From the beginning of Saturday’s match, the Suring High School girls volleyball team was overmatched by back-to-back WIAA Division 4 state champion Newman Catholic.
The Eagles, who rallied back and forth for the first few points, could not withstand a strong surge from Newman Catholic’s large front line in a 25-9, 25-13, 25-11 loss in the sectional final Saturday in Bowler.
“This is another level we haven’t played on,” Suring head coach Tonia Kruschke said.
Suring was led by Hailey Thomson’s three kills and four blocks.
The Cardinals’ leading hitter, senior Mariah Whalen, had 26 kills in 28 attempts. Her two hits that didn’t end as kills were hit out of bounds.
The Eagles (22-11) tallied 12 digs, led by Courtney Heimerl and Azee VanBellinger’s four each, against the Cardinals’ attackers.
Offensively, Suring’s hitters struggled to attack Newman Catholic (38-1), which has made the state tournament for the past four seasons. The Eagles, meanwhile, had never advanced to the sectional final before, making it an unfamiliar setting against a difficult opponent.
“This was our goal for this year, to be in this game, so this is huge,” Kruschke said. “Our school spirit and our community has been great.”
Even with the match in hand, and leading 11-5 in the third game, Cardinals head coach Betty Lange called a timeout to fix some issues she didn’t want to see from her girls.
“It was a reminder what our focus was and what we needed to see out of players,” she said.
The Cardinals scored 14 of the next 20 points to finish out the match.
“We now plan for next year,” Kruschke said. “… Now we have attained this level, so next year, this will be our goal again.”
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