Sports

The Whippet Volleyball Team battled in the two-day UWW Warhawk tournament this past weekend, which included 25 teams from around Wisconsin. The first night the Whippets faced a tough schedule with playing three matches right in a row in an extremely hot field house. That being said, they beat Lodi in the first match of the night and fell to Shorewood Lutheran and Heritage Christian in a tight three-set match, finally losing to Bloomer who finished third overall.

After a tough Friday night schedule, the Whippets bounced back to be undefeated on Saturday, winning the top silver division to place 11th.

Coach Kilar commented, “I was so proud of our determination and perseverance to come back from a tough schedule and matchups on Friday night, battling in two hard-fought three-set matches. But this team would not quit! They came back Saturday and did not drop a set, beating Bradford, Merrill, Monona Grove, and Evansville to take the silver bracket.” Kilar further commented, “I cannot say this enough, I am incredibly proud of how this team is coming together, battling for each other, committing to running a faster offense and willing to dig in on defense. They are a true team, working together and battling! To say I am proud of them is an understatement.”

The Whippet stat leaders from the tournament included a well-rounded attack and defensive line. Kindyl Kilar dominated offensively and defensively, ending the tournament with 90 kills, 18 aces, and 64 digs. However, she was not alone. Senior Jenna Pope put up huge blocking numbers and led with 14 total blocks. Sophomore Calli Grosinske dished out 118 assists, and senior Cali Kopecky tallied 7 aces on the tournament. Finally, the Whippet libero, Caleigh Yang was a force defensively, recording 60 digs on the weekend.

“Everything we do this season is about our team. We have far more weapons this year, and the athletes are embracing their potential to contribute to this team.  It has been so fun to be part of their growth, and I count myself blessed to be called their coach.”

Kindyl Kilar, a Florida International University commit was also named to the 9-player All-Tournament Team. “I am so proud of the way Kindyl is leading this season, and she always gives 110%. What is so incredible though, is that I can say that about every one of our 13-person roster. They are all in this season, and I look forward to what our future holds!”

Article and Group Photo Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Action Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

The Whippet Cross Country Teams kicked their race schedule off Saturday, August 27, on the campus of UW-Whitewater. It was the 20th edition of the Dirk Seibold Alumni Meet. The weather was terrific for August and the course is challenging – a great combination! It’s the first rust buster of the year for the kids as they embark on their 2022 season.

The boys kicked things off first with many runners already showing nice improvement over last season. Jack Hefty led the race wire to wire and cruised to a comfortable win in 18:29. Nate Holden came in third behind Assistant Coach Quinn McKenzie with a time of 20:19. Miles Nickelsburg, CJ Tomomitsu, and Xavier Zei ran as a nice trio for much of the race with only 19 seconds separating them running in the mid 21’s. Onyx Thompson and Ben McCulloch rounded out the top 7 boys, finishing in 8th and 9th with times of 24:48 and 24:56. Jack, Nate, Miles, and Xavier all ran faster today than they did last year at the conference meet which is held on the exact same course. Xavier cut over six minutes off last year’s conference meet time! Alumni Adam Triebold, Ben Holden, Kris Kirkland, and Mark Schroeder all competed hard in the event and repped the team very well! 

The girls’ race was next and featured a much different look as the team lost many seniors from last year’s group. Freshman Mady Hefty ran a nice first effort to lead the team with a third place finish overall with a time of 24:00. Athena Soto came in fourth in 24:49. Nola Coburn was the team’s third runner and placed 5th with a time of 26:02. Running together for nearly all of the race were Emma Weigel and Lauren Buehler. They finished with times of 27:17 and 27:32. Isabella Aranda ran faster than she did last year at the conference meet by placing 8th with a time of 28:04. Rounding out the top seven varsity scorers was Danielle DePorter who placed 10th in 28:34. Alumni Kristin Anderson and Teresa Stanley showed their veteran dominance by placing first and second with times of 23:17 and 23:59. 

Many other athletes wore the Whippet name on their chest for the first time and did well! Many other alumni were in attendance but did not race. Coach Carstens would like to thank all those that came out for attending the 20th edition of the Alumni Meet, regardless of whether you competed or not. Mark your calendars for 2023 as we will conduct the meet on August 26th. See you then!

Article and Group Photos Courtesy of Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Individual Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

The Whitewater Varsity Volleyball Squad had an outstanding quadrangular with Stoughton, Sun Prairie, and Catholic Central on Tuesday night. The Whippets dominated offensively and defensively, not dropping a single set, while sweeping all three teams 2 sets to 0.

“The Whippet squad saw everyone on our 13-person roster contribute to the victories! It was a definite team win and one the entire program can be proud of. The fans were outstanding, and the gym was loud and energetic to bring home the wins,” Coach Kilar commented.

Kilar continued, “We are doing some really nice things so far this season, committing to each other, working on developing a faster offense, and putting in 110% each time we have an opportunity to be on the floor together in practice or competitions. I couldn’t be more proud of our work so far.”

The Whippets are led by seven seniors: Cali Kopecky, Kindyl Kilar, Grace Villarreal, Caroline Skindingsrude, CC Alexander, Jenna Pope, and Caleigh Yang.

Stat leaders from the quadrangular Tuesday night included Kilar with 35 kills and 21 digs, Yang with 19 digs, Calli Grosinske with 33 assists, Kopecky with 7 aces, Alexander hitting .429 on the night with no errors, and Pope hitting .625 with a no error night. Finally, our blocking was on fire with Pope and Alexander leading the way with 6 and 5 blocks respectively.

The Whippets will travel to UWW on August 26 and 27 beginning at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Saturday play times depend on how we finish on Friday.

Special thanks to Bob Mischka for the awesome action shots!

Article Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Action Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

The Whitewater Volleyball Program kicked off the 2022 season with a scrimmage at Union Grove (Varsity) and Elkhorn (JV1 and JV2)! The energy the Whippets brought was felt by all who attended, with both JV teams showing great improvement from start to finish! The coaches were proud of the way the athletes worked hard on the court and the positivity they brought to their teammates.

The Varsity squad showed huge improvement from last year in their ability to run a faster offense and defense. The coaching staff is excited for what the season holds! Next up is a Varsity Quadrangular at home on Tuesday, August 23rd beginning at 5:00 p.m. The JV1 team will head to East Troy for an afternoon tournament on August 24th. Rounding out the week of competition, the Varsity squad will head over to UWW for a Friday/Saturday tournament August 26 and 27.

To end a great first week of practice and competition, the entire volleyball family celebrated with a program lock-in at the High School. This included dancing, movie watching, snacks, games, and team bonding. What a great way to celebrate our first week of building our team culture for the season! Special thanks to Athletic Director, Mr. Crandall, and WHS Principal Mr. Mansky for affording us this opportunity.

Our theme this year is “All or Nothing…Contribute to the Culture.” We have many special events planned and hope to see you at our matches this season!

Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org