(1) Burlington def. (8) Stoughton, 25-13, 25-17, 25-18
Burlington two wins away from sixth state trip in seven years
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
You have to go all the way back to 2001 if you want to find the last time the Burlington girls volleyball squad didn’t make the WIAA sectionals.
That year, ironically, Burlington co-coach Teri Leach was a senior on the Lady Demons, who were ousted by Kenosha Tremper in a Division 1 regional final.
After that, sectionals became a way of life.
Though Burlington advanced to the sectional from 2002 to 2008, Westosha Central would often eliminate the Demons.
By 2009, Burlington became the alpha female.
The Lady Demons have made the WIAA state tournament five of the last six years, with gold ball trophies in 2011 and 2012.
While the Demons were only a game away from the state championship match last year, their quest for the ultimate prize started smoothly Saturday night in Burlington.
The Demons (41-3) made quick work of the visiting Vikings, and they now advance to the Elkhorn Sectional with a 5 p.m. sectional semifinal match slated for Thursday at Elkhorn High School against fourth-seeded Milton.
“The Stoughton match was a solid win,” said Leach. “We were able to get contributions from all 15 players on our roster and control the style of play.”
Burlington had little trouble in front of its home crowd.
Quinn Spieker paced the ladies with 14 kills and had a solid hitting percentage of .323. Ali Rueter added six kills.
Reba Thomsen led the way with 17 assists, and Alyssa Wawrzyniakowski added 10.
Spieker and Rueter also took charge defensively, as both contributed 11 digs.
Alyssa Turzenski and Thomsen each added 7 digs.
On Thursday at Elkhorn, Burlington and Milton play at 5, and third-seeded Westosha Central faces second-seeded Kenosha Tremper at 7 p.m.
The Demons have beaten Central and Tremper multiple times this season but haven’t faced Milton.
“We have a strong sectional,” Leach said. “We know very little about our opponent on Thursday (Milton) and will come into that match worrying about controlling and executing our own play. We have seen Kenosha Tremper and Westosha Central numerous times this season and know they are very strong teams.”
“It will come down to performance down the stretch. Any team that brings their best game is capable of winning.”
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