By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Two years ago, the East Troy High School girls volleyball team rolled through the competition en route to a 44-0 overall record and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state championship.
Last season, the only obstacle that kept the Trojans from a return to Green Bay was eventual champion Waukesha Catholic Memorial, which defeated East Troy in a sectional semifinal.
With the 2015 campaign now upon us, the expectations once again are high in East Troy – and with good reason.
The Trojans return five girls who earned All-Rock Valley Conference honors, including senior standout and University of Wisconsin recruit M.E. Dodge and have their eyes on the big prize.
“The expectations are the same as they were the past few years,” East Troy coach Jeremy Weis said. “The main goal of this group is to win state again this year.”
East Troy will not have to go through Catholic Memorial for a return to Green Bay, as the Trojans were moved West for the post-season tournament.
But first things first, Weis said, as he knows there’s plenty of work ahead before the road to state can be traveled.
Even with the core of returning girls to the lineup, East Troy welcomes several new faces who need to find their way.
“One of the keys to continued success is to see how quickly we can mesh the more experienced players with some of the newcomers,” Weis said. “The quicker we can accomplish this, the more time we will have to fine tune our play this season.”
And with the newcomers also comes the need to get comfortable playing with the veterans, Weis said.
“All of the girls have played a lot of volleyball, but we have not played that much together yet,” he said. “So we are stressing using communication in everything that we do.
Dodge leads the way
At the center of the East Troy attack is Dodge, who was a unanimous player of the year in the RVC and a first-team, All-State selection a year ago.
Her numbers were eye popping to say the least – 673 kills, 52 aces, 55 blocks and 434 digs.
And her best may yet to be to come, as scary as that is for the opposition.
“M.E. has worked really hard on her game and her physical conditioning throughout the off-season,” Weis said. “She can have as big a season as she wants to. She keeps striving to be the best she can be.”
Also back from a first-team, All-RVC season last year are fellow seniors Katrina Santos and Chloe Jakscht, along with senior Carly Atchison and junior Natalee Bearce, who garnered second team and honorable mention honors.
Santos was second on the team in kills behind Dodge with 331. She also had 41 blocks and 25 digs. Jakscht led the way with 739 assists and also had 124 kills, 34 aces, 53 blocks and 203 digs.
That trio of seniors, along with Atchison, will be looked to for plenty of leadership, Weis said.
“A lot of (that) expectation will be placed on the seniors,” he said. “They have been in this program the longest and know what is expected if we are to reach our goal of winning state.
“This year, we are focusing more of what we can control and that is our effort. We are only looking for perfect effort, which in turn will lead to more team successes.”
Looking at the RVC, Weis said the main threats to his team’s five-time title run should be McFarland and Jefferson.
East Troy opens play this weekend at the always challenging Joust Invitational at Homestead High School. The Trojans were 6-1 a year ago against a field that features many of the state’s top-ranked teams.
The Trojans then will be idle until Sept. 8, when they host Evansville in a 6:30 p.m. RVC opener.
Weis will be assisted this year by Sheila Weis with the varsity, Linda Dodge with the JV and Josh Herrell with the freshmen.
