Lady Demons secure 7th state trip in eight years
By Mike Ramczyk
Burlington senior Megan Wallace stood on one side of the net Tuesday evening at Burlington High School, serving the ball.
On the other side were her Demons teammates, each laying face-down on the court.
Wallace’s goal was simple – hit a teammate with the ball and earn points.
The playful atmosphere included a scrimmage and a game where the girls hit the ball up to themselves, while knocking teammates’ balls out of their hands.
Whoever kept her ball alive the longest won. Sophomore Maddie Berezowitz was the last woman standing.
It was competition day, a rare treat reserved for state week.
The Lady Demons are two days out from their third straight and seventh state tournament appearance in eighth years Thursday night at the Resch Center in Green Bay.
Burlington (37-9) faces two-time defending state champion Divine Savior Holy Angels (34-11) in a WIAA Division 1 quarterfinal at 4:30 p.m.
“It never gets old,” said head coach Teri Leach. “That one year out of the seven you don’t go, it reminds you of how difficult it is to get there. It’s never something that you take for granted.”
The second-seeded Lady Demons knocked off No. 4 Fort Atkinson, 25-18, 26-24, 25-21, Saturday night in Burlington to capture the sectional championship.
In the second set, Burlington was in serious trouble, down 23-17.
But senior Reba Thomsen reeled off two straight aces, and an Alyssa Turzenski kill made it 23-21.
Turzenski and Abby Koenen added back-to-back kills, and a tip kill gave the Demons a 25-24 lead.
Koenen slammed home the winning point, and the furious 9-1 rally was exactly the spark the team needed.
“Reba started us on a great serving run, and we didn’t give up,” Leach said. “Fort pressured us the whole match, and in the second set things weren’t going our way. It was a big momentum turn in the match. If we wouldn’t have been able to get that second set, it could have been a really long night.”
Thomsen led the team with 12 kills.
“We really started competing and realizing we really wanted it,” Thomsen said.
In the third set, Leach said the team found better ways to score.
“We were more effective offensively,” she said. “We finally found ways to break down their defense.”
Berezowitz led the team with 15 digs, and Turzenski and Kaley Blake each added 10.
Blake dished out 25 assists, and Turzenski added nine kills.
Demons rely on team concept
After the departure of nine seniors a season ago including all-state performers Quinn Spieker, Phoebe Hozeska and Ali Rueter, the Demons don’t feature a 6-foot powerhouse on the outside.
Instead, they rely on a well-rounded, deep squad that can beat you in a lot of different ways.
“Not nearly as physical, but definitely as talented as last year,” Leach said. “We spread the ball around a lot more and are more multi-dimensional. This group of kids has set the bar high right from the beginning. They do a ton together off the court, as well as on the court. They’re a unit.”
On the court, the girls trust each other enough to give constructive criticism, while off the court they gather for team dinners.
Last weekend, they visited an apple orchard.
“It’s really exciting, I’m very impressed by everything that’s happened this year,” Thomsen said. “A lot of it is our team chemistry. We all know that we’re playing for each other all the time.”
Senior Mackenzie Zwiebel, a senior defensive specialist who contributed two aces in the sectional final, said the Demons mesh together and respect each other.
“We worked hard, and we’re really comfortable with each other,” she said. “We hang around each other all the time, and it’s really special to share it with these girls.”
For Turzenski, who leads by example and has been a force all four years, this year’s state berth has been satisfying.
“It’s more exciting this year because I feel like we had to fight more to get here,” she said. “We had some challenges because we’re so used to having the height and that one main player.”
Senior Megan Wallace, known for her toe touches to get the team hyped, said it’s cool to finish off her career at state.
“I try to bring high energy and pick them up,” she said. “We’re doing great things, and we need to continue to show it at state.”
In it to win it
Despite participating in a few of the same tournaments as DSHA, Burlington hasn’t faced its state opponent this season.
DSHA is a perennial state power and will be a formidable foe.
The Dashers are making their ninth state appearance, compared to Burlington’s eight.
“Dan and I haven’t even had the opportunity to watch them this year,” Leach said. “It’s unusual we haven’t played them. Once you get to state, it all comes down to who can step up and perform. We want to play loose and confident and have fun.”
Senior middle blocker Angie Tuchel says the goal is simple – win.
“I think it’s going to take working as a team and having fun,” she said.
Thomsen said playing the game loose and taking things point by point will lead to success.
“Like our coaches say, we don’t have to be perfect, we just have to be good,” said Zwiebel.
Turzenski stressed preparation.
“We’ve prepared a lot yesterday and today for DSHA,” she said. “Every point is important, and we need to fight in every single match. The more we prepare, the better looks we’ll have.”
If you go
Who: Burlington (37-9) vs. Divine Savior Holy Angels (34-11)
What: WIAA Division 1 state tournament
Where: Resch Center, 1901 S. Oneida St., Green Bay
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $8 per session, with school ticket packages available. To order tickets online, go to the WIAA website at: www.wiaawi.org/Tickets.aspx.
The skinny on DSHA – This will be the ninth appearance for two-time defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels. In addition to winning the last two titles, the Dashers captured the crown in 2001 and finished runner-up in 2012. This season, they defeated Brookfield East in three sets in the sectional final hosted by the Dashers to gain their berth in the State quarterfinals. The Dashers finished second to Brookfield East in the Greater Metro Conference this fall.
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