Xavier advances to state volleyball title match, Kimberly falls in semifinal

ASHWAUBENON – Xavier will play for the WIAA Division 2 state girls volleyball championship on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Resch Center.Kimberly wasn’t as fortunate in Division 1.Xavier, the No. 1 seed, advanced to the D2 title match with a 25-16, 25-23, 15-25, 25-19 victory over No. 4 seed Catholic Memorial on Nov. 6 in a semifinal match.The Hawks (30-11) will play No. 2 seed Kettle Moraine Lutheran (31-10) in the championship match at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Chargers advanced with a 27-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23 victory over Barron.Kimberly, the No. 2 seed, was swept in its Division 1 semifinal by No. 3 seed Bay Port 25-22, 25-16, 25-12 to end the season for the Papermakers.Bay Port will play in the championship match Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 1 seed Divine Savior Holy Angels, which advanced with a 21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-14 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran.Xavier returns to state championship matchXavier is no stranger to the state tournament – it won Division 2 state titles as recently as 2022 and 2023 – but the postseason run is a new experience for this group and they’re cherishing it.“We are incredibly blessed,” Xavier coach Luke Herriges said. “That was a phenomenal volleyball match playing against Catholic Memorial, who is one of the best teams that we’ve played this year, especially defensively and at the net. They play some power volleyball. They were frustrating at times at how much they would dig and block us.“But our kids found a way, and I think that’s just the story of this whole entire year is that they found the way to persevere with challenges. We’re incredibly excited to play for a state championship tomorrow and couldn’t be happier.”The Hawks never trailed in the first two sets. The first set was tied 8-8 and the second set was tied 5-5 before the Hawks pulled away in both.The Crusaders scored the first point in the third set to lead for the first time in the match and controlled the third set, but the Hawks took back the momentum of the match in the fourth set and went on to the victory.“Hats off to Xavier. They came out and battled. They executed really well. They were scrappy the whole match,” CMH coach Samantha Derynda said. “We had a lot of power. I think we just started off a little bit scared and got behind in set one and two, and then it kind of hurt us. Set three, we just showed who we were, right? Unfortunately, we couldn’t get enough to make it happen through the fourth set.”Rose Kendall had 14 kills for Xavier. Raya Zurfluh had 34 assists, while Hope Kaufman had 19 digs, Zurfluh had 15 digs and Taelyn Kiepert had 13 digs.Kendall said the Hawks being able to turn back the CMH momentum after that third set was crucial.“I think one thing we really focus on is holding the huddles tight, knowing that the set isn’t over until, you know, it hits 25 or whatever the score is,” Kendall said. “And I think in that moment, we’ve really talked about embracing everything that’s happening. The game isn’t going our way every time, but we stick together and we know that we’re going to do this together.”Xavier was going to relax the rest of the day Friday and prepare to face a Kettle Moraine Lutheran team that the Hawks beat 2-1 at the Homestead Joust earlier this season.“The message is to enjoy your last day with this team, to enjoy everything from the bus ride to the dances in the locker room, to just go up there and have a blast with your friends, because it'll never be the same,” Herriges said.Bay Port too much for KimberlyKimberly didn’t have an answer for the hitting prowess of Bay Port, led by senior outside hitter Brenna Derousseau who had 23 kills.The Pirates had 46 kills in the match and a .343 hitting percentage, while Kimberly had 26 kills and a .100 hitting percentage.“Tons of credit to Bay Port. They were definitely ready,” Kimberly coach Carrie Raminger said. “I felt like it was similar to how teams have felt this season playing us. There were a lot of options and they definitely worked our block harder than they’ve had to work in a while. And I think that you saw that, and then defensively you saw some frustration because their outsides were able to move the ball around in a lot of different spots.”Harper Van Lannen had eight kills for Kimberly. Aubrey Van Camp had 18 assists and Finley Van Lannen had 19 digs.Harper Van Lannen said the Papermakers weren’t surprised by how well Bay Port played. Kimberly beat the Pirates 2-0 at the Notre Dame Invite early in the season.“I think we go into every game expecting other people’s best,” she said. “I feel like we’ve talked about how everyone is going to play their best against us, so we have to be ready for that. So I don’t think it really surprised us. I just think that we just weren’t playing as a team today.”Kimberly has a young roster and says goodbye to only four seniors – the Van Lannens, Haylie Dulas and Kylie Ver Bockel.The Papermakers were playing at the state tournament for the second year in a row and for the 14th time overall and expectations continue to grow for the program.They finished the season with a 38-5 record.“It is an expectation to get here, but we also know how hard it is to get here,” Raminger said. “Throughout our whole season, we have felt a little bit of pressure and we have done a really good job of fighting it off, fighting it off, and staying grounded in the things that we know.“We haven’t always won. We have been in that spot where we didn’t. And so we have been battle-tested and today, unfortunately, you didn’t see our best, but that doesn’t take away from how cool the season has been and how fun it has been to coach them and the rest of the senior class.”This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Xavier advances to state volleyball title match, Kimberly falls in semifinal