WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament Preview - Division 1

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021 -- 8:19 AM

The 49th State Girls Volleyball Tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 4-6, at the Resch Center in Green Bay.  Here's a preview of the Division 1 Field......

Girls Division 1

Thursday, Nov. 4

#2 Appleton North (39-6) vs. #7 Holmen (29-2) - 1 p.m.

#3 Brookfield Central (34-11) vs. #6 River Falls (31-3) - 1 p.m.

#4 Burlington (38-4) vs. #5 Kettle Moraine (31-6) - 7 p.m.

#1 Oconomowoc (36-5) vs. #8 Oak Creek (31-10) - 7 p.m.             

Friday, Nov. 5

Semifinal (Thursday's 1 p.m. winners) - 7:30 p.m.

Semifinal (Thursday's 7 p.m. winners) - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 6

Championship Match - 7:30 p.m.

LAST YEAR-GIRLS:  There were four divisions of championship tournaments in the fall of 2020 and two divisions in the alternate season played in the spring of 2021 with COVID-related accommodations. Hamilton won the Division 1 title with a 25-18, 17-25, 25-23, 25-20 victory over Burlington in the championship match. . Appleton North won the Division 1 title of the alternate season with a 25-20 25-21, 25-17 triumph over second-seeded Manitowoc Lincoln in the championship game.

ABOUT THE GIRLS DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Oconomowoc is the #1 seed in the bracket. The Raccoons return to the State Tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years, which accounts for the Raccoons overall number of experiences at State. They advanced to the championship match in 2015 and in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019, finishing runner-up on all three occasions. This season, the Raccoons defeated Manitowoc Lincoln 25-13, 25-19, 25-14 in the Slinger final to continue the quest for their first title. They are the champions in the Classic Eight Conference this season. The 2020-21 alternate season champion Appleton North is the #2 seed in the bracket. The Lightning will be appearing in their seventh State Tournament overall and essentially their third in a row including the alternate season. Prior to their championship last spring, the furthest advance in the tournament was to the semifinals in 2015. They qualify this season after downing Kimberly in three sets 25-8, 25-23, 25-19 in the sectional final played at Kaukauna. The Lightning finished second in the Fox Valley Association standings this fall. Third-seeded Brookfield Central is a first-time qualifier of the State Tournament. The Lancers celebrate their first appearance following a 25-10, 29-27, 25-17 sweep of Divine Savior Holy Angels in the Cedarburg Sectional final. During the regular season, they placed third in the Greater Metro Conference. Perennial qualifier and last year’s runner-up Burlington, the fourth seed, advances to the State Tournament for the eighth straight season and for the 13th time overall. The Demons have won four State championships with a pair of back-to-back titles. The first two came in 2011-12 and the most recent in 2017-18. In addition to last season, they also had a runner-up finish in 2016. The Demons return to the tourney field comes by virtue of a 23-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-12 victory over Fort Atkinson in the sectional final held at Beloit Memorial. They finished first in the Southern Lakes Conference standings this season. Fifth-seeded Kettle Moraine advances to the State Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons since making its first appearance in 2019, which culminated with a loss in the quarterfinals. The Lasers return to the tournament field following a 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 win over Wisconsin Lutheran in the Waukesha West Sectional final. They finished runner-up to top-seeded Oconomowoc in the Classic Eight Conference standings this fall. Sixth-seeded River Falls qualifies for the sixth year in a row, which accounts for the total number of appearances for the Wildcats. The most notable of their previous experiences was a runner-up finish in 2017. The Wildcats extended their string of State appearances following a hard fought 25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-12 win over Chippewa Falls in the sectional final played on the road at Chippewa Falls. They are the champions in the Big Rivers Conference this fall. Holmen is the seventh seed in the bracket. The Vikings will be experiencing the State Tournament for the first time in the program’s history after coming back to beat Middleton  23-25, 29-27, 22-25, 25-20, 15-11 in the Baraboo Sectional Final. The Vikings are the champions in the Mississippi Valley Conference this year. Oak Creek is the eighth seed in the bracket this season. The Knights are back in the State Tournament for the first time since 1995. Each of their previous seven State experiences came during the pool-play format from 1980-95 and all of them came in Class A and Division 1. They had a string of four straight appearances from 1980-83, which produced a championship in 1982 and a runner-up finish in 1983. The Knights outlasted sectional final host Muskego 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 20-25, 15-6 to return to State for the first time in 26 years. They are the champions of the Southeastern Conference this fall.

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