Volleyball team picks up regional championship
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The start of the post-season last week for the East Troy High School girls volleyball team was just another trip through the Rock Valley Conference.
And three more sweeps later, the Trojans now are just two steps from another shot at a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state title.
East Troy, ranked second in the state behind Catholic Memorial, made quick work of RVC foes Clinton, Big Foot and Edgerton in succession to win the regional crown and advance to this week’s sectional.
The Trojans (29-9 overall) defeated eighth-seeded Clinton 25-7, 25-5, 25-7 in the regional opener; fourth-seeded Big Foot 25-15, 25-13, 25-14 in the semifinal last Thursday; and second-seeded Edgerton 25-15, 25-19, 25-12 in the final Saturday night.
Not a bad little three-match run.
“This is a great time of the year to be a Trojan volleyball player,” East Troy coach Jeremy Weis said. “All the hard work that these girls have put in is starting to pay dividends. How can you not be excited?”
Edgerton gave East Troy, the Division 2 state champions two years ago, its only real scare in the second game Saturday.
But the Trojans were ready for what the Tide, who was ranked eighth in Division 2 in the final poll, was going to throw their way, Weis said.
“We know them very well,” he said. “We played them twice (earlier in the year) and knew what kind of defense that they would play. We practiced all week long being able to hit the type of shots needed to score against them.”
M.E. Dodge had 22 kills and nine digs to lead the way, followed by Chloe Jakscht with five kills and 29 assists; Katrina Santos with four kills; Brianna Scuric with four aces; Carly Atchison with eight digs; and Mati Jakscht with six digs.
In the three regional matches, Dodge had 65 kills – a sign the University of Wisconsin recruit is ready to carry her team, Weis said.
“M.E. is hitting at a very high percentage in the playoffs,” Weis said. “She is really seeing the block well, and she is talented enough to hit around it.
“The best thing about her is that she is not taking any plays off on the defensive end. She is digging the ball well (29 in the regional) and is passing off of serve-receive at close to a 2.5 average.”
Another key last week, Weis said, is his team is fresh and ready to go, a result of some lineup shuffling near the end of the regular season.
The Trojans aren’t just all Dodge – there are many girls who can hurt the opposition, he said.
“By shuffling the lineup, it keeps all of the girls mentally focused on the job at hand,” he said. “We are deep this year, and that makes it easy to make some lineup switches.”
Next up is a sectional semifinal Thursday against Edgewood at Evansville. The winner faces either Wisconsin Dells or Platteville Saturday at McFarland with a berth at the state tournament on the line.
Weis knows the competition level will increase this week, beginning with Edgewood.
“Edgewood has a very good outside hitter,” he said. “She has many shots and passes the ball out of serve-receive well, too. They also set her out of the back row as well. They also have a left on the right side that can cause teams trouble.
“The keys on Thursday night will be the same as they have been all year long – set the tempo of the game and receive the ball well off the serve. If we can do those things, we then have a good chance at winning.”
A win Thursday could set up a sectional final battle with Platteville, ranked third in the last regular-season poll.
Weis knows his team needs to take care of Edgewood first, however.
“You never want to overlook any team, but that would be a great matchup for high school volleyball,” he said. “Platteville is full of seniors, and they are a very good offensive team.
“They do not get short-changed on any swing they take. We will need to break them down defensively if we are going to be successful.”
Trojans roll to regional final
Leaders in the win over Big Foot included Dodge with 26 kills and eight digs; Scuric with eight kills; Tori Miller with eight kills; Chloe Jakscht with 13 digs and 36 assists; and Mati Jakscht with eight digs.
In the regional opener against Clinton, the Trojans were led by Dodge with 17 kills, three aces and 12 digs; Chloe Jakscht with 10 kills, five digs and 26 assists; Scuric with seven kills, three aces and six digs; Santos with six kills; and Mati Jakscht with five digs.
