Stratford heads into state volleyball semifinals with confidence
STRATFORD – This is the deepest postseason run the Tigers have had in the program's history, so why should it end Friday?
That’s the thought for Stratford, a team making its first-ever appearance at the WIAA state girls volleyball tournament. The Tigers might lack state experience, but not confidence as they head into a Division 3 semifinal against Regis at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.
The game is set for a 1 p.m. start, and the winner faces either Waterloo or Lake Country Lutheran in Saturday's championship match.
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“I just feel we have some of the best players in the (Marawood) conference and the state,” said Tigers junior outside hitter Mazie Nagel, who leads Stratford with 467 kills and 407 digs. "We plan on going out, playing our game (at state) and hopefully having fun."
The Tigers (44-1) have played like one of the state's top teams.
Stratford's only regular-season loss was to Newman Catholic in a Marawood South Division matchup. The Tigers also were pushed to a decisive fifth set just twice.
"Talent is only a portion of it," Stratford coach Brooke Kafka said. "I think the camaraderie as a team has played an important role, too."
The five-setters came in the sectional semifinal and final against Athens and Saint Mary Catholic, respectively. Both were matches in which the Tigers, who shared the Marawood South championship with Newman Catholic, won the final two sets to keep their postseason drive alive.
“I think in the playoffs there is more than just the physical challenge of the game of volleyball,” Kafka said. “I like the way we responded and proud of the perseverance in them.”
Tigers senior Makayla Krall said it came down to executing over the final two sets in each match.
"We all got on the same page and knew what we had to do, and that was it,” said Krall, who has 265 kills and 249 digs. “We were not taking a loss.”
A state trip was the focus all season for a Tigers team which fell to Athens in a sectional semifinal in 2016.
“It definitely was a (preseason) goal based on last season and having made a pretty good (playoff) run," Kafka said. "Since the beginning of the season we have always had this in the back of our minds, but we just took things day-by-day."
The Tigers are the lone program among the Division 3 semifinalists who have not made a state appearance. Regis and Waterloo have combined for three state championships since 2013, and Lake Country Lutheran reached the title game in 2015.
Stratford's postseason run has been made with a veteran roster which features five seniors and five juniors. Nagel and junior Jadyn Dahlke were unanimous all-Marawood South selections, and junior Brooke Peterson and senior Olympia Garrigan were second-team selections for a team which was ranked second in Division 3 throughout the fall in the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association's state poll.
Lake Country Lutheran was ranked first throughout the season and Regis and Waterlook were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the final state poll of the regular season.
Friday is the Tigers' first matchup with Regis. The Ramblers finished second in the Cloverbelt Conference-West Division, captured the Divison 3 state championship in 2013 and have reached the state tournament for the second time in three years.
Senior middle hitter Amber Darge leads a balanced Ramblers attack with 198 kills, and Bria Thalacker has 179. Three other players have between 102 and 135 kills, and junior setter Grace Gilles has 679 assists (7.5 per set).
"We don't know a lot about them but they're obviously a good team if they have made it to state," Krall said. "I've looked at their stats, who they played and who has beat them ... but it's going to come down to how we play (Friday). We just need to come out strong from the start and not have any letdown (from there)."