By Mike Ramczyk
MILWAUKEE – Burlington fans can try to blame it on the quick turnaround, playing a match just 16 hours after an emotionally-draining, physically-grueling five-game battle.
Or they can point to the fact that the Burlington boys volleyball team beat itself and played its worst at the absolute most inopportune time – the state tournament.
But make no mistake about it. On Saturday morning in a WIAA state semifinal, Milwaukee Marquette was flat-out better than the Demons.
But that’s OK. And it’s certainly no disrespect to unseeded Burlington. The Demons did all they could to quell the state’s No. 1 team. However, Marquette was virturally unbeatable, finishing with an unheard-of .373 hitting percentage with only 10 errors to 38 kills.
Marquette cruised to a 25-15, 25-14, 25-9 victory and improved to 27-4. The defending state champs will go for another title Saturday night against New Berlin.
Burlington finished its season 17-12.
The front-running Hilltoppers led the entire match, with Burlington getting to within three points twice in the 54-minute tilt. Keep in mind it took two hours for the Demons to come back and beat Middleton Friday night.
Marquette had an answer for every Burlington attack. When the Demons set up outside, four Hilltopper hands jumped just a couple inches higher for the block. When Burlington changed it up with tip kills in the middle, Marquette’s quickness wouldn’t let the ball fall. Marquette was on another level from the first serve to the last point.
And then there was the Mark Heinen factor. The Marquette senior dominated with 10 kills, zero errors, four digs, four blocks and an ace. His best ball was unsaveable, and five more ‘Toppers had four or more kills.
So what went wrong for the Demons?
“They had a really deep bench and so many talented players,” said Ketterhagen, who had nine kills but also nine errors. “They blocked, passed and served well, so it was tough to beat them.”
Burlington started the season with six off-the-court suspensions and a 2-4-1 record but shaped up and came together around the beginning of October. After their first win streak, the Demons finished the season 10-4 including a four-game streak.
“It was a great year. Nobody expected us to be here,” Ketterhagen added. “We definitely exceeded expectations, and that feels really good. There’s no shame in losing to a great team like that.”
“We really bonded as a team. We didn’t care that people didn’t think we could make it this far. We were one of the four best teams in the state. I made a lot of friendships in my career. This is a second family for us.”
Marquette dominated from jump
Burlington was shut down in the first game, a 25-15 loss, as the Demons only tallied three kills with four hitting errors. Seven of the team’s points came from Marquette service errors. The other five were on Hilltoppers’ spikes that sailed out of bounds. It was a struggle from the jump.
After a negative hit percentage in game one, the Demons improved to .036 in game two but regressed to .000 in game three.
Game two offered a brief flicker of hope. Down 17-13 and riding momentum off two Tanner Swantz kills, Ketterhagen skied high to slam home what looked like a kill down the left sideline. In what turned out to be a game-changer, the referee called the ball out. Down 18-13, Burlington coach Kayla Uhlenhake tried to calm things down with a timeout.
Marquette, invigorated after the break, finished the game on an 8-1 run. A microcosm of a frustrating match, when it rained, it poured.
“We didn’t put up a fight,” Uhlenhake said. “I expected more. I think we were in a little bit of a funk. This morning at the hotel, guys seemed confident. I’m not sure what happened.”
“Tanner did a great job giving us a spark in game two. But the spark would only last for a couple points before dwindling. The guys were looking at the scoreboard and lost focus. It was more what we did. I don’t think it’s anything they did in particular. The intensity, the fire we had yesterday was missing today. Serve-receive wise, we weren’t in system much. When Marquette’s in system, they’re an unstoppable team. We didn’t get them out of system.”
Game three was more of a formality than anything as Marquette erupted with a 10-2 start. Pretty soon, it was 21-7 and the Demons were playing for pride. Ketterhagen left it all on the court and added two more vicious kills before the game finally ended.
Several players broke down in tears, and teammates hugged each other. The tears didn’t last long, as the seven seniors hammed it up in the post-game interview.
Though the writing was on the wall by game three, it still doesn’t hit home until the last ball drops.
“I can call these guys my friends because of volleyball,” said Batchelor, one of the seniors. “That won’t go away because the season is over. I’m grateful for that.”
Senior Tedman Yonash said the boys bonded the most over team dinners and fun practices like the “short shorts” practice. Varsity sports are certainly about winning, but team chemistry and camaraderie can trump even the darkest hour.
“We had so much fire and passion to come out and beat Marquette,” he said. “We wanted to prove everyone wrong. I will miss messing around at practices.”
“I’ll never play with these guys again. That sucks,” said senior Jacob Drettwan.
Senior Eli Miller will miss the intensity on the court.
“We always have each other’s backs,” he said. “I will miss that a lot.”
Swantz added six kills for the Demons. Batchelor had two kills.
Zach DeRosier led the team with six digs, Miller added five and Ketterhagen and Zach Morrow each added four.
Drettwan totaled 15 assists.
Marquette finished with 5.5 team blocks compared to 1 for Burlington. The Demons couldn’t get things going offensively and finished with a .000 hitting percentage as a team.
Overcoming the odds
At the end of the day, this was a team that wasn’t supposed to be at state, let alone a deep postseason run.
The Demons took the criticism from online chat boards and the disrespect of not being ranked all season and turned it into a positive. Burlington was in position to win its division of the Southeast Conference despite having a brand new coach and taking a full month to get on the same page.
Their resolve, perseverance and conviction that they were a good team all along led the Demons to nine straight game victories in the postseason (three straight 3-0 matches) and a miraculous state tournament match win Friday after trailing two games to nothing.
Guys like Cramer and Miller fired up their teammates on the court with ferocious antics and encouragement, and Ketterhagen and Drettwan combined to make one of the best setter-hitter duos in the state. Don’t forget about players like DeRosier, Morrow, Batchelor and Swantz, who are straight-up talented all-around volleyball players.
The foundation has been laid under Uhlenhake, who is sure to invoke passion and dedication among future Demon volleyball hopefuls. The lower levels are strong, as many of the city’s youth participate on club teams. You can bet that Uhlenhake’s unwavering enthusiasm, ability to relate to her team and deep volleyball knowledge will resonate with players for years to come.
After five state tournament trips in only 18 years, including a runner-up trophy in 2012, don’t expect Burlington to go away any time soon. Life is good for the boys volleyball program.
“We had so many ups and downs this past year, and we weren’t always where we wanted to be,” Uhlenhake said. “We weren’t ranked all season, but to say this is where we finished is huge for us. They can’t take away the fact that we made it here and we tied for third in state.”
So what did the fun-loving, energetic Uhlenhake learn?
“I learned how ADD teenage boys are,” she joked. “But honestly, one thing I liked is we never stopped fighting. They never stopped believing in themselves even though we had those downs. Coming in, I wasn’t sure how much I would like it. At times, I was like, ‘I can’t do this.’ But I wouldn’t take any of it back. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
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