By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
The match certainly lived up to its billing.
The two best girls volleyball teams in the Southern Lakes Conference, Burlington and Union Grove, squared off for the first time this season Tuesday night in Burlington.
After a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle, the Demons showed why they’re the top-ranked team in the state and the favorite to win conference.
Quinn Spieker went off for 28 kills, including the game-winner, and Burlington held off a late rally from the Broncos to win, 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 27-25.
Burlington improved to 4-0 in the SLC, while Union Grove suffered its first conference loss.
After the match, Burlington coach Teri Leach said it was a big win.
“Grove played us wonderfully,” she said. “Overall, I’m excited we were able to come away with the win. We had a good game plan, and we did exactly what we were asked to do.”
Union Grove coach Sarah Busalacchi was proud of her team’s effort, and she said the Broncos are a force to be reckoned with.
“They fought to the very end,” she said about her girls. “They understood they’re just as good as Burlington. We’re worthy of a top-10 ranking. They put in more time than most teams. They lift twice a week at 6 a.m. I’m looking forward to playing Burlington again at the conference tournament.”
“I can’t complain with the way we played.”
Broncos come back, but Demons step up
After losing the first two games, the Broncos showed their resiliency and mental toughness in game three. The teams battled to a 23-23 tie, but Kylie Wilks delivered an ace to give the Grove a 24-23 lead.
On the next point, Savannah Kohlhagen placed a kill in the back right corner, just beyond Burlington’s diving libero Teagan Taylor.
Union Grove’s defense helped it get back in the game. Libero Kelley Becker totaled 32 digs, many of which were high-powered spikes from Spieker.
The momentum carried over to game four, as vicious kills from Frankie Pettit and Kohlhagen gave the Grove an 18-13 lead.
But after a Burlington timeout, the Demons went on a 14-7 run to finish the game.
Wilks skied for a kill to give the Grove a 23-22 lead, but Burlington’s Ali Rueter answered to tie it back up at 23-23.
The score knotted at 24-24 and 25-25 before Burlington finally gained the upper hand.
On a ball that looked like a certain Grove kill, Burlington’s Robyn Robers kept the ball alive and Taylor got low with one arm on the ground to save the ball.
The Demons went up 26-25 on a Leah Hofer block, and Spieker, a candidate for national player of the year, slammed home the game-winner to seal the deal.
“When we were down in game four, we made a nice defensive push and stopped their attack,” Leach said. “When it was tied late, Robyn Robers came up with amazing dig, Leah Hofer had a stuff block and Ali Rueter had a big kill. Kids stepped up and made big plays when we needed to.”
Taylor, who was all over the floor saving loose balls, finished with 36 digs to lead Burlington. Spieker added 19.
Rueter added eight kills.
Reba Thomsen dished out 52 assists.
Tay Lewis led the Demons in blocks with 3.5.
For the Grove, Kohlhagen had 16 kills, followed by Wilks’ 12.
Melissa Gramza tallied 41 assists, and Pettit had three blocks.
Won’t get any easier for Demons
This was the first tough match of a hard week for the Demons. Burlington travels to the Sprawl in West Bend this weekend, which features a who’s who of state team.
Next week, Burlington must battle long-time rivals Westosha Central and Muskego. Muskego is ranked No. 5 in the state in Division 1.
“We’ve got a big week coming up,” Leach said. “It’s a good test to see what we’re made of. Our ball control has to stay consistent, and we must continue to execute.”
Busalacchi’s bunch doesn’t compete again until Sept. 30 at Lake Geneva Badger.
“If we play the way we played tonight, nothing can stand in our way,” she said.
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