Demons capture tournament title
By Mike Ramczyk
Correspondent
The Burlington girls volleyball team has to like this feeling.
Despite owning a 30-4 record, including an undefeated mark in the Southern Lakes Conference, and the distinction of being the back-to-back defending WIAA Division 1 state champion, it almost feels like Burlington is somehow flying under the radar.
They are ranked No. 3 in the area, mostly due to the fact that they didn’t win either big tournament, the Lynn LaPorte Sprawl or the Joust.
But the state rankings are a bit more surprising.
Burlington is No. 6 in Division 1, seemingly not too close to the upper echelon.
But for some reason, the state tends to sleep on this team, and then the state tournament comes and they beat everyone.
Head coach Teri Little is taking it in stride.
Her girls quietly just won the Westosha Smash Saturday at Central High School, knocking off state-ranked East Troy along with Catholic Memorial. They also edged top-ranked Lake Country Lutheran as well No. 3 Wisconsin Lutheran in Division 2.
Little said it was a great opportunity to play everyone.
“Winning the Smash was a great day,” Little said. “It confirms that we are making the necessary gains to be competing as we enter the playoffs shortly.”
“The team received contributions from all, which is critical at this point in the season. They are really operating as a unit in all areas of their game. Our ball control was at a high level and allowed us to control the style and tempo of play.”
The competition wasn’t even really close, as the Demons’ closest set on the day was 25-22 against Lake Country Lutheran.
Otherwise, Burlington boasted scores of 25-18 (LCL), 25-10, 25-6 (Catholic Memorial) and 25-17, 25-15 (Wisconsin Lutheran).
Senior setter Kaley Blake, a Division 1 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit, is back at full strength and running the show on the court.
She finished Saturday with a team-leading 51 assists and 13 digs.
Junior libero Sam Naber, who will play college volleyball at Marquette University, paced the team defensively in digs with 29.
A strong hitting percentage as a team of 26 percent was highlighted by middle blocker Emily Alan’s 29 kills and .431 hitting percentage.
Alan continues to show her versatility, as the 6-foot senior led the team with five blocks.
Sophomore Morgan Klein added 23 kills, and Mackenzie Leach tallied 17.
Lydia Biggin contributed eight kills.
The Demons have emphasized serving aggressively all season, and it was on display at Westosha.
Cayla Gutche paced the club with 11 aces while Leach added six.
Naber stayed alert in serve-receive as well, posting a pass average of 2.24.
The Demons take their undefeated conference record into Saturday’s SLC tournament at Delavan-Darien High School.
The only other ranked team in the SLC is Union Grove, which is No. 8 and boasts a 35-4 mark.
In the Demons’ lone match against the Broncos, Burlington won, 3-1.
To read the entire story, see the Oct. 17 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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