CG-Belgium volleyball improves over 48 hours

Cedar Grove-Belgium’s High School volleyball team got the season off to a slow start but quickly improved in a three-day span last week.

The Rockets lost all four matches at the Oostburg Invite on Thursday but rebounded to take third place in the 15-team West Allis Central Invitational on Saturday.

“They’re working hard. They came ready to play on Saturday. I think they’re starting to believe that they have the capability to play well as a team,” coach Shannon Stellwagen said.

The Rockets beat Brookfield Academy, 15-25, 27-26 and 16-14. In the second set, they were down, 23-20, before battling back. The score was capped at 27 with teams not having to win by two so sets didn’t run too long to hold up the tournament.

With the game tied, 26-26, Brookfield Academy served but the Rockets won the point.

“It was really exciting,” Stellwagen said.

In that match, the Rockets served 91.2% and had four aces, two by Katelyn Morris.

Kaylee Cherney had a perfect passer rating and Ava Nagorsen and Jenna Emperley were near perfect.

Alexis Bahr was 7-for-15 on kills with one error. Morris had eight kills on 24 attempts with three errors.

“We were hitting well because we were passing well,” Stellwagens said.

She switched from a 6-2 to a 5-1 offense, and sophomore Tara Schmitz had 16 assists on 49 attempts.

“She did a fantastic job,” Stellwagen said.

Kaylee Cherney had 14 digs and Schmitz had 11.

Before that, the Rockets beat Beloit Turner, 19-25, 25-15, 15-7.

Morris had four aces, and Allie Wolff had three, along with three kills. Schmitz had eight assists. Cherney had 18 digs.

In the opening match of the day, the Rockets beat Madison East, 25-8, 25-16.

Wolff had three aces. Bahr was 6-for-12 on kills, and Schmitz was 2-for-4. Schmitz had 12 assists. Cherney had 12 digs and Nagorsen had six.

The team, Stellwagen said, handled the hot and humid conditions of a gym without air conditioning well.

“They looked really good. We didn’t look fatigued,” she said. “We played really hard.”

At the Oostburg Invite, the Rockets lost to the Southeastern Wisconsin Christian Homeschool Athletics, 25-16, 25-15; Manitowoc Lutheran, 25-18, 25-17; Racine Lutheran, 25-19, 25-11; and Oostburg, 27-25, 25-11.

“We kept getting better every match that we played,” Stellwagen said.

She is hoping Saturday’s effort and improvement continues. The Rockets host Sheboygan Christian on Thursday, Sept. 9, and play at a Sheboygan South invite on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Preparation for the season was better than last year, when Stellwagen took over the program during the middle of the pandemic, which only allowed one-on-one drills during contact days. Three-on-three drills didn’t occur until late August.

“We had a very good summer of YMCA summer league, the Prep Dig Tournament, open gyms and the weight room,” she said. “It’s nice. I feel like we’re off to a good start.”

The Rockets, which went 1-3 in the Big East Conference last season and 1-9 overall, lost their only all-conference player to graduation. Setter Clare Jaworski earned honorable mention recognition.

Stellwagen planned to run a 6-2 offense until a setter is determined. Sutryk and Schmitz are setting, with junior Payton Dodson expected to contribute.

Bahr and Morris are the outside hitters. Freshman Olivia Bahr, Alexis’ sister, is a right-side hitter.

Wolff and junior Mya DeRuyter are patrolling the middle.

Cherney is libero and Nagorsen is a defensive specialist.

Despite its youth on the outside, the team’s strength is experience. Five seniors — Cherney, Nagorsen, Sutryk, Wolff and defensive specialist Jill Chybowski — provide leadership.

“Since they’ve been with me for a year, I think that’s a really positive situation for everyone. They know what the expectations are. They’ve been working hard and they can help lead the team for the season,” Stellwagen said.

She plans to get some younger players involved, especially in the back row since four of those spots are occupied by seniors.

“We’re trying to build for the future and watch players who are doing a great job,” Stellwagen said.

In the Big East, Stellwagen said, Howards Grove lost some seniors from its state and conference title-winning team last year but it didn’t look that way from what she saw at the Prep Dig Tournament.

Her goals for the Rockets this season include succeeding in the game, “which means they’re enjoying what they’re doing and being supportive of each other. Just take one game at a time and if you do that, things will go our way.”

Stellwagen has added something she hopes becomes a tradition. On Aug. 23, her team took on Cedar Grove-Belgium alumni.