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.
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!!!!
