Seniors key to success of Westosha girls volleyball squad

By Dan Truttschel

Sports Correspondent

The strength of any successful high school team usually is its senior class.

And that certainly was the case for the Westosha Central girls volleyball squad.

Central, the defending Division 1 state runner-up, entered 2014 with a lot of new faces who had to replace a talented crew lost to graduation.

That’s just what the seniors did, as they again helped Central to a sectional, where they fell in a semifinal last week to Kenosha Tremper.

“The seniors were critical, and rightfully so, to (the newcomers’) development,” Central coach Charlie Berg said. “They took it all in stride, and their work ethic in practice was extremely good.

“I was proud of the fact that they put everything out there and did everything that I asked them to do.”

Central’s three seniors were Danielle Stachura, Leah Blair and Maddie Brown.

All three brought something different to the table, Berg said.

Stachura was the team’s setter, a role that she handled perfectly.

“From day one, she was our instructional leader and architect of our offense,” Berg said. “She led by demanding that the young hitters would run their routes aggressively and were loud in doing so.

“We had a relatively quiet bunch this year, and she was always reminding them to be loud and big. This is something that they will never forget, so her presence will be missed.”

While Stachura led the offense, it was Blair who handled that role defensively, Berg said.

“She was a very knowledgeable player who led the girls and instructed them on the defensive points that we wanted to get across,” he said. “She was an excellent server and great role model for the younger players.”

Brown also filled her role, whether it was leading the team in kills as she did in the sectional semifinal, or by doing things to help the program off the court, Berg said.

“Maddie did everything that a senior leader should do,” he said. “She helped organize off-the-court practices and became the glue that held our squad together.

“Her inspirational play will serve as a guide to all future Westosha players that will say that, ‘You will give your all and never give up until the final whistle.’”

With 2014 now in the books, Berg said plans are already under way for next season.

And the young players who will return have a whole new experience to draw from.

“I believe (they) developed a respect and deep regard for what it takes to perform at that level and to have the poise to play at a high level during a very stressful situation,” Berg said.

“With that said, I believe they will come back a more mature team and also a more experienced team. We have a lot to look forward to and I am very optimistic of what our future holds for us.”


Posted

in

by

Tags: