WIAA State Volleyball Preview: Division 1
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 -- 7:03 AM
The 43rd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Volleyball State Tournament will take place this Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 5-7, at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Here's a preview of the Division 1 field...Division 1
Thursday, Nov. 5
4:30 p.m. - D.C. Everest (31-7) vs. Divine Savior Holy Angels (43-5)
4:30 p.m. - Appleton North (34-9) vs. Greendale (44-3)
7:30 p.m. - Verona (33-5) vs. Burlington (42-3)
7:30 p.m. - Neenah (30-13) vs. Oconomowoc (29-3)
Friday, Nov. 6
7 p.m. - Semifinal (Thursday's 4:30 p.m. winners)
7 p.m. - Semifinal (Thursday's 7:30 p.m. winners)
Saturday, Nov. 7
4:30 p.m.
Championship Match
LAST YEAR: Divine Savior Holy Angels won the Division 1 title with a hard-fought 26-28, 25-11, 23-25, 25-21, 15-10 victory over Muskego in the championship final.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: This will be the eighth appearance for defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels. In addition to winning the title last year, the Dashers captured the crown in 2001 and finished runner-up in 2012. This season, they defeated Brookfield Central in five sets in the sectional final played at Whitefish Bay to gain their berth in the State quarterfinals. The Dashers are the champions of the Greater Metro Conference title this fall. Neenah returns to the State Tournament field for the third time in the past four seasons and for the 13th time overall. The Rockets have won one title, that came in 1978. They have finished runner-up on four occasions (1977, 1979, 1980 and 1992). They advance to the State quarterfinals this season by defeating Cedarburg in four sets in the final of the Fond du Lac Sectional. The Rockets placed atop the Fox Valley Conference standings during the regular season. D.C. Everest embarks on its ninth appearance at State and its first since a run of three straight ended in 2009. The Evergreens furthest advance in the tournament was to the semifinals in 2007. They acquired their tournament berth this year with a three-set sweep over Marshfield in the Wausau West Sectional. The Evergreens finished third in the Wisconsin Valley Conference standings this season. Burlington qualifies for the State Tournament for the second straight season and for the seventh time overall. The Demons have won two State championships, those coming back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. Their return to the quarterfinals comes following a three-set sweep over Westosha Central in the Badger Sectional final. They finished first in the Southern Lakes Conference standings this season. Appleton North will be making its second appearance in the last three seasons and its third overall. The Lightnings' first experience in the State Tournament occurred in 1998, and their most recent appearance in 2013 resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals. They qualify this season following a three-set win over Hortonville in the sectional hosted at Appleton North. The Lightning finished runner-up in the Fox Valley Association standings this season behind tournament qualifier Neenah. Greendale returns to the State Tournament for the first time since qualifying in Class A in 1979, which was during the pool-play era. The Panthers' most notable outcome of those three previous experiences was a runner-up finish in 1974. They advance to the quarterfinals this year following a three-set victory over Muskego in the Greenfield Sectional final. The Panthers won the Woodland Conference championship this season. Verona is making its second State Tournament appearance. The Wildcats' first experience resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals in 2011. They earned their berth this year by downing Sun Prairie in three sets in the Waunakee Sectional final. The Wildcats were the champions of the Big Eight Conference this season. Oconomowoc has qualified for the State Tournament for the first time following the Racoons four-set victory over Arrowhead in the final that was played at Arrowhead. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference this season.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES ON FS WISCONSIN: Watch the broadcast of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball finals matches Saturday on FS Wisconsin and the FS Wisconsin alternate channel. The Division 4 and the Division 3 title games will be aired live on FS Wisconsin alternative channel at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. The Division 2 and Division 1 championships finals will be aired on the FS Wisconsin at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.
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