Sports

Article by Kathy Bullis
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka and Justin Crandall
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
kbullis@wwusd.org

What a night to be remembered! Thursday, March 25th, 2021, will go down in the Whitewater Volleyball books as a night that didn’t build character, it revealed it, as Whitewater defeated McFarland (3-2) 23-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20, 15-12! Heart, guts, staying together, and believing! Before the game I told the girls that they had to commit to the moment. At any point each and every one of them has the guts to take over the game. No words were more true! Each player made her mistakes, but more importantly each player had the guts to step up and take over the game.

Whitewater lost the first two sets to the 2019 Wisconsin State Runner-Up team of McFarland, 23-25 and 21-25. The Whippets knew they had a tough battle in front of them but they stayed focused and pulled up their bootstraps and got to work. Through very strong serving and great defense, Whitewater completed the reverse sweep and won the next three sets by the scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 15-10.

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Below are players that showed their guts had moments where they took over a game:

Amanda Tovar went on a serving run in the third set which helped separate the Whippets from the Spartans. The Whippets then used that momentum to win the set.

Cora Linos went on a serving run, did an outstanding job setting our hitters up, and had keys blocks which led to a 4th set win.

Caleigh Yang turned up her defense and was making great reads which led to timely digs.

Cali Kopecky had some outstanding digs in the 3rd and 4th sets that extended many rallies, which Whitewater was able to capitalize on for big momentum changing points.

Avery Hintz also had a great serving run and outstanding play at the net, with a block that helped the Whippets once again separate from McFarland for a victory.

Lexi Juoni showed her guts when she had two blocks in a row on McFarland’s biggest hitter, to shift the momentum back in the Whippets’ favor.

Kiyla Kopecky also showed her guts by being a great presence in the middle with her blocking and smart placing of shots. McFarland was forced to set the ball outside, where we could pick up more of their hits defensively.

Kindyl Kilar and Emme Bullis each had their moments where we needed a side out, and Cora was able to set either one for the point. It is so wonderful to have two very strong, powerful, and smart hitters that can pick a team apart.

With this win, the Whippets are alone at the top of the conference at 7-0. They have one more conference game on Tuesday, April 6th, when they travel to Clinton.

I would like to extend a special thank you to W7 for coming down to Live stream our match! W7 works hard to get out and cover high school sports! As W7 says, “It’s for the girls!” Thank you W7!!!!

Article by Kathy Bullis
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
kbullis@wwusd.org

Whippet Volleyball defeated Evansville Tuesday night, 25-16, 25-14, 25-12. The Whippets move to 6-0 overall and 6-0 in Rock Valley play.

Senior Cora Linos led the way for the Whippets by having 4 Aces, 18 assists, and 1 block. Once again, sophomore Kindyl Kilar and senior Emme Bullis provided the 1-2 punch offensively by combining for 25 kills (Kilar 12, Bullis 13). Sophomore Cali Kopecky had a great game from behind the service line with 4 aces and provided strong defensive play in the left back. Senior Kiyla Kopecky is getting stronger and stronger in the front row each game. She had a couple timely blocks and is now adding a third punch offensively for the Whippets. Junior Avery Hintz and senior Amanda Tovar both had solid all around games playing as right sides. Junior Lexi Juoni is priming herself to have a breakout game by gaining more confidence as a middle blocker and applying her basketball skills to make her slide attack more effective. Sophomore Caleigh Yang is having an impact on the team with her solid defensive and serve receive skills. 

Thursday, March 25^th, Whitewater will host a showdown with another undefeated Rock Valley Conference team, McFarland. The Whippets are 6-0 and have dropped only one set, while McFarland is 7-0 and has dropped two sets. You can watch the live stream at: productionsw7.com/live. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m. We are looking forward to the challenge of playing the 2019 D2 State Runner Ups for a chance to be Rock Valley Conference Champions. Hope you all tune in to watch this high caliber game!

Article by Chad Carstens, Photos by Bob Mischka
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org

Whitewater Cross Country is back and in action! It has been almost one and a half years since the last time a student-athlete from WHS was able to wear a CC uniform, and it was a beautiful sight to see. Despite less than ideal conditions filled with steady cold rain and winds, the team had a nice rust-busting effort in Evansville on Tuesday afternoon. This course was 2.8 miles on pavement out of the 3.1 mile course, and athletes wore training shoes rather than spikes for a typical off-road CC event. 

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On the girls’ side, junior Trinity Nickels paced the Whippets by placing 14th overall in the five team meet. Freshmen Danielle DePorter and Lauren Buehler placed 15th and 18th. Junior Emma Weigel placed 19^th, and rounding out the top five scorers was sophomore Caelyn Caputo in 22nd. Also finishing this event were Izzy Dieter in 23rd, Jenny Villarreal in 25^th, and Nikole Pelot in 28th. The girls’ team placed 3rd overall.

The boys’ race featured senior Trenten Zahn leading the Whippets to a 4th place finish and junior Cooper Hammond taking 10th. Sophomore CJ Tomomitsu placed 12th. Rounding out the top five were sophomore Ben McCulloch in 29th and senior Evan Schepp in 30th. Also completing the race for Whitewater was Andrew Rollette in 32nd. The boys finished in 3rd place.

Next up for the Whippets will be a true home meet which will be conducted at Whitewater High School for the first time since its construction 20+ years ago against Jefferson and Madison Country Day School on April 1. This event will start and finish near the JV baseball field and grassy knoll area. The boys will race first at 4:30 and the girls will compete at 5:15. 

Full Results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rVdss-q5p5K2GqdwTonolPm0d7j9kJJGbKQ-b_aM8FU/edit#gid=0

Box Score Game 1: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/baseball/2021/bb03.htm

Game 2: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/baseball/2021/bb04.htm

The No. 18 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team continued its winning ways Wednesday afternoon with a pair of victories over UW-Oshkosh in a doubleheader at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Warhawks (4-0 overall) claimed the opener by run rule, 14-2, in seven innings, and closed the day with a walk-off, 4-3 triumph.

In Game 2, catcher Ryan Norton socked a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but the Titans (2-2) leveled the game with a solo homer in the top of the ninth.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, third baseman Tucker Criswell extended the game with a double to left center. After left fielder Matt Korman drew a walk, the two runners advanced on a passed ball. Criswell scored on a balk to give the Warhawks a walk-off win.

Connor Moroder earned the win on the mound after inducing an inning-ending double play in the top of the ninth. Connor Spear started and tossed seven scoreless innings, scattering four hits and one walk while striking out six.

Criswell reached base four times with a pair of hits and two walks, while Norton and second baseman Bryan Sturdevant added two hits apiece. Designated hitter Ian Drays knocked in UW-Whitewater’s first run with a two-out, RBI single to center in the fifth inning.

In Game 1, the Warhawks scored six runs in the bottom of the second and eight more in the bottom of the fifth to secure the run-rule win.

Donovan Brandl pitched six innings for his first win of the year, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven. He also finished with two runs scored and two RBIs at the plate. Moroder recorded all three outs by strikeout in the seventh.

Centerfielder Zach Campbell recorded two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Korman mashed a three-run double as part of UW-W’s big fifth inning. Norton registered two hits and one run scored, and right fielder Jacob DeMeyer posted one hit, one walk, two runs scored and one RBI. Drays walked twice and scored a pair of runs.

UW-Whitewater hosts Finlandia (Mich.) for a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

UW-Whitewater Softball Takes Two Over No. 25 Carroll

Box Score (1): https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/softball/2021/sb09.htm

Box Score (2): https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/softball/2021/sb10.htm

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team remained unbeaten at home with a pair of wins over 25th-ranked Carroll on Monday at van Steenderen Softball Complex.

The Warhawks (6-4 overall) took the first game by a 3-1 score before ending the second contest in five innings by run rule by a 9-1 margin.

In the opener, pitcher Kate Cleveland tossed a complete-game, five-hitter, allowing only one run and striking out two without a walk. She improved to 3-2 with the win.

Designated player Kennedy Cox smashed a run-scoring double to center in the second inning with two outs to plate first baseman Kaleigh O’Brien and give UW-Whitewater a 1-0 lead.

UW-W touched home plate again in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by left fielder Krista Sbarra.

After the Pioneers (3-3) cut the Warhawks’ lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning, shortstop Sophia Kinjerski tallied a base hit up the middle to bring home O’Brien and provide a key insurance run.

Cleveland retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to end the contest. O’Brien finished 3-for-3, and Sbarra collected two hits.

In Game 2, Carroll took a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first before UW-Whitewater registered nine unanswered runs, including one in the first, two in the second, five in the third and one in the fifth.

Mallory Hollatz earned her first win of the year, striking out four and allowing only two hits over four innings. Marissa Adams pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning in relief.

Kinjerski led the offense with three hits and two runs batted in. Pflugradt scored two runs and totaled two hits, including a three-run homer. O’Brien posted two more hits and scored one run.

The Warhawks’ defense didn’t commit an error in either game.

UW-Whitewater returns to the diamond Saturday for a doubleheader against Chicago. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at van Steenderen Softball Complex.

The Whippet Volleyball Team continued their winning ways, sweeping Big Foot on Thursday, March 18, 25-22, 25-21, and 25-12.

Cora Linos had 6 aces, with 3 more added by Emme Bullis and 2 by Kindyl Kilar. Kilar and Bullis each added double-digit kills with 15 and 12 respectively. Linos totaled 29 assists in the victory.

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Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka.

Article by Kathy Bullis
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
kbullis@wwusd.org

The Whippets are on a four game winning streak. Last night our JV2, JV, and Varsity all defeated Jefferson. What a great confidence boost for our program! The Varsity was led by strong serving by Kindyl Kilar and Cora Linos. Kilar started the first set off serving 19 straight, and Linos went on a 13 serve run in the third set. Whitewater defeated Jefferson 3-0 by the scores of 25-11, 25-8, and 25-7.

We are back at practice tonight preparing for Thursday night’s match against Big Foot (2-2) when we’ll celebrate Parents’ Night. The JV and JV2 will begin play at 5:00, and parents will be recognized between set 2 and set 3. The Varsity match will start at 6:30, and parents will be recognized between set 2 and 3.

Highlights

Article by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

Brianna Staebler finished in 4th place this weekend at the National Women’s NAIA Wrestling Tournament representing Campbellsville University, earning All-American honors.

She went 5-2 on the weekend with two wins (11-0, 6-0) and 3 pins. Her losses came to the young lady who took 3rd and to the eventual National Champion. As a team, the Campbellsville University Tigers claimed the National Championship.

Brianna started competing for the Tigers at Campbellsville, Kentucky, in mid-January and has transitioned well from being home in Wisconsin to her new home for the next four years of college in Kentucky. 

Brianna is a member of the Whitewater High School Class of 2020.

Emme Bullis was chosen as the MaxPreps/AVCA Wisconsin High School Volleyball Player of the Week for March 1st-March 7th.

Go, Emme, and Go, Whippets! 

https://www.maxpreps.com/news/NjXUJ8ZXXkO9ypo_3Iavfw/maxpreps-avca-players-of-the-week.htm

About the MaxPreps/AVCA High School Player of the Week Program:
The MaxPreps/AVCA High School Player of the Week Program is a partnership between the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and CBS MaxPreps, Inc. Each week MaxPreps and the AVCA recognize deserving student-athletes at the high school level who have demonstrated outstanding play on the court throughout the week of competition. Coaches must submit statistics to MaxPreps in order for their athletes to be considered for the program.

Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

Whitewater Volleyball defeated Beloit Turner 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-13) on Thursday night during the annual Play for Trey event.

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Kindyl Kilar and Emme Bullis led the team in hitting, each with 16 kills. Three players, Emme Bullis, Cora Linos, and Kindyl Kilar, had double-digit digs defensively, with 12, 11, and 10 respectively.

Play for Trey is an annual event for the volleyball team, asking spectators to donate to Treyton’s Field of Dreams, built in honor of Treyton Kilar, a young baseball fan who perished in a drunk driving accident following a Whippet volleyball game in 2010.