Both Manitowoc Lutheran and Valders Girls Volleyball teams have enjoyed huge success in 2024.
Both are top seeds in their respective brackets (Division Four and Three, respectively), are both conference champions, and have held their own against quality competition.
That was then, this is now, the mentality that both teams are taking as the begin their “Run to The Resch Center”, site of the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament in Ashwaubenon next month.
The Lancers are 32 and 7 and ranked second in the wissports.net coach’s poll as they host Kohler in a regional semifinal Thursday night.
Head Coach Lacey Behnke says postseason play is a different animal.
“When kids understand that potentially this could be their last match, a sense of urgency kicks in and it’s reflected in the way they play,” she told Seehafer News. “You see this come out, leading to things happening that you may not see during the regular season.”
Valders has a record of 29 and 9 and welcome the Vikings of Winnebago Lutheran (Fond Du Lac) for a regional semifinal match.
Head Coach Pam Erickson speaks on one of many strengths the Vikings possess.
“My six kids that serve for us do so above a 95 percent clip, at least in conference play,” she explained. “Our serving percentage will be huge in deciding how far we go in tournament play.”
The Lancers are gifted physically, but Behnke says it’ll take “mental toughness” to prevail against the Blue Bombers.
“We’ve really tried to instill confidence in each other (players and coaches), enabling us to deal with the pressure that’s come with this season’s success,” she said. “We just need to continue trusting in the process, and if we execute it, we’ll deal with the outcome.”
Coach Erickson says her team is not satisfied
“We don’t want to be done,” she put it bluntly. “We’ve worked too hard to have it end now. They understand what is at stake and continue to work hard to advance to Saturday.”
Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m.
