Lady Demons now 40-3, ranked No. 1 in the state
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Any suspicions of the Burlington girls volleyball team being vulnerable or in trouble based on their upset loss to Westosha Central a few weeks back were emphatically erased last weekend.
The Lady Demons knocked off Division 1’s top team, DSHA, and Division 2’s top squad, Catholic Memorial, two teams that beat Burlington earlier this season, and won the Westosha Central Smash with relative ease.
For good measure, Burlington beat No. 8 Appleton North and Kenosha Tremper to go a perfect 4-0 for the afternoon.
The performance bumped the Demons from No. 3 to No. 1 in the state in Division 1, according to latest Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
“It was a solid day,” said Burlington coach Teri Leach. “We knew all nine teams are competitive, and it felt good to be able to put together some big matches back-to-back and come out on top. It shows we are still moving in the right direction.”
Burlington (39-3) now turns to Saturday’s Southern Lakes Conference tournament at Westosha Central. The Demons will have a chance to beat the Falcons after falling to them Sept. 30 at home.
The Demons will look for their second straight conference crown.
“We will utilize whatever lineup is necessary to compete, which could look at different matchups based on who’s performing and what is working best,” Leach said. “That’s impossible to predict, but we know we have 18 players ready to contribute at any time.”
Last Saturday, Burlington controlled the ball well in the championship match against DSHA.
“Our serve-receive was outstanding in our wins, which allowed us to distribute the ball offensively,” Leach said. “Our blocking and defense was strong and gave us multiple chances to convert offensively if needed.”
The Smash was another instance where the Demons used different lineups for the first time this season. Leach said the team’s flexibility and depth allows for this kind of experimentation.
The offensive attack was led by Quinn Spieker with 40 kills, and Ali Rueter added 27.
Abby Koenen totaled 16, and Megan Wallace had 15.
Spieker finished with a team-high seven aces along with four blocks and 35 digs.
Reba Thomsen led the squad with 53 assists, and Brooklyn Vandehei added 37. Vandehei also served well with five aces.
Wallace paced the squad with eight blocks and boasted a .480 hitting percentage.
Junior libero Alyssa Turzenski led the team with 49 digs, and Ali Rueter added 32.
A total of 14 Demons entered the stat sheet.
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