (photo by Jason Nihles)
Updated: Jun 6, 2025, 5:17 AM
Published: Jun 6, 2025, 5:18 AM

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.

By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Boscobel Dial

Kalli Hodgson, Sr., P, Belmont softball
The Belmont softball team is heading to sectionals for he 20th time in the last 27 seasons. The #1-ranked Braves dominated No. 8 seed Pecatonica 9–2 last Tuesday afternoon then rallied from an early 1–0 deficit to defeat No. 4 seed Wauzeka–Steuben 5–1 Thursday to win another WIAA Division 5 regional title.

During last week’s regional final, the Ridge and Valley champion Hornets (17–4) jumped out to an early 1–0 lead when Emma Wall hit the fourth pitch of the game over the fence in right centerfield fence for a solo home run. Belmont senior Kalli Hodgson (13–2) settled in after that and held W/S to just one hit and two walks the rest of the way, while striking out nine to earn her 13th win of the season. Sophomore Carsyn Ramaker pitched the sixth inning against the top of the Hornets’ lineup, recording two strikeouts before Hodgson pitched the final inning.

Junior Addy McNett got the Belmont offense going with a solo homer to lead of the bottom of the third. McNett’s blast ignited a four-run rally, which included an RBI single by senior Morgan Freeman, an RBI double by sophomore Lexi Riechers and an RBI double by Kalli Hodgson. Hodgson added another RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning and finished the day 2-for-3 with two RBI. 

Two days earlier, Hodgson went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and pitched four strong innings, allowing one run on two hits in four innings to lead the Braves  to a 9–2 D5 regional semifinal victory over Pecatonica last Tuesday. Hodgson is 13–2 with a 2.17 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings, while also batting .358 (29-for-81) with four doubles, one triple, one homer, 21 RBI and six runs scored. 

Hodgson and the Braves (24–3) went on to beat Six Rivers Conference co-champion Barneveld (19–6) 7–4 in Wednesday's D5 sectional semifinals before beating fellow No. 1 seed Johnson Creek 9–2 Thursday afternoon to win Belmont's eighth sectional title and clinch the program's eighth trip to the WIAA State Tournament (1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2017, 2017, 2025).

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order)
Payton Gile, Sr., Cuba City softball
Gile threw a pair of dominating shutouts last week over a pair of SWAL rivals to lead the #3-ranked Cubans to a WIAA Division 4 regional title. Gile struck out 14 of the 21 batters she faced and walked just three in a five-inning 12–0 shutout over Darlington last Tuesday night. She then struck out 10 and walked one in a 7–0 four-hit shutout over Iowa–Grant (15–12) in last Thursday's regional final. Gile was recently named this year's SWAL Player of the Year after leading the Cubans (22–5, 13–1 SWAL) to a share of this year's conference title. 

Miriam Goomey, Sr., F, Platteville/Lancaster girls soccer
Senior forward Miriam Goomey scored a pair of goals in last Thursday’s 4–1 victory at River Valley (12–3–4, 7–1–2 SWC) to help the Hillmen (13–3–2, 8–2) win this year’s SWC title. After a 1–0 loss to Dodgeville/Mineral Point on May 15, Platteville/Lancaster got back in the race when Prairie du Chien/River Ridge/Seneca played River Valley to a 1–1 tie May 22. The Hillmen then dominated Richland Center 8–0 on May 27, behind a one-goal, three-assist performance from Goomey.

Landon Haessly, Sr., P/3B, Boscobel baseball
The Boscobel baseball team recorded its first 10-win season since 2010 this year and was justly rewarded with its first home playoff game since 2011. The Bulldogs earned the No. 8 seed in their 14-team WIAA Division 4 half sectional and took full advantage of the home cookin’ to open the 2025 postseason with a 5–3 win over No. 9 Potosi/Cassville last Thursday. Haessly sat down 15 of the final 17 batters he face to hold the Chieftains (10–13) scoreless the final five innings of the game. Haessly (4–4) struck out eight and allowed just one earned run on four hits and one walk in the complete game win. This past Tuesday, Haessly was even better, striking out four while walking just one in a brilliant 71-pitch five-hit shutout to lead the No. 8 seed Bulldogs (13–12) to a 1–0 upset victory over No. 1 seed and #1-ranked Seneca (21–3). Haessly and the Bulldogs went on to beat No. 5 seed De Soto 4–2 Wednesday to win the program's first regional title since 1999.

Grant Herbst, So., Platteville boys golf
Sophomore Cole Herbst shot a 7-over par 79 to finish second out of 49 golfers to lead the Platteville boys golf team to a third-place finish at last Tuesday’ s 10-team Prairie du Chien Regional. Herbst, the reigning two-time Southwest Wisconsin Conference Player of the Year, followed up a 41 on the front nine with a sparkling 38 on the final nine holes to help the SWC champion Hillmen extend their season. Platteville posted a combined four-man score of 346 strokes to finish third behind SWAL champion Mineral Point (326), which was moved up to Division 2 this year by the new WIAA Competitive Balance Initiative after winning last year’s D3 state title, and runner-up Cuba City/Southwestern/Benton (335). River Valley (347) finished fourth one stroke behind Platteville. Herbst went on to shoot a 6-over par 76 at to place fifth at the D2 Mineral Point Sectional Tuesday at Dodge Point Country Club and earn one of the three individual qualifier berths in next week's WIAA Boys Golf State Championships, which will be held Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge in Madison.

Nora Jillson, Sr., Boscobel girls track and field
Senior Nora Jillson became a four-year state qualifier for Lady Bulldogs. The UW–La Crosse recruit placed second in the 800 with a time of 2:17.38, third in the 3,200 (11:32.10) and fourth in the 1,600 (5:02.11) last Friday at the Bangor Sectional. Jillson will again be joined at this year’s state meet by juniors Madi Kinnett, Aubrey Seep, and sophomore Hannah Dilley, as well as senior Cameron Hogan Kinnett, Seep, Dilley and teamed with freshman Payten Sadner to place fourth in the girls 4x400 relay at Bangor with a time of 4:10.13. A year ago Jillson, Kinnett and Seep, along with 2024 graduate Aleya Kliesner, won a silver medal in the D3 4x800 relay. Dilley and Avery Updike were alternates on that state runner-up relay team. Jillson also placed seventh in the D3 girls 800 (2:17.94) a year ago.