By Jason Arndt
Editor
Any girls volleyball team can have an off night, even perennial state power Burlington, which just couldn’t keep up with Arrowhead’s aggressive hitters in a WIAA Division 1 state semifinal last Friday at the Resch Center.
The Demons, winners of back-to-back state championships, struggled against Division 1 University of Notre Dame recruit Aubrey Hamilton in the three-set loss, 25-19, 25-14, 25-16.
Hamilton, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, produced a match best 16 kills in the win for top-seeded Arrowhead (40-3).
“We knew how physical they were. We knew we had to get them out of system in order to be able to neutralize them,” said Burlington co-coach Teri Little. “They have so many different hitters that can hit from a variety of spots.”
Little said the fourth-seeded Demons had difficulty in serve-receive as well as hitting efficiency.
“We just couldn’t ever get any kind of offense going. We knew we had to serve and pass well. They came after us aggressively from the service line.”
The Demons’ setter, senior Kaley Blake, accounted for 20 assists, added two kills, a service ace and three digs.
Sophomore Morgan Klein led Burlington with seven kills.
Still a state power
Despite the loss, Burlington has a proven track record at the state ournament, where the Demons have made appearances in 10 of 11 seasons.
Senior Laren Baldowsky, a 6-foot middle blocker, credited Burlington’s culture for giving the team continuous success.
“I think one thing thing that we emphasize at Burlington is our culture, and it really helps us get here every year,” Baldowsky said. “Our skills and our team chemistry are also there every single year.”
Since 2016, when Baldowsky, Blake and three other seniors were freshmen, Burlington has won back-to-back state championships along with state runners-up honors.
Little, who agreed with Baldowsky, said the track record shows what Burlington is capable of.
“The results speak for themselves, the effort that they have put in over the year, like Laren talked about, the seniors helped contribute to that team culture,” she said.
“All of those five players, they will absolutely be missed.”
Senior Emily Alan, part of both state championship teams, said her fondest memory will always be taking home the gold balls.
“Those will forever be my favorite memories,” said Alan.
Alan finished second on the Demons with five kills in the state semifinal.
She contributed 19 kills and five block assists in Burlington’s state quarterfinal victory against Union Grove on Nov. 7.
For Blake, she has played a critical role in Demons state run, starting as freshman on the state runner-up team.
Blake accounted for 68 total assists through two state tournament games, including 48 in Burlington’s defeat of Union Grove.
Senior defensive specialist Cayla Gutche led the Demons with eight digs against Arrowhead.
Burlington concludes its season 38-5 and Leach believes the squad met its expectations entering the 2019 season.
“We succeeded and we fulfilled the majority of those expectations,” she said. “In fact, at the state tournament, we made it to the semifinal match. I would say we fulfilled those high expectations.”
For the full story along with additional coverage of Burlington’s state run, see the Nov. 14 edition of the Standard Press, which also includes a “Meet the Demons” feature.
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