WIAA Girls Volleyball State Tournament Preview - Division 1

Tuesday, October 31st, 2023 -- 11:13 AM

The 51st State Girls Volleyball Tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 2-4, at the Resch Center in Green Bay.  Of the 472 programs eligible for the girls volleyball tournament, eight teams will play for the State title in Division 1 with four teams still in contention for the State crown in Divisions 2, 3 and 4.  Here's a preview of the Division 1 field.....

LAST YEAR-GIRLS:  Second-seeded Divine Savior Holy Angels won the Division 1 title with 25-16, 25-16, 18-25, 18-25, 15-13 triumph over former defending champion and top-seeded Oconomowoc in the championship match.

Girls Division 1

Thursday, Nov. 2

#2 Oconomowoc (39-3) vs. #7 Burlington (31-9) - 1 p.m.

#3 Appleton North (32-7) vs. # 6 Franklin (29-14) - 1 p.m.

#1 Divine Savior Holy Angels (44-1) vs. #8 River Falls (26-13)  - 7 p.m.

#4 Hamilton (30-11) vs. #5 Waunakee (38-8) - 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 3 - 7:30 p.m.

Semifinal (Thursday's 1 p.m. winners)

Semifinal (Thursday's 7 p.m. winners)

Saturday, Nov. 4 - 7:30 p.m.

Championship Match

ABOUT THE GIRLS DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels was issued the top seed in the bracket. The Dashers qualify for the second straight season and for the 12th time overall. In addition to winning the championship last season, they also captured the crown in 2001 and added back-to-back titles in 2014-15. They also advanced to the title match and finished runner-up in 2012. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Dashers won WISAA titles in 1972 and 1985. This season, they defeated Menomonee Falls 25-20, 25-14, 25-18 in the sectional final hosted by DSHA to earn their opportunity to win back-to-back championships. The Dashers were crowned champions in the Greater Metro Conference this fall. Last year’s runner-up Oconomowoc is the #2 seed in the bracket. The Raccoons return to the State Tournament for the seventh time in the past nine years, which accounts for the Raccoons overall number of experiences at State. They won their lone championship in 2021. The Raccoons also advanced to the championship match in 2015 and back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019, finishing runner-up on each of these three occasions. This season, the Raccoons defeated Arrowhead 23-25, 30-28, 25-15, 25-19 in the sectional final held at Beaver Dam to continue their quest for another title. They are the champions in the Classic Eight Conference this season. Appleton North is the #3 seed in the bracket. The Lightning will be appearing in their ninth State Tournament overall and essentially their fifth in a row, including the alternate season when they won the championship. They qualify this season after downing Bay Port 25-17, 25-21, 25-19 in the sectional final played at Kimberly. The Lightning finished atop the Fox Valley Association standings this fall. Hamilton is seeded fourth in the bracket. They won the championship the last time they qualified in 2020 with a reduced field of teams because of the COVID-19 mitigation accommodations. The Chargers’ first State experience came in 1986 when they qualified in Class A. That experience resulted in a 3-5 record in a pool play format. This season, they advance to the State semifinals following a hard-fought 20-25, 25-16, 24-22, 20-25, 15-12 win over Manitowoc Lincoln in the Neenah Sectional final. The Chargers placed second in the Greater Metro Conference standings this season behind Divine Savior Holy Angels. Waunakee is the fifth seed in the bracket. The Warriors will experience the State Tournament for the ninth time and for the first time since 2017. They have won four championships, including back-to-back Class B championships in 1985-86 and another in 1989. They added a Division 2 title in 1991 and were runners-up in Division 2 in 1990 and 1992. They downed Holmen 26-24, 26-24, 25-18 in the Monona Grove Sectional finals to advance to the State quarterfinals this season. The Warriors were the champions in the Large Division of the Badger Conference this fall. Sixth-seeded Franklin will appear in its second State Tournament. The only other experience for the Sabers was back in 1995 when the tourney featured a pool play format. They failed to advance out of their pool that season. The Sabers’ return to State comes virtue of a 22-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-17 win over Oak Creek in the Westosha Central Sectional final. They placed second in the Southeast Conference standings this season. Perennial qualifier Burlington, the seventh seed, qualifies for the 10th straight season and for the 15th time overall. The Demons have won four State championships with a pair of back-to-back titles. The first two came in 2011-12 and the most recent in 2017-18. They have also had a pair of runner-up finishes, coming in 2016 and 2020. The Demons return to the tourney field following a 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 victory over Mukwonago in the sectional final held at Elkhorn. They were the champions in the Southern Lakes Conference this season. Eighth-seeded River Falls qualifies for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, which accounts for the total number of appearances for the Wildcats. The most notable of their previous experiences was a runner-up finish in 2017. The Wildcats are back in the tourney field after a 27-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-22 win over Eau Claire Memorial in the sectional final played at Eau Claire North. They placed third in the Big Rivers Conference this fall.

FINALS TO AIR ON WIAA STATE TELEVISION NETWORK:  Watch the live broadcast of the WIAA State Boys and Girls Volleyball Tournament finals Saturday on the WIAA State Television Network of stations.  In our area:

Wausau

WAOW 9.2

Spectrum 14/610

TDS channel 35/1035

DISH Channel 10

Solarus Channel 10

La Crosse

WXOW 19.2

Spectrum 15/610

Mediacom 4/9/10/133/820

Eau Claire

WQOW 18.2

Spectrum 15/610

The finals will also be streamed live on the WIAA State Television Network station websites at no cost or registration on WKOW.com, WAOW.com, WXOW.com and WQOW.com. In addition, watch the championship finals live on the 27 News Now, News 9 WAOW , WXOW News 19 La Crosse and WQOW News apps.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.