Kimberly outlasts Appleton North girls volleyball in hotly-contested FVA match
By Dustin Riese
For AppletonSportsPage.com
KIMBERLY – In a matchup of epic proportions, at least when it comes to the Fox Valley Association girls volleyball standings, the Appleton North Lightning faced off against the Kimberly Papermakers on Thursday at Kimberly High School.
With both of these teams within a game of first place at the start of the night, the winner would continue their quest at a potential league title while the loser would fall to the middle of the pack.
As expected, this was about as highly competitive of a match as it could be as both teams played their hearts out and laid it all on the court. Ultimately, this would come down to which team could put together the best run and withstand the other as it was the Papermakers coming away victorious in straight sets 25-19, 25-20, 25-19.
Kimberly is now 14-7 overall and 4-1 in the FVA, while North falls to 10-10 and 3-2 in conference play. Kaukauna and Oshkosh West remain unbeaten at 5-0 and the two will match up Oct. 3 at Oshkosh West.
“I was happy with our effort tonight,” Appleton North coach Steve Scheuerell said. “Our conference is very strong this year and every night is a battle.”
Neither team seemed to have the upper-hand in the first set. Even when Ava Reis and Ava Vanvonderen started to take over at the front of the net for Kimberly, the Lightning had the answers as Teegan Charapata took it upon herself to deliver in key moments as she led the Lightning with 15 kills, while also adding nine digs.
Following a Finley Van Lannen ace that put the Papermakers in front 11-9, Charapata responded as she delivered several kills late in the first set to keep North within striking distance. The Lightning would eventually drop the first set 25-19.
The Lightning responded with three quick points to open the second set as Kayden Lamon started to get involved as he picked up six kills in the match. It was at that moment when the Papermakers began to take over as the sophomore Vanvonderen came away with three kills as part of five quick Kimberly points as the Papermakers jumped in front 5-3.
Her play, mixed with the rest of the Papermakers front line, created plenty of problems throughout the match as the Papermakers used a 17-7 run to create some distance and opened up a 17-10 lead. Scheuerell on the play of Kimberly during that run.
“Kimberly is a strong and athletic team,” he said. “Our girls kept battling and put up a great fight.”
Perhaps the biggest positive to take away from this entire match, and in particular the second set, would be that there is no quit in the Lightning. North stormed back to make this a game with Chloe North leading the charge with her 10 digs to set the offense up for JJ Brozek and Charapata to pull the Lightning within 22-19 late before falling 25-20.
Needing to win the third set to keep things alive, it was the Charapata and Brozek duo coming through once again as they pushed the Lightning to a quick 3-1 lead. As was the case most of the match, that early lead was followed by a long stretch of excellent play as both sides with the Lightning still holding an 11-10 advantage.
With Lamon picking up a massive kill to put the Lightning back in front again, it was the Elle Running ace that gave North the momentum as things were looking good for the Lightning at this point. Eventually, North was going to have to weather the Kimberly storm and with Harper Van Lannen coming away with a successful tip kill, it was the Papermakers grabbing the late lead 18-16.
It was a lead they would never give up as North continued to keep things close for the duration of the set, but they eventually ran out of gas as an Emma Tesch block at the net sealed the victory for Kimberly.
“Our girls continue to work hard,” Scheuerell said. “They are getting better each day.”
Appleton North will compete at the West Bend East Sprawl on Friday and Saturday before hosting Xavier for a crosstown nonconference match Tuesday.