Trojans take down Whitnall, Elkhorn in regionals
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
It’s safe to say that visiting Whitnall may have stunned the East Troy High School volleyball team in the first set of a Division 2 regional final Saturday night.
But the defending state champions weren’t about to let that trend continue.
Whitnall won the opening set 25-21 before the Trojans bounced back to win the next three 25-17, 25-20, 25-20 and advance to this weekend’s sectional tournament.
East Troy, now 32-7 overall, and ranked second in the state, travels to the state’s top-ranked team, Catholic Memorial, Thursday night for what should be an epic showdown. A preview of that matchup appears elsewhere in this edition.
The victory over Whitnall was a satisfying one, East Troy coach Jeremy Weis said.
“We are excited to win regionals,” he said. “That was one of our goals throughout the season, and to accomplish it puts us one step closer to our ultimate goal.”
Weis credited Whitnall for its strong effort, especially in the Falcons’ opening-set victory.
“Their defense was way better than ours in the first set,” he said. “We hit a lot out of bounds, and the ones we did hit in bounds, they dug and won points in transition.”
Weis added that Whitnall’s plan was to play a deeper defense, but early on, his team didn’t recognize that and make the adjustment.
“Whitnall gave us the most fits with their defense,” he said. “They played a very deep defense, which we continued to hit right into.
“We needed to hit a few more off-speed balls to get the on their heels. That is something that we are going to need to do against Catholic Memorial.”
East Troy rallied after the opening set and began to put things together, Weis said.
“We stopped making errors, and we also got the ball to the hot hitters,” he said. “Natalee Bearce really stepped up her game offensively and gave us another option in the front row. I am very happy to see her progression throughout the season.”
Once East Troy tied the game, it relied on strong passing from serve-receive to close the deal, Weis said.
Junior standout M.E. Dodge had a huge night, as she led the Trojans with 35 kills, two blocks and 15 digs.
Just another night at the office for the NCAA Division I recruit.
“M.E. has carried the bulk of the offensive load this season,” Weis said. “Teams know that she is going to swing 75-plus times in a match, but she has the talent to get swings even against the best defense. I’m very proud of the way she has led the team this year.”
Other leaders for the Trojans were Katrina Santos with 12 kills and two blocks; Chloe Jakscht with two aces and 37 assists; Carly Atchison with two aces and 14 digs; and Katie Hodges with 17 digs.
Trojans sweep Elks
East Troy advanced to the final with a 25-7, 25-12, 25-19 win over Elkhorn two days earlier in the regional semifinal.
Dodge led the way with 22 kills, followed by Santos with 10 kills; Katie Hodges with three aces and seven digs; Jakscht with 14 digs and 26 assists; and Atchison with 10 digs.
“Overall, I was pleased with our play against Elkhorn,” Weis said. “There was a little bit of a letdown in the third set, but we picked it up right after that. I was very pleased with our offense’s ability to put the ball away at a very high percentage.”
