Heights spikers 4th at Beaver Dam

Wisconsin Heights’ girls volleyball team finished in fourth place at the Beaver Dam Invitational last Saturday. “We didn’t play our best volleyball, but there were plenty of shining moments,” Heights coach Kala O’Connell said. The Vanguards opened with a 25-20, 25-15 win over Mayville. Jada Wood had 15 assists, while Ashlee Adler had nine kills. Kelsi Handel had four aces and five kills, Raegan Doherty had two kills, two blocks and five assists, Kylee Doherty had four kills and Riley Lynch had two blocks. The Vanguards then toppled Hortonville, 25-22, 25-13. Adler led the way with eight kills and two assists, while Wood had 18 assists, four kills and two aces. Kylee Doherty had nine kills, Raegan Doherty had three aces and three kills, and Handel had two kills. “We had just finished watching Hortonville lose to Sun Prairie in a close third set, so we knew they would be tough,” O’Connell said. Sun Prairie then downed the Vanguards, 25-14, 25-22. Adler had eight kills, while Raegan Doherty had seven kills and two assists. Wood had 13 assists, while Handel had four kills and two assists. “We didn’t do much,” O’Connell said. “Sun Prairie is a good blocking team and we weren’t playing our smartest volleyball and kept hitting right into their block. “We got a little momentum in the second set, but it wasn’t enough to force them into a third set. We finished pool play in second place, so that put us in the gold bracket.” In the Gold Bracket, Luxemburg-Casco downed the Vanguards, 25-16, 25-21. Wood had 14 assists, while Adler had seven kills and two assists. Kylee Doherty had 10 kills and Handel had two kills. Beaver Dam then edged Heights, 25-20, 28-26, and the Vanguards settled for fourth place in the tournament. Adler had 11 kills and Wood had 20 assists. Kylee Doherty had six kills, Raegan Doherty had four assists, three kills and three blocks, Handel had two aces and two kills, and Lynch added three kills and two blocks. “We were playing for third or fourth place and we had lost a close one to Beaver Dam this summer right before the season started, so we were excited to play them again,” O’Connell said. “The girls admitted to being a little tired after the Luxemburg-Casco game, but they rallied and made the second set exciting.” Heights trailed in the second set, 16-13 and 22-16. The Vanguards eventually tied things, 24-24, but couldn’t get over the hump. “It was an exciting comeback and it was encouraging to see the girls play under that pressure,” O’Connell said. “Next time we hope to come out ahead.” Heights also rolled past Cambridge, 25-14, 25-14, 25-23, last Tuesday. Adler had four aces, eight kills and three assists, while Handel had three aces, six kills and two assists. Wood had 21 assists and two kills, Raegan Doherty had seven kills and two aces, Kylee Doherty had 10 kills, Lynch had four kills and three aces and Daryn Schaefer had five assists. “Cambridge was a good chance for us to try a few new things we’ve been working on,” O’Connell said. “Everyone got some playing time and then in the third set we tried a new lineup that incorporated a couple more players. We found some kinks we need to work out, but we were able to run some plays and that always makes the game more exciting.” BEAVER DAM INVITATIONAL Championship: Sun Prairie def. Luxemburg-Casco, 21-25, 25-18, 15-10. Semifinals: Sun Prairie def. Beaver Dam, 25-19, 25-22; Luxemburg-Casco def. Wisconsin Heights, 2-0. Pool play: Sun Prairie 3-0; Luxemburg-Casco 3-0. WISCONSIN HEIGHTS 3, CAMBRIDGE 0 Wisconsin Heights ............. 25 25 25 Cambridge ......................... 15 14 23 WISCONSIN HEIGHTS (leaders) — Kills: Doherty 10. Assists: Wood. Blocks: Doherty 1. Aces: Adler 4. Digs: Handel 16. CAMBRIDGE — Kills: Korth 8. Assists: Geiss 10. Blocks: Stenklyuft 1. Aces: Geiss 2. Digs: Jarlseberg 12. CROSS COUNTRY In one race, Christian Patzka shined. In the other, Samantha Herrling stole the show. The dynamic cross country duo from Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld was back at it again last Saturday at the River Valley Invitational. Patzka finished first in the boys race and led the Vanguards to a fifth place finish at the 17-team event. Herrling won the girls race and led Heights/Barneveld to a seventh place finish out of 15 teams. Boscobel won the boys race with 48 points, while Darlington (92), Iowa-Grant (108), Brookwood (170) and Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld (191) rounded out the top five. Patzka was first in the boys race, finishing the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 27 seconds. Patzka defeated his nearest competitor by more than a minute. Zach Bauman was 17th in 18:32, Weston Parman was 22nd (18:44), Aaron Meier was 75th (21:01) and Andrew Pietrzykowski was 76th (21:05). Lancaster won the girls race with 81 points, while Darlington (85), Brookwood (113), Albany (113) and Boscobel (122) rounded out the top five. Herrling won the race, completing the 5,000-meter course in 19:29. That was good for a 48-second win over her nearest competitor. Kassidy Frame was 11th (21:34), Greine Simmert was 23rd (22:31), Brianna Herrling was 53rd (24:48) and Emma Gordon was 81st (28:51). Boys cross country SMALL SCHOOLS Team scores — Boscobel 48; Darlington 92; Iowa-Grant 108; Brookwood 170; Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld 191; Lancaster 201; Wauzeka-Steuben 222; River Ridge 243; Riverdale 244; Pecatonica/Argyle 246; Belleville 256; Palmyra-Eagle 263; Gibraltar 282; Fennimore 296; Albany 342; Necedah 405; North Crawford 505. Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld: 1, Patzka 16:27; 17, Bauman 18:32; 22, Parman 18:44; 75, Meier 21:01; 76, Pietrzykowski 21:05. At Spring Green Municipal Golf Course, 5,000 meters. Girls cross country Team scores — Lancaster 81; Darlington 85; Brookwood 113; Albany 113; Boscobel 122; River Ridge 153; Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld 165; Iowa-Grant 219; Belleville 242; Fennimore 249; Riverdale 280; Madison St. Ambrose 305; Gibraltar 307; Pecatonica/Argyle 318; Necedah 444. Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld: 1, S. Herrling 19:29; 11, Frame 21:34; 19, Simmert 22:31; 53, B. Herrling 24:48; 81, Gordon 28:51. SOCCER The Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld boys soccer team had another split last week. Middleton’s varsity reserve team defeated the Vanguards, 3-1, last Monday. Heights/Barneveld then routed Dodgeland/Hustisford, 13-0, last Tuesday. The Vanguards’ game at Monroe last Thursday was cancelled due to inclement weather. Against Middleton’s varsity reserve, Heights/Barneveld struck first on an own goal. The Vanguards took a corner kick, placed the ball in front of the net and a Middleton player headed the ball into the net, giving Heights/Barneveld an early 1-0 lead. Minutes later Gavin Childs had an opportunity to increase the lead off a Middleton keeper error, but his shot was just wide. Middleton took off from there and eventually pulled away. “I thought the boys played well,” Vanguards coach Bartlett Holmes said. “I thought the defense had the best outing of the season, led by Brodie Trollop and Braydan Cymbalak and supported by AJ Olson and Matthew Russell. Middleton is a well-organized team and our defense did not allow them to break us down.” Coach Holmes was pleased with the level of play. “A few simple mistakes led to easy goals,” he said. “Otherwise it was a great effort by the boys.” Heights/Barneveld bounced back the following night with an easy win over Dodgeland-Hustisford. Caeben Schomber led the Vanguards with four goals, while Gavin Childs and Sam King each notched hat tricks. Gibson Heathcote, Caiden Murphy and Brennan Zander also scored. “We had a quick start,” Holmes said. “This was a great opportunity for us to work on controlling the field and finishing. It is also very nice to be able to give everyone some varsity play time.” King posted three assists in the match, while Zander, Schomber, Cymbalak, Rhead Jacobus and Coleman Frost also posted assists. The match was called after 60 minutes due to the lopsided score. • On deck: Heights/Barneveld hosted conference rival Cambridge/Deerfield on Tuesday, then travels to Sauk Prairie on Thursday. WISCONSIN HEIGHTS/BARNEVELD 13, HUSTIFORD/DODGELAND 0 Hustiford/Dodgeland ................. 0 0 — 0 Wis. Heights/Barneveld ............ 8 5 — 13 First half: Childs (Schomber), 2:43; King, 3:51; Schomber, 4:09; Zander (Cymbalak), 6:14; Schomber (King), 9:51; Childs (Cymbalak), 10:52; King (Jacobus), 12:17; Murphy (Zander), 42:51. Second half: Schomber, 46:28; Childs (King), 49:35; King, 51:53; Schomber (King), 53:15; Heathcote (Olson), 55:07. Saves: HD (Held) 2; WHB (Dimpfl) 1.