WIAA Girls State Volleyball Tournament: Division 1 Preview
Tuesday, November 1st, 2016 -- 11:28 AM
The 44th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Volleyball State Tournament will take place this Thursday-Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Here's a preview of the Division 1 Field.....LAST YEAR: Divine Savior Holy Angels won the Division 1 title for the second consecutive season with a 25-20, 23-25, 25-27, 25-15, 15-12 victory over Oconomowoc in the championship final.
Division 1
Thursday, Nov. 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Menomonee Falls (36-8) vs. Greendale (19-21)
Burlington (37-9) vs. Divine Savior Holy Angels (34-11)
Thursday, Nov. 3 - 7:30 p.m.
Appleton North (36-4) vs. Neenah (42-4)
River Falls (35-4) vs. Sun Prairie (38-11)
Friday, Nov. 4 - 7 p.m.
Semifinal (Thursday’s 4:30 p.m. Winners)
Semifinal (Thursday's 7:30 p.m. winners)
Saturday, Nov. 5 - 4:30 p.m.
Championship Match
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: This will be the ninth appearance for two-time defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels. In addition to winning the last two titles, the Dashers captured the crown in 2001 and finished runner-up in 2012. This season, they defeated Brookfield East in three sets in the sectional final hosted by the Dashers to gain their berth in the State quarterfinals. The Dashers finished second to Brookfield East in the Greater Metro Conference this fall. Neenah returns to the State Tournament field for the fourth time in the past five seasons and for the 14th time overall. The Rockets have won one title, which came in 1978. They have finished runner-up on four occasions (1977, 1979, 1980 and 1992). They advance to the State quarterfinals this season by defeating last year’s runner-up Oconomowoc in three sets in the final of the Oconomowoc Sectional. The Rockets placed runner-up to Appleton North in the Fox Valley Association standings during the regular season. Burlington qualifies for the State Tournament for the third straight season and for the eighth time overall. The Demons have won two State championships, those came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. Their return to the quarterfinals comes by virtue of a three-set sweep over Fort Atkinson in the Badger Sectional final. They tied for the Southern Lakes Conference championship this season with Westosha Central. Appleton North will be making its third appearance in the last four seasons and its fourth overall. The Lightning’s first experience in the State Tournament occurred in 1998, and their appearance last year was their furthest advance, falling in the semifinals. They qualify this season following a three-set win over De Pere in the sectional played at Kimberly. The Lightning finished first in the Fox Valley Association standings this season. Greendale returns to the State Tournament for the second straight season and for the fifth time overall. The Panthers’ most notable outcome of their four previous experiences was a runner-up finish in Class A in 1974. They advance to the quarterfinals this year following a three-set victory over West Allis Hale in the sectional final played at Hale. The Panthers won the Woodland Conference championship this season. Menomonee Falls is making its 11th State appearance and its first since 2013 when the Indians won the Division 1 championship. The Indians also advanced to the title match in 2000 and finished runner-up. They remain in contention for the State title this season by defeating Arrowhead in three sets in the final of the Germantown Sectional. The Indians finished third in the Greater Metro Conference standings this season. Sun Prairie makes its third appearance at State after qualifying for the first time in 2012 and then again in 2013. They fell in the quarterfinals in 2012 and in the semifinals in 2013. The Cardinals defeated Waunakee in three sets in the sectional final played at Verona to earn another trip to Green Bay. They are the champions of the Big Eight Conference in 2016. River Falls qualifies for the first time in school history. The Wildcats’ celebration began following its hard-fought, five-set victory over D.C. Everest in the Chippewa Falls Sectional final. They won the Big Rivers Conference title this fall.
FINALS ON FS WISCONSIN ALTERNATE: Watch the broadcast of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball finals Saturday on FS Wisconsin Alternate channel. The Division 4 and the Division 3 finals will be aired live at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. The Division 2 and Division 1 championships finals will be aired at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Check local cable listings for the FS Wisconsin Alternate channel in your area.
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