WIAA Girls Volleyball State Tournament Preview - Division 2

Friday, November 3rd, 2023 -- 6:38 AM

The 51st State Girls Volleyball Tournament continues today thru Saturday 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 2 field.....

LAST YEAR: In Division 2, top-seeded Xavier captured the crown with a 25-21, 25-23, 15-25, 25-16 victory over second-seeded Sauk Prairie in the title match.

Girls Division 2

Friday, Nov. 3 - 2 p.m.

#1 Xavier (43-3) vs #4 Rice Lake (28-8)

#2 Pewaukee (37-12) vs #3 McFarland (35-10)

Saturday, Nov. 4 - 2:30 p.m.

Championship Match

ABOUT THE GIRLS DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Defending champion Xavier received the #1 seed. The Hawks are making their sixth State appearance. In addition to their State championship, they were also runners-up in 2006 and 2009. This season, they swept Kettle Moraine Lutheran 25-15, 25-16, 25-13 in the Wrightstown Sectional final to earn their opportunity to earn back-to-back titles. They are the champions in the Bay Conference this season. Pewaukee, the #2 seed, qualifies for the State Tournament for the second time in the past three seasons and for the seventh time overall. The Pirates’ first five experiences were during the pool-play format era. The Pirates won back-to-back Class B championships in 1974-75 and placed runners-up in 1976. This season, they swept St. Thomas More 25-20, 25-12, 25-21 in the Lakeside Lutheran Sectional final to advance to the State semifinals. They were the champions in the West Division of the Woodland Conference during the regular season. Third-seeded McFarland returns to State for the fifth time and essentially for the fourth time in the past five seasons, including the alternate season played in spring of 2021 because of COVID-19. The Spartans’ most notable accomplishments at State were runner-up finishes in that alternate season and in 2019. This fall, they are the champions in the Small Division of the Badger Conference, and the Spartans downed Sauk Prairie 25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 28-26 to win the sectional final match played at Dodgeville. Rice Lake is the #4 seed in the bracket. The Warriors are making their third appearance at State and their first since 2008, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. Their first experience was in Class A in 1979 when they recorded a 5-9 record in the pool-play. The Warriors defeated Waupaca in four sets 25-20, 25-12, 18-25, 25-16 in the Merrill Sectional final to punch their ticket to the Resch Center. They placed fifth in the Big Rivers Conference during the regular-season.

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.