Xavier keeps on rolling, sweeps Rice Lake in Division 2 semifinal at WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament

Xavier’s Halle Vande Hey (left) eyes a kill attempt, and the Hawks celebrate their three-set sweep of Rice Lake in a Division 2 semifinal match at the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Xavier will play for its second-straight state title Saturday against McFarland. (Photos by Paul Lecker/AppletonSportsPage.com)

By Paul Lecker
AppletonSportsPage.com

GREEN BAY – The Xavier girls volleyball team has had the target on its back all season long.

As the defending Division 2 state champion that returns the bulk of its squad, and with a No. 1 ranking attached to them all season, the Hawks have had to stay on top of their game night after night to make another run.

After another dominating performance Friday, Xavier is one win away from a repeat.

The Hawks finished with an astounding .315 hitting percentage and slammed Rice Lake in a 3-0 sweep in a Division 2 semifinal at the 2023 WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament on Friday afternoon at the Resch Center.

Xavier (44-3) won 25-15, 25-11, 25-19, and moves on to its second-straight D-2 state championship match against McFarland (36-10), which will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

“We have had the target on our back and we’ve had really big matches because of that,” Xavier coach Luke Herriges said. “Teams are coming out and giving us their best shot. It’s been hard. There are no easy matches. The expectations, I remember the press conference (at state) last year telling us, ‘You’ll be back’. Trying to process that mentally as an adult, but then for the high school kids…tying to alleviate all that, that’s been my main goal this year, to have them feel less pressure that maybe is out there and they’ve done a wonderful job doing it.”

Xavier senior setter Mariah Potter, who had 33 assists in the three-set match, said the team has been trying to use that pressure to its advantage.

“It’s difficult playing with a target on our backs,” Potter said. “Everyone is going to give us their best game. One thing that we like to say is ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ We’re using that pressure as motivation and to propel us forward.”

Xavier used a 7-0 run in the opening set to bust open a 4-4 tie and eventually pulled ahead 18-7 on Potter set up Olivia Neumann twice for kills, and Annika Kowalski added another kill.

Rice Lake (28-9) made one push, scoring five-straight points to get to within 19-13, before Xavier turned it back up again. Back-to-back kills by Madison Daley ended the set with a 25-15 win for the Hawks.

Following a sideout, Potter opened the second set on the serve for the Hawks and produced four aces and help the team jump out to an 8-0 lead.

Halle Vande Hey and Kowalski each had three kills to bump Xavier’s lead to 19-7 and Mattea Kiepert finished off the set with two kills as the Hawks won 25-11.

Rice Lake put up a bit more of a fight in the third set, pulling even at 12-12, but the Hawks decided that was enough.

Kiepert, Neumann and Daley had kills, and Kiepert had a service ace in a key 5-0 run that put Xavier up 22-16 and it was able to play even the rest of the way to win 25-19 and secure the victory.

“I’m really proud of our girls rising up every time they would challenge us,” Heiges said. “We’re excited to be moving on again to the state championship tomorrow.”

Kowalski had a 10 kills, Neumann nine, Daley eight, Kiepert seven and Vande Hey six in a balanced attack for the Hawks, who had 40 kills in all. In addition to her setting duties and stellar serving, Potter had a team-best nine digs, while libero Belle Shea chipped in eight.

2023 WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament
Nov. 2-4, at Resch Center, Green Bay
Thursday, Nov. 2
Division 1 Quarterfinals
No. 2 Oconomowoc (40-3) 3, No. 7 Burlington (31-10) 0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-13)
No. 3 Appleton North (33-7) 3, No. 6 Franklin (29-15) 0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-15)
No. 1 Milwaukee Divine Savior Holy Angels (45-1) 3, No. 8 River Falls (26-14) 0 (25-12, 25-6, 25-11)
No. 4 Sussex Hamilton (31-11) 3, No. 5 Waunakee (38-9) 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-12)
Friday, Nov. 3
Division 4 Semifinals
No. 1 Wonweoc-Center (29-2) 3, No. 4 Fall River (30-11) 2 (23-25, 17-25, 25-23, 29-27, 15-7)
No. 2 Wausau Newman Catholic (31-12) 3, No. 3 Prentice (33-9) 0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-15)
Division 3 Semifinals
No. 1 Howards Grove (30-4) 3, No. 4 Neenah St. Mary Catholic (30-5) 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-19)
No. 2 St. Croix Falls (35-2) 3, No. 3 Cuba City (30-4) 1 (23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-10)
Division 2 Semifinals
No. 1 Appleton Xavier (44-3) 3, No. 4 Rice Lake (28-9) 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-19)
No. 3 McFarland (36-10) 3, No. 2 Pewaukee (37-13) 2 (18-25, 25-23, 25-23, 16-25, 18-16)
Division 1 Semifinals
No. 2 Oconomowoc (40-3) vs.  No. 3 Appleton North (33-7), 7:30 p.m.
No. 1 Milwaukee Divine Savior Holy Angels (45-1) vs. No. 4 Sussex Hamilton (38-9), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 4
Championship Matches
Division 4: No. 1 Wonewoc-Center (29-2) vs. No. 2 Wausau Newman Catholic (31-12), 9 a.m.
Division 3: No. 1 Howards Grove (30-4) vs. No. 2 St. Croix Falls (35-2), 11:30 a.m.
Division 2: No. 1 Appleton Xavier (44-3) vs. No. 3 McFarland (36-10), 2:30 p.m.
Division 1, 7:30 p.m.