By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
There is only one way the Elkhorn Area High School girls volleyball team could have played a tougher opponent Oct. 23 in a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 regional final match.
The Elks could have played the No. 1 ranked team in the state. They instead played No. 2-ranked East Troy at East Troy and lost 25-9, 25-12, 25-19.
Waukesha Catholic Memorial is ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 2 in the latest Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association state poll.
The Elks opened slow against East Troy, but played better as the sets progressed.
“The first set, we just couldn’t get on track,” Elks coach Heidi McGraw said. Heidi McGraw said the Elks settled down and played with more confidence in the second set.
“We were with them until eight or nine points, but then East Troy went on a run and we just couldn’t get a kill or defensive stop,” Heidi McGraw said. “This game, our serve-receive was not as good.”
Heidi McGraw said the Elks played with the Trojans for most of the third set and started to play together.
“We really started to play some Elkhorn volleyball, with smart hitting choices and some solid defense, but it still was not enough to stop their attacks,” Heidi McGraw said. “East Troy is a great team, and we just struggled from the first serve to keep up with their pace of play.”
Heidi McGraw said both Olivia Krueger and Rebecca Rondou played well against the Trojans. Maggie McGraw finished with six kills and Natalie Dulaney finished with 10 assists.
“Overall it was a good season, and I saw a lot of progress in all our players,” Heidi McGraw said. “It’s just always sad to see a season come to end when the team is just starting to gel, improve and believe in each other.”
The Elks advanced to play the Trojans after upsetting Cudahy in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal match Oct. 21. at Cudahy. The Elks, seeded fifth in the regional bracket, beat the fourth-seeded Packers 25-18, 25-22, 25-17.
“The team really played with focus and came out ready to prove themselves,” Heidi McGraw said. “Maggie McGraw really had strong hitting in all three sets, but set one she was pretty much unstoppable.”
Maggie McGraw led the Elks with 20 kills. Heidi McGraw said the Packers did not have an answer for any of the Elks’ hitters.
