Burlington opens state tournament vs Verona Thursday night
By Jason Arndt
STAFF WRITER
LAKE GENEVA – Just when Westosha Central High School had a handle on the Demons in the WIAA Division 1 Sectional final, 6-foot-2 senior hitter Quinn Spieker shifted momentum in favor of Burlington High School Saturday at Badger High School.
Spieker, who amassed 16 kills and nine digs, carried the Demons to a 3-0 sweep, punching its ticket to the state tournament for the sixth time in seven years.
“We seen have them before, we know they are a fighting team and intense,” Spieker said. “We knew we had to do really well.”
The senior hitter was limited in action in the first meeting with the Falcons, leading to a 3-0 stunning loss at home earlier in the season.
After Westosha Central jumped to an early 6-3 lead in the first set, the Demons responded with a 6-0 run, and eventually won 25-16.
Burlington faced a similar situation in the second set, trailing 8-5, before bouncing back to narrowly win 25-22.
Coach Daniel Lynch acknowledged the Demons were out of step at the start of the game.
“We were a little out of sync early on, but we were able to rally back,” Lynch said.
After the Demons sparked a 3-1 run in the second, the Falcons bounced back which concluded with a sophomore Devin Gillespie kill, giving Westosha Central a 10-9 lead.
Midway through the second set, Falcons’ leading blocker Abi Marcquenski stopped one of Spieker’s kills, diminishing the Demons’ lead to 14-13.
Junior Kaeley Mueller tied it 14-14 with one of her five kills of the evening, but the Demons took charge the rest of the set, winning 25-22.
Entering the game, Lynch had concerns about Westosha Central’s front row hitters, including Mueller, Marcquenski, Gillespie and freshman Laura Shoopman.
“We knew it would be a battle, they block really well, and that was one of our concerns,” Lynch said. “They blocked some shots and have a couple good hitters.”
In addition to Mueller, Gillespie and Shoopman each accumulated five kills for Westosha Central.
The Falcons continued to battle in the third set, having a 10-7 lead, but the Demons continued to dominate to win 25-21.
Westosha Central coach Charlie Berg said the Demons’ victory was not only indicative of Spieker’s night, but Burlington’s defensive prowess.
Defensively, juniors Alyssa Turzenski had 22 digs while Reba Thomsen pitched in with 14.
“We knew they had big hits offensively, and big blocks,” Berg said. “The big thing about them is they are defensive-minded, they handled the ball better than we did.”
Adding to the Demons’ mix were seniors Ali Rueter, who produced six kills and 10 digs while Emma Fettig pitched in nine assists.
Alyssa Turzenski led the way with 22 digs, and Reba Thomsen added 14.
Thomsen led the team with 19 assists. Phoebe Hozeska totaled four blocks.
Spieker said the mix was key for the Demons’ win against Westosha Central.
“They had some big blockers and we knew we had to mix up shots with high speed shots,” Spieker said.
Despite the sectional loss, Westosha Central returns all but two seniors next season, which Berg sees as an asset.
“The young girls on our team, the sophomores and freshman, they have grown in confidence,” Berg said. “They were tested here tonight, being in the sectional finals is really a learning experience.”
Along with Shoopman, freshman Sierra Lee contributed a team-high nine assists and Kennedy Muff added seven.
Additionally, the Falcons expect multiple juniors, including Mueller, Marcquenski and libero Sarah Blair, who led Westosha Central with 20 digs Saturday.
Senior captain Rachel Barthel chipped in with 11 digs for the Falcons.
The future excites Marcquenski, who believes their sectional appearance is a stepping stone.
“It is great and everybody else is going to have that experience at the sectional finals and am really excited to take it into next year,” Marcquenski said.
The Falcons concluded their season 30-20 overall (8-2 SLC) and Burlington improved to 43-3 (7-1 SLC).
While Westosha Central prepares for the offseason, Spieker said this state appearance brings a special meaning.
“It feels a lot more special knowing that we put it all on the floor and did what we wanted to,” Spieker said.
Burlington, the No. 1-ranked team in the state in Division 1, opens the state tournament Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. against Verona, which has an honorable mention state ranking.
The tournament is Thursday to Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay, across the street from Lambeau Field.
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