Westosha Central plays at Indian Trail Tuesday
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Using a fast tempo and pass distribution, No. 3 Westosha Central High School swept No. 6 Racine Horlick in the first round of the WIAA boys volleyball tournament, and advances to Tuesday’s sectional semifinal at No. 2 Kenosha Indian Trail.
The Falcons, who won the first set 25-11, continued to pressure the visiting Rebels to take next two sets 25-16, 25-20 to cap off the sweep.
According to Racine Horlick coach Kevin Mielcarek, the Falcons overwhelmed the visitors through pass distribution and an aggressive offense led by senior outside hitter Drake Muhlenbeck, junior setter Connor Muff and junior middle hitter Mason Welter.
“They just played really solid all around, they passed and distributed well, and they served well,” Mielcarek said. “Their tempo and their offense was quick.”
Muhlenbeck, who contributed a team-leading 19 kills, was part of the Falcons 11-3 rally to start the contest with back-to-back kills.
“Every pass that comes out, I want to hit it as hard as I can and just put the ball on the ground as fast as I can,” he said.
Westosha Central coach Wayne Schultz credited the middle hitter performances of Welter (five blocks, nine kills), junior Jason Olson (nine kills, three blocks) and sophomore Alex Salerno (three blocks) for opening up opportunities for Muhlenbeck.
“Our middle hitters really stepped up, took pressure off of everybody,” Schultz said.
While the hitters kept the Rebels off balance, Muff set the tone on offense, contributing 35 assists.
According to Muhlenbeck, Muff’s quick recognition and decision making sets him apart from his counterparts.
“Connor is one of the smartest setters in the state, and I honestly don’t know how he thinks of his plays in the moment,” said Muhlenbeck, noting the setter’s spike to seal the second set win.
“He makes the right decisions, and we really rely on him to spread the court,” Muhlenbeck added.
Leaders for Horlick were Kyle Semrad with seven kills and Eric Barrientez, who had 13 assists.
The Rebels ended their season 4-8 (3-4 Southeast Conference), according to Wissports.net.
The Falcons, who capped off the sweep with a 25-20 verdict in the third set, plays at No. Indian Trail Tuesday.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Sectional Semifinal
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 1
WHERE: Kenosha Indian Trail High School
RECORDS: Westosha Central (25-10, 8-0 Southern Lakes Conference), Indian Trail (27-11-2, 6-1 Southeast Conference)
NOTES: Westosha Central lost to Indian Trail in last year’s sectional title game at Kenosha Tremper.