Falcon girls fight to sixth-place finish at Sprawl

By Dan Truttschel~Sports Correspondent

It seems crazy to say it, but the fall sports season already is reaching its halfway point.

And for the Westosha Central girls volleyball team, that means it’s almost time to crank up its game another notch.

Central took a step toward doing just that Saturday with a solid sixth-place finish at the prestigious Lynn LaPorte Sprawl at West Bend East High School.

The Falcons ended the two-day event at 23-9 overall. Central began play last week ranked sixth in the latest Division 1 poll.

Central coach Charlie Berg said he was pleased with his team’s finish Saturday, especially with its defense.

“We were much better defensively (than on Friday),” Berg said. “I was really proud of this team for leaving it all out on the floor.”

Central, which defeated Kenosha Tremper and Hartland Arrowhead but lost to Menomonee Falls Friday, opened the second day with a 25-10, 25-22 win over Neenah.

But for the third time this year, the Falcons fell to the top-ranked Division 2 squad in the state, East Troy, with a 25-20, 25-22 decision. Central then dropped a 15-13 matchup to Neenah in a tiebreaker that sent it to the Silver Division semifinals.

In the first match, Central avenged its loss to Menonomee Falls from the day before with a 25-10, 25-23 win, but fell 25-18, 25-18 to Milwaukee Pius in the fifth-place matchup.

“They competed until the last whistle and were exhausted by the end of the tournament,” Berg said. “We played some of the best teams in the state and held our own.”

Statistical leaders Saturday included Danielle Rampart with 31 digs and 23 kills; Maria Rasch with 22 kills; Lauren Hickson with 31 digs and 15 kills; Hailie Hart with 31 digs; Linda Flahive with 14 kills; Megan Jehlicka with 10 kills; and Ashley Jehlicka with 59 assists.

Prior to the trip north, the Falcons hosted rival Wilmot last Tuesday and earned a 25-6, 25-15, 25-6 Southern Lakes Conference victory.

“This was one of the most complete matches we have put together this year,” Berg said. “We were hitting on all phases of our game.

“Wilmot used tough serves to try and keep us out of system. We passed well and were able to finish off transition points quickly.”

Leading the way for the Falcons were Rasch with 14 kills; Hickson with five aces; McDonough with six assists; Ashley Jehlicka with six aces; and Rampart, Hart and Horton with a combined 27 digs.

Central was back in action Tuesday night when it hosted Elkhorn in an SLC matchup. Results were unavailable by press time.

 


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