Grafton volleyball is golden this time:

Black Hawks win home invitational after three straight runner-up finishes
By 
MITCH MAERSCH
Ozaukee Press Staff

A run of three second-place finishes in Grafton’s home volleyball invitational came to a close with a broom on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Hawks finally broke through and won it all.

On the way to the final, Grafton beat Two Rivers, 25-12, 25-8; St. Francis, 25-4, 25-3; Sheboygan South, 25-12, 25-16; and Beaver Dam, 21-25, 25-22, 15-7.

In the final, the Hawks swept New Berlin Eisenhower in a tight match, 29-27, 25-20.

One key to winning the tourney, senior Anna Holzer said, was that the team never got down.

“Honestly, what keeps us going is just lifting each other up so nobody gets down on themselves. Everybody’s really great. We get along all super well, and I think that contributes to our success this season,” she said.

Taking Slinger to five games a couple of weeks ago was also important. The Owls are ranked No. 4 in the state in Division 1, according to the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association. Grafton has bumped up from ninth to seventh this week in Division 2. New Berlin Eisenhower is ninth.

“Taking Slinger to five was huge for us. It really shows what our highest competition can be,” senior Kaitlin Muecke said.

Now with the tourney title under their belts, the Hawks’ confidence soars to a new level.

“I think it boosts our confidence a lot. It re-emphasizes that we’ve come a long way as a team,” Muecke said.

Sophomore outside hitter Paige Proefrock was the Hawks’ top weapon all day, and she had to ice her right shoulder and arm after competition completed.

“Since it was a close game and the other team is really good, it helps us with our confidence a lot,” she said.

Coach Will Hall said middle hitter Amelia Werner also stood out. Her lateral movement forced New Berlin Eisenhower’s tall hitters to push the ball to different positions.

The team’s aim, he said, is to be playing its best ball come late October, and he likes the progress the Hawks are making.

“Each and every week we’re getting better. They believe they’re getting better and we’re seeing results on the court that are helping us get to where we want to be,” Hall said.

Team camaraderie has been a factor.

“It’s a good group. They’re trying to do things that haven’t been done in the past. They’re really supportive of each other in all circumstances,” Hall said.

“Our team goes deep. Everybody played today. Even in the finals we had different people playing at different times. They’re doing their job and putting pressure on us to see who we pick, and they’re not creating drama amongst each other with our decisions. They’re allowing us to make our decisions and they’re supporting our team, so that’s really nice to see.”

The Hawks on Sept. 17 swept North Shore Conference foe Whitefish Bay, 25-16, 25-23, 25-16, at home.

Grafton, 18-5 overall and 2-1 in the NSC, was to play at Nicolet on Tuesday, Sept. 24. It hosts West Bend West on Thursday, Sept. 26, plays in an Edgewood invite on Saturday, Sept. 28, and at Hartford on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

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Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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