Westosha Central High School won two boys soccer games last week, including a Southern Lakes Conference clash with Burlington, courtesy of a collaborative effort.
The Falcons opened the week with a 2-1 non conference win against Kenosha Christian Life Sept. 19, when Westosha Central defeated the Eagles 2-1, with goals from Tyler Silber and Jacob Lau.
Falcons’ coach Jon Kao credited his squad for persevering through unseasonably warm weather and overcoming a challenging Christian Life squad.
“A lot of credit goes to my boys for playing that hard in the heat after a long week. A lot of credit to CLS tonight for playing us so tough,” he said. “We looked tired and CLS certainly looked to punish our mistakes.”
Additionally, Kao acknowledged Lau, who scored the decisive goal on a second half penalty kick.
“(Jacob) has improved dramatically over the season and is creating a dynamic threat for us,” he said.
The Falcons followed up their non conference win with a 3-1 defeat of Burlington Sept. 21.
Westosha Central jumped to a 2-0 lead entering halftime, thanks to a breakaway goal from Bobby McNealy and a Davin Cummings goal assisted by Lau.
In the second half, despite a Demons goal, the Falcons retained the two-goal win with a Trent Kmiec goal.
The win against Burlington, according to Kao, was a dire need.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Wilmot def. Union Grove, 25-7, 25-12, 25-23
Propelled by Cameron Wischnowski and Alex Tenhagen, the Panther boys volleyball team bounced back from a Sept. 19 loss to Kenosha Indian Trail, sweeping Southern Lakes Conference opponent Union Grove on Sept. 21.
While Wischnowski had 15 kills, Tenhagen chipped in 25 assisters and added five blocks.
Defensively, Wilmot received 10 digs from Kevin Kessel, who also had seven aces.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Westosha Central def. Watertown, 25-21, 10-25, 15-13; Westosha Central def. Muskego, 25-15, 25-17; Brookfield Central def. Westosha Central 16-25, 25-20, 10-15; Divine Savior Holy Angels def. Westosha Central, 25-19, 25-10; Oconomowoc def. Westosha Central, 25-18, 25-21; Appleton North def. Westosha Central, 25-18, 20-25, 15-9; Westosha Central def. Arrowhead, 25-18, 25-13.
Westosha Central went 3-4 at the Sprawl in West Bend, where the Falcons opened with a 2-1 pool record on the first day, but dropped a series of contests in the second day.
“The Sprawl is a long two days full of great competition,” said Awe, who acknowledged the team had communication miscues on the second day. “We did refocus and ended communicating effectively, getting great touches at the net and staying aggressive from the service line.”
Through seven matches, Laura Shoopman produced 137 kills, 10 blocks and 38 digs. Sierra Lee added another 119 kills, contributed four blocks and dove in for 48 digs.
Other leaders were Kennedy Muff (six aces, 141 assists, 30 digs), McKenna Hall (65 digs, five aces), Ella Kaebisch (27 kills, six blocks, eight aces), Kaitlynn Ellis (12 blocks) and Twila Dovas (nine aces, 30 digs).
Westosha Central def. Union Grove, 25-13, 18-25, 15-25, 25-19, 15-11
Visiting Union Grove put a scare into Westosha Central, but the Falcons outlasted the Broncos to win 3-2 in a Sept. 19 SLC match, which kept the Falcons unbeaten at 4-0.
Laura Shoopman led the charge, contributing 24 kills and 9 digs, with Sierra Lee adding another 15 kills and 11 digs.
Kennedy Muff recorded 37 assists, two aces and two solo block kills. Ella Kaebisch produced five kills, added three aces and pitched in three solo block kills.
Defensively, McKenna Hall had 16 digs, adding three aces, while Twila Dovas contributed 10 more digs.
Lake Geneva def. Wilmot, 25-19, 25-27, 17-25, 25-22, 12-15.
The Panthers, without its 6-foot-2 middle hitter Karina Leber, lost a five-set match at Lake Geneva Badger Sept. 19.
Despite dropping to 1-3 in SLC, the Panthers saw growth in some players, including senior hitter Sam Serak.
Serak, who has amassed 42 kills in three SLC games, contributed 14 of them against Badger.
Along with her 14 kills, Serak added nine digs and had a game-high seven service aces.
According to Serak, her improvement is attributed to a better line of sight, and learning from past experiences.
“I think a big a reason for the kills I’ve been getting is because I have gotten a lot better looking on the other side of the net,” she said. “I have learned to watch other players and find their open spot on the court.”
Additionally, she has gotten stronger, noting her ability to hit from the back row.
“I’ve been taking a lot of swings out of the back row that I haven’t been able to do before, but being able to adjust and swing from any position is vital.”
Meanwhile, Serak’s hitting partner, Becca Bell added 10 kills, including six in the last set. Bell also bolstered the front row with five blocks.