Burlington def. Union Grove, 25-16, 25-22, 25-9
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Burlington volleyball star Quinn Spieker, a candidate for state player of the year, had to wait patiently for a week before Tuesday night’s Southern Lakes tilt at Union Grove.
The 6-foot-2 outside hitter, whose right arm has as much power as just about anyone, hasn’t been able to swing her arm above her head and hit her normal ball since the Sprawl tournament Sept. 26.
Spieker was able finally hit again Tuesday, and setter Reba Thomsen, who had missed most of the season with an injury, also came back to help spark the Demons to an emphatic sweep of host Union Grove.
Senior night was spoiled as Burlington won, 25-16, 25-22, 25-9, and regained some of its swagger after an Sept. 29 loss to Westosha Central damaged the Demons’ chances at a conference championship.
Spieker, who had 11 kills, four aces and a solid .375 hitting percentage, said it felt good to be back.
“I’ve practiced, but I haven’t hit for about a week and a half,” she said after Tuesday’s match. “We’re trying to get connections back, and I’m a little slow right now. I had bursitis in my shoulder and a weak rotator cuff from hitting so much over the years. It finally got to me.”
“I was a little off tonight, but I thought our team contributed really well. That’s why we dominated them on the court.”
Thomsen made a splash with 26 assists, and Alyssa Wawrzyniakowski returned after missing last game with seven assists.
Also, Abby Koenen led the team with 12 kills.
It was the first lineup with Thomsen and Spieker on the court at the same time since August.
Burlington, Union Grove and Westosha Central are all 5-1 now atop the SLC.
The Demons improved to 31-3 overall. The Broncos dropped to 27-12.
“If we’re working our hardest at the right times, nobody can beat us other than ourselves,” Spieker added.
The Grove led, 17-12, in game two, and seemed on its way to tying up the match. But Burlington went on a flurry with Ali Rueter, Koenen, Spieker and Tay Lewis leading the attack.
Burlington coach Teri Leach said different lineups have been the story of the season.
“We knew we had our toughest stretch of the season with Union Grove and Westosha back-to-back,” she said. “The wheels came off against Central. It’s tough to come back mentally from that. We knew Union Grove was sitting atop the conference, and we had to come in and make a statement.”
Leach added that lineups will have to keep changing in the coming weeks, including this weekend at the Westosha Central Smash tournament.
“We’ve been in a 5-1, a 6-2, and we have to do what works best in each game,” she said. “We were in a 6-2 all night tonight, and the hitting percentages were fabulous. Last week was unexpected, and it was good to bounce back.”
Burlington enjoyed a .395 hitting percentage, a large leap over a negative team percentage against Central. The Demons played to their strengths and played faster, Leach said.
Spieker, Lewis and Phoebe Hozeska sometimes triple-teamed Grove at the net and thwarted the Broncos’ Division 1 recruit Kylie Wilks.
Wilks was held to seven kills.
Burlington has a chance at revenge against the two teams other than Central that handed the Demons a loss this season, DSHA and Catholic Memorial, in Paddock Lake at Saturday’s Westosha Central Smash.
“We’ve got Catholic Memorial and Kenosha Tremper in our pool, so it’s two really solid teams right off the bat,” Leach said. “We know the SLC tournament will be a dog fight. Grove’s a great team, and we know we have to come out and perform to beat them again.”
Burlington, Central and Grove will battle at the SLC tournament Saturday, Oct. 17 at Westosha Central High School. The tournament winner will be the conference champion.
Alyssa Turzenski added 15 digs for the Demons. Maren Franzke had two aces.
Brynn Hetland led the Broncos with 16 assists. Kelley Becker had 12 digs.
“I’m disappointed because we didn’t play to our potential,” Union Grove coach Anne Sireno said. “We should’ve won the second game, but we have to be able to pass better. We have to be able to have other people hit besides Kylie, but Burlington had great blocking.”
“I told the girls after the game that I’m excited to see them in the conference tournament, and I think we can beat them.”
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