The Weyauwega-Fremont Lady Indians completed their 2010 volleyball season with a 13-12 match record and a 42-37 set record.
The team was seeded second going into Central Wisconsin 8 Conference pool play. At the end of pool play, the Indians finished fourth behind Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Stevens Point Pacelli and Bonduel. During regular season, the Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers were the only conference team to have defeated the talented WF squad.
The Indians had a young team out on the court this season, even with seniors making up half of the starting lineup. For a good part of the season, starters were at setter, returning letterwinner senior Kate Wieters; at left side hitter, sophomore Danielle Austreng; at middle, returning letterwinner and 2009 CWC 8 honorable mention award winner Danielle Johnson; at right side and setter, returning letterwinner Rachel Knecht; at left side, sophomore and returning letterwinner Bailey Kapitzke; at middle, senior and returning letterwinner Dacia Goetsch; and at libero, sophomore and returning letterwinner Teal Tomaszewski.
Substitute personnel for Kate in the front row were seniors and returning letterwinners Brittaney Billington and Kirsten Dailey. Senior and returning letterwinner Kaitlyn Akey also subbed in as a serving specialist and left-side defense. Making out the rest of the roster were sophomores Maggie Knecht at middle, Mariah Hulbert at utility and Sydney DeSantis and Kelsey Akey at right side and setter.
No. 4, Dacia Goetsch: Dacia finished her season with 72 games, 77 kills, .111 kill percentage, averaging 1 kill per game. Blocking was Dacia’s strength, as she finished second on the team with 34 block kills. Dacia worked hard on making a good seal on the net this season. With her long arms and a very decent vertical jump, she was able to put a roof on several kill attempts by the opponent. Dacia earned her second varsity letter this season
No. 10, Dani Johnson. Dani finished her season with 67 games, 141 kills, .137 kill percentage, averaging two kills per game, standing second on the team for kills. Dani suffered a moderate ankle sprain right out of the chute in the beginning of the season against Little Chute, so she was unable to play in the Marshfield tournament, which would have given her at least 10 more games. However, Dani still finished first in block kills with 48. Dani earned 2010 Best Blocker Award, third year varsity letter and CWC 8 all-conference first-team honors. We will miss Dani’s athletic presence on the court next season.
No. 11, Kirsten Dailey. Kirsten played an important role in the front row for the team this season, as she improved with every match and practice. By the end of the season, we could see more strength in her swing. Kirsten definitely worked hard and was a pleasure to coach. Kirsten obviously used her full potential on and off the court. From the bench, she could often see things happening on the other side of the net, being very observant of the opponents’ weaknesses and pointing them out to her team. Kirsten finishes the season with her second year varsity letter.
No. 12, Brittaney Billington: Out of all the girls, all of which improved, Brittaney showed the most strength and determination in coming on strong at the end of the season. It was like something finally clicked and we saw more consistent and confident play out of Brittaney. She is strong and athletic, but often failed to get her butterflies to fly in formation. We really saw a change in her in the last few weeks. Those changes made us a stronger team in the end. Brittaney finishes her season with her third varsity letter and team award of Most Improved.
No. 17, Kaitlyn Akey: Regardless of Kaitlyn’s position on the court or on the bench, she was the best team member this season. We often utilized Kaitlyn as a practice player. She spent much of her season pushing the starters to get better. Kaitlyn was a serving specialist this season earning a 91 percent from the end line. Regardless of where Kaitlyn was, she was always sure to get the team going. She is a great motivator and never gives up on a game. Kaitlyn finishes her season with her second varsity letter and the 2010 Coach’s Award.
No. 20, Rachel Knecht: Rachel stepped into one of the two setting positions this season. She spent the last two years playing front row, right side only. We needed another setter and Rachel fit the bill. What she accomplished this year was above and beyond what we could have asked. Rachel finished second in assists with 224, averaging three per game. Out of 77 games, she had 101 kills and led the team in kill percentage with .197. Rachel was second in service attempts with 246 and third in service points with 127. With Rachel’s obvious strengths that she brought to the team this season, they have voted her the 2010 MVP. She has also earned CWC 8 all-conference honorable mention honors and her third varsity letter.
No. 30, Kate Wieters: Kate was obviously our workhorse this season. Kate has an incredible “never-say-die” work ethic. She led her team in assists with 307, averaging four per game. Kate was also first in service aces with 35, first in service attempts and second in service points with a serve percentage of 83 percent. Kate had the best season of her varsity career due to several factors. The most important factor was that she was determined to be an outstanding setter this season. Kate finishes her season with her second varsity letter, 2010 Best Setter Award and CWC 8 all-conference honorable mention honors.
To complete the season review, we need to make note of the rest of the varsity lineup. The following players are expected to return in 2011 and in 2012. Our mission is to take conference and win deep into the playoffs with that final match being in the state tournament. This is a very strong group of sophomores who will come in next season with one senior, Taylor Drews, to lead the pack.
No. 2, Teal Tomaszewski: Teal accomplished a great deal this season by setting some new records for W-F volleyball. She came into the season with five years of club experience, one with Wisconsin Ice and four with FC Elite, including playing in the Junior National Tournament in Reno, Nev. Teal set a new single-match dig record with 50 digs in the pool play match against Bonduel. The old record was held by Kelly Buchholtz (2010), who had 33. Two more records, one also held by Kelly, was the single-season dig record, which was 467. Teal’s new record is 563 for a single season. The third record is the two-year varsity dig record, once held by Brieanne Oehlke (2006), which was 458. The new record is 638 digs for two years on varsity. Along with her digs, Teal is noted as best receiver with 343 perfect passes to the setter, making Kate and Rachel’s job a bit easier. Teal also had a 92 percent serving percentage. Two more years should see some exciting back row play from this W-F Lady Indian. She has incredible passion for the game. Teal finishes the 2010 season with the Best Digger Award, 2010 varsity letter, CWC 8 all-conference second-team honors and is a 2011 team co-captain.
No. 13, Maggie Knecht: Maggie really came on strong at the end of the season. She saw quite a bit of playing time at the beginning of the season when Dani Johnson went down with her ankle injury. In the Marshfield tournament, Maggie had six kills and four block kills. She finished the season with 41 varsity games, nailing 31 kills for a .108 kill percentage, 80 percent serve percentage and an astounding 32 block kills. Maggie has a great ability to read the opposing setter which helps her get to the block quickly. A great vertical leap and nice strong hands is also a great asset. Maggie is the type of player that every team needs because she just immediately sets the tempo of the match with her fire and enthusiasm. We really are looking forward to having Maggie for another two years as we work to reach that championship season. Maggie finishes the 2010 season with her first varsity volleyball letter and has been voted as a 2011 team co-captain .
No. 14, Sydney DeSantis: We spent some time honing Sydney’s skills as a setter on JV this season so that she would be ready to fill in the shoes of the departing seniors. Sydney has really come along as a setter and has become a good player. In the next two seasons, we expect to see even more from Syd as she helps to lead the team. We saw a nice improvement on her swing on the right side along with making better decisions on the location of her set. Syd also worked very hard on improving her serve percentage this season. She has a great work ethic and doesn’t like to lose. Those are two characteristics that will make our team very competitive in the next two seasons. Sydney finished with 21 games at varsity earning 14 assists, five kills, 80 percent serves and 10 digs. She earns her first varsity letter.
No. 21, Danielle Austreng: Dani has two years club experience. She has played one season with FC Elite and one with Waupaca Fire. Dani started out as a middle hitter in middle school and moved to the outside when she played for Elite. She did such a great job there (outside), we decided to keep her at that spot. Dani is probably one of the best young hitters I know that can track a ball that is coming from the back row and turn it into a kill or a good attempt at a kill. She has plans on trying out for Elite again this season, which can most definitely help to make her an even more exceptional player. Dani combined with Teal and Bailey Kapitzke in the back row to put up some great passes and digs for our setters. Dani finished with 120 kills, .167 kill percentage, third in total serves with 244 and first in serve percentage with 96 percent and first in service points with 161. Dani also put up the second most digs with 264 and 104 perfect passes to the setter. Dani finishes her season with the 2010 Best Server Award, her first varsity letter, CWC 8 all-conference honorable mention honors and 2011 team co-captain.
No. 23, Kelsey Akey: Like Syd, we are looking for Kelsey to be able to fill the shoes of the departing seniors. Kelsey working together with Syd on JV made for a great combination on setting, serving and hitting. With one or both of them in the game, we will be able to run a 5-1 or a 6-2 offensive system. Kelsey is a quick learner and has a very determined attitude. She is also a fierce competitor who does not like to lose. Kelsey has one year of club experience with Waupaca Fire. She finishes the season with 23 games earning 27 assists at 1.2 per game. We were able to use Kelsey at varsity, especially when our setters weren’t getting their serves. Kelsey had an 86 percent at the serving line. She finishes her season earning her first varsity letter.
No. 24, Bailey Kapitzke: Along with Dani Austreng and Teal in the back, Bailey is the “syrup” of our back row players that really set the pace for our offense. Just when you thought a ball was going to hit the floor, there was Bailey with a pancake dive to save the ball from hitting the floor. Bailey finished with 256 digs for the team’s third-highest mark. She served at 83 percent with the new style “swirl” serve, earning 20 aces and 70 points. Bailey is the team leader in kills with 156 earning .132 kill percentage, averaging 2.1 per game. Bailey has an incredibly hard driven attack for her age and we are looking for her to become more adept at her ball placement and control in the next two years. She will most definitely be a huge part of our plans for gaining control of the conference crown and moving deep into the playoffs the next two seasons. The best thing about Bailey is that whenever you show her anything new, she works and works at it until she gets it done. She has a true passion for the sport and wants to be successful. Bailey finishes with her second varsity letter, 2010 Best Hitter Award, CWC 8 all-conference second-team honors and 2011 team co-captain.
No. 27, Mariah Hulbert: Every team needs someone with the desire to win and the ability to do whatever it takes. We have established Mariah as a utility player this season because she jumped at the opportunity to play any position that we asked of her. Mariah’s greatest accomplishment in my mind was her improvement on serve receive and defense. Mariah finished with a 92 percent serve percentage, which is outstanding, so we were able to utilize her as a serve specialist at varsity. Most of her play time was at JV, where she played at every position: setter, right side, left side, middle and even libero, hence the title of utility. We tried her out for the first time at the Stratford JV Invitational in the libero position, where W-F earned a second-place finish. Mariah definitely earned her keep at both levels this season. She finishes with her first varsity letter.
Congratulations to all the players for their accomplishments this season. The coaching staff is already looking forward to next season. We encourage all players, middle school through high school, to get out there and enjoy the game. Volleyball is a beautiful sport with so much to offer. Go watch the state tournament Nov. 4-6 to see how close you are actually making it to that level. Get out there and get some ball touches, whether it is in your own backyard or even trying out for a club team. Club tryout information is readily available for anyone interested. All tryouts begin the weekend following the state tournament.