Patience pays off for Grunze, Michalowski
By Jennifer Eisenbart
News Editor
Heading into last weekend’s Southern Lakes Conference tournament, Waterford Union High School girls volleyball coach Ashley Ingish knew something had to give.
If she played two injured seniors – Mikaela Grunze and Hannah Michalowski, both of whom play all six rotations – and the two didn’t have enough time to recover for the playoffs, a stated goal of winning a WIAA regional title might go unrealized.
So, Ingish made the sacrifice – and the Wolverines finished fifth.
The decision paid off Saturday, though, as the Wolverines rallied from a first-set deficit against Franklin and outlasted the Sabers for a 29-27, 25-12, 25-16 WIAA Division 1 regional title. The Wolverines advance to Thursday’s sectional at West Allis Hale.
It is the first sectional trip for Waterford since 1999, and Ingish – in just her second year as head coach – knew she’d made the right call the week before.
“All we kept thinking – get them healthy, get them healthy, get them healthy,” said Ingish, adding that both players rolled ankles at different times. “I’m so proud of (the team). They’ve battled.”
Ingish said the Wolverines ran into a red-hot Franklin squad in the first set, and the result was a frequent deficit. However, she said the team regrouped and worked on getting the ball to its hitters (including standout sophomore Mia Grunze).
“That’s when the momentum started to shift,” Ingish said.
The Wolverines then rolled to the victory. Mia Grunze finished the match with 21 kills on a .357 hitting percentage. Her sister, Mikaela, and Logan Klein added five kills each while Michalowski had four.
Klein finished with 22 assists, while Taylor Juran added 14. Three players were in double digits for digs – Mia Grunze with 17, while Michalowski and Mikaela Grunze added 14 each.
In the sectional semifinals, the Wolverines are scheduled to play Greendale, a team with numerous weapons that earned the No. 1 seed in the sectional. The Lady Panthers swept West Allis Hale out of the tournament Saturday, and are currently ranked fifth in the state.
“I’m excited,” said Ingish. “We haven’t seen them yet. It’s not a team you’ve struggled against in the past. They haven’t seen us, we haven’t seen them.”
The Wolverines against the Panthers is the first match of the two-match slate. Following them on the court is a rematch of last year’s sectional semifinal – fellow SLC opponent Union Grove against Muskego.
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