The two teams trade points, but Reid hits the serve out and the ballgame is over. Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow for Arrowhead football in Oshkosh against Stevens Point, with a berth at state on the line. Kickoff is 4 p.m.
Final: New Berlin 3, Kettle Moraine 0, 25-17, 27-25, 25-22.
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Officials disagree on a Dejno shot to the corner, but it was definitely in, and the chair overruled the line judge. That makes it 23-20, NB. It was the right call, as I think the line judge was screened and called it best he could. The chair overruled immediately.
Service error makes it 23-21, with Sam Tromblay back to the service line, needing to keep the ball in play.
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KM calls timeout, down 22-18. It's going to take a pretty substantial rally, down two games to none and facing a bleak deficit in game three.
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The Lasers go to old reliable in the back row, but Reid gets blocked, and the United lead grows. Rupp digs up a Dejno attack in the net, and it's played up and into a point for the Lasers.
New Berlin wins the next point, but it doesn't get credited because a volleyball from the neighboring court rolled across. Karma bounces the United way when a serve goes out, and it's 21-17, New Berlin.
*****
The United built a 2-point lead, with a Lasers service error and attack error helping the cause, followed by a net violation. Major crossroads right now for KM, and they call timeout, down 19-16.
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Dejno has a nice jump serve in his artillery, and it directly leads to a point that gives NB the lead back at 12-11. Ean Reid lines up back-to-back kills to give it back to the Lasers, but Dejno comes absolutely flying out of the back row to throw down a smash off the hands of Rupp. Reid responds one more time, and each of the last four KM points have come via Reid kill. It's 14-13, Lasers.
*****
We haven't had consecutive points for either team in a while. Mayenschein gets another attack to tie the score at 8-8, Dejno responds with a punishing kill, but Dan Schwartz responds and we're locked again. Schwartz takes an overpass to finally give a team two in a row, and the Lasers have their first lead of the game at 10-9.
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Hayden reaches over some barriers into a watching crowd and saves a ball that New Berlin thought was already dead, leading to an easy kill. But despite the fortuitous bounce, it's the United that has all the energy, even as their lead in the third game is slim, at 5-4.
Mayenschein gets a clean attack on a second hit and ties the score.
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Dejno with nine kills in game two, and Kettle Moraine now faces a serious hole, down 0-2. Had they clinched that final point, we'd be talking about a completely different monster, but the Lasers will need to come back from the dead if they want to advance. Hayden's attack just missed, leading to a cheer on KM's side that dissolved into a cheer on the other side.
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Nick Lepak gets the kill to pull New Berlin back within 24-23, and KM calls another timeout. Is this the NBA? An overpass on the ensuing serve receive leads to a Dejno kill, and Reid's attack goes long to create a major turn of events. Now New Berlin is up, 25-24.
Hayden with a remarkable kill that rides parallel to the net -- JUST finds some line to re-tie the score. But Mayenschein hits the serve out, and the United reclaims control. Hayden's next attack just misses the line, and New Berlin wins, 27-25.
Match score: New Berlin 2, Kettle Moraine 0.
*****
A United attack hits the net, giving KM a two-point lead before Dejno delivers another one from the back row, pulling his squad within 23-22. KM sets Reid similarly -- from the back row -- and he wipes it off the block for a game point situation, at 24-22. New Berlin calls another timeout, with KM on the cusp of tying the match. They struggled putting games away in the sectional final, so now would be a good time to atone.
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Mayenschein takes a tight pass and kills it, knotting the score at 21-21. His set to David Hayden is played up, but New Berlin miscommunicates and the ball hits the floor. KM takes a 22-21 lead, and New Berlin takes a timeout.
*****
Mayenschein played a low pass perfectly to Reid, who delivered another game-tying kill in a back-and forth game. We're locked at 19. As I type that, New Berlin rattles off consecutive points and forces KM to call timeout, down 21-19 and trying to avoid an 0-2 deficit to start the match.
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David Hayden notches his second kill of the game and ties the score at 14-14. Denjo responds from the back row for a loud kill, giving his team the temporary advantage, before Mayenschein delivers a great back-set to Hayden for a game-tying kill. It's 15s.
*****
Reid's jump serve nets a couple points, although New Berlin almost returned one that bounced off the rafters. It's New Berlin's turn to look a touch discombobulated -- back-tob-back attack errors by Dejno give KM an 11-10 lead. NB ties it after a long rally at 11-11.
*****
The KM attack has definitely not found its rhythm, with seven attack errors after the early points of game two. New Berlin blocks Reid to take a 5-4 lead in the second set, then adds a couple more to build a 7-4 lead.
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Sophomore Nick Olson throws down the decisive kill for the United, and New Berlin finishes with a 25-17 win over Kettle Moraine in Game One. Jeremy Dejno finishes the game with six kills and one ace for New Berlin. Reid notches four kills to lead the Lasers.
Match score: New Berlin 1, Kettle Moraine 0.
*****
Mayenschein is whistled for taking off on the serve over the baseline, and New Berlin uses that as a start of a four-point run, leading into another KM timeout. First game not looking so hot, as New Berlin holds a 23-15 lead.
Of course, the Lasers were up in game two of the sectional final against CMH, 24-18, and wound up falling. Anything's possible, but the United are primed to take this first set.
*****
Kettle Moraine will make no apologies for its high-risk aggressive serves, but they look a lot better when they start in play. Consecutive service errors keep KM from building any momentum. It's back and forth, but that favors the team with the lead. New Berlin takes a 19-14 lead and coach Tom Gulak calls timeout for KM.
*****
The lead swells to 14-8. Rupp made a great dig on Dejno's first clean look of the day, as it bounced up into the rafters and Keating ran it down to get it over. But Beeler put it away for New Berlin to quiet any momentum it could have provided.
Dejno with an explosive kill to give the United a 16-10 lead.
*****
New Berlin gets the upper hand, taking a 10-5 lead. KM has been a bit sloppy, with two service errors (those almost killed them against CMH in the sectional final) and a trio of attack errors.
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Mayenschein records an ace on his jump serve on the first point of the match, and we're underway.
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Many teams do fun things with their hair when they reach state -- shaving completely and mohawks seem to be the most popular maneuvers. But Racine Horlick -- playing Nicolet on the opposite court -- win the award for most creative. They've shaved everything but the very top to give a mohawk look, but the sides are carved in all sorts of wavy lines. It's like railroad tracks (remember those?) all over the place. Weird, but interesting.
Lineups for New Berlin vs. Kettle Moraine:
NB: Chris Pokrzwya, Adam Vlaj (L), Jeremy Dejno, Nick Olson, Nick Lepak, Mike Beeler, Jamie Sugar
KM: Connor Keating, Ean Reid, Greg Duma, Jim Mayenschein, Dan Schwartz, David Hayden, Mitch Rupp (L)
*****
I knew New Berlin was young, but I didn't realize they were THIS young.
I already mentioned they have one senior, a player who is not a central part of the team's attack from a glance at the stats. That means they almost excuslively rely on underclassmen -- they'll all be back next year on a team that qualified for state and carried a top 10 ranking. This team could contend with Marquette as a state boys volleyball dynasty.
They have two sophomores and three freshmen on the roster, and one of those sophomores is the team's No. 2 kills guy, Mike Beeler, a 6-3 middle. One of the freshmen -- Nick Olson -- is No. 3 in that department and the team's tallest player at 6-5. Yikes. How good will they be next year? Looks like they're already plenty good this year.
KM has three sophomores -- Connor Keating, Josh Zuelke and Greg Duma. Keating and Duma are starters.
*****
Warmups are often a fun time in boys volleyball, especially when you watch a stud hitter. Without the block, getting a completely free shot, Jeremy Dejno has been delivering some impressive sharp-angle throwdowns. It's definitely grounds for oohing and aahing. Ean Reid has put on similar displays for KM.
*****
Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee is in the middle of a residential neighborhood on Bluemound Ave., but this is a very nice venue compared to predecessor Waukesha West, where the tournament has been held the last several years.
West always felt cramped to me, thanks largely to the bleachers being tight on one side and only half retracted in the two-court layout. Here, the two courts still leave plenty of room for fans on both sides.
The atmosphere at these tournaments is really something to behold. This sport lends itself to a lot of emotional outbursts with every point, and the fans take advantage of that. With two matches going on simultaneously, someone is almost always cheering.
I nearly got hit with a volleyball just now. Journalists blog at their own risk.
*****
I wish I could figure out what the KM fans are saying.
Just as they did in the sectional final, the student section chants "Ean Reid ___" It sounds like "Ean Reid how," but I can't make it out. Enunciation is the key to any good student section. I'm pretty sure senior Ean Reid is the centerpiece of the cheer, however.
They're in full force as the KM players have hit the floor at Wisconsin Lutheran, prepping for their state semifinal. The KM students arrive adorned in various jerseys -- basketball, football, you name it -- so it's a multi-colored presentation. I dig it.
*****
Update from the other quarterfinal action -- Middleton just swept Wauwatosa East, taking game three in a spirited 25-23 battle. Middleton is very tough, with a 6-foot-7 middle and two players on the first or second all-state team.
Marquette got an early scare when Kaukauna took game one in extra points against the state's top team, but the Hilltoppers have since rebounded to take games two and three. They're getting set for game four as we speak.
UPDATE: Marquette wins in four and will face Middleton in a state semifinal tomorrow.
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Kettle Moraine (13-4) vs. New Berlin (22-5), WIAA state quarterfinal
New Berlin is in its third year of existence, and like Kettle Moraine, makes its first-ever state tournament appearance this evening. The United -- a co-op team featuring students from New Berlin West and New Berlin Eisenhower -- are led by first team all-state choice Jeremy Dejno, whose .428 hitting percentage is amazing for an outside hitter with as many attempts as it lists for him (551).
Dejno is just a junior, and it wouldn't surprise me if his family's interest in boys volleyball helped to jumpstart a program in New Berlin. Dejno was awesome as a freshman -- I was covering the program at the time -- and I can only imagine where he is now as a junior.
The United are young -- just one senior on the roster, which is a circumstance shared by Kettle Moraine. Of course, the Lasers senior is Ean Reid, the team's first team all-state hitter who will probably be the player of the year in the Classic 8 Conference.
New Berlin setter Chris Pokrzwya was also on the team as a freshman and has had plenty of time to develop a rapport with Dejno.
When I saw KM and Catholic Memorial in the sectional final, I was struck by setter Jim Mayenschein's willingness to attack. Not just setter dumps either -- the kid takes a full swing on second hits if the opportunity presents itself. That's a dangerous weapon to have.
*****
I decided to take in the action a little early at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and I'll be here for both quarterfinal rounds. In front of me, Middleton is facing Wauwatosa East, while Marquette and Kaukauna (alma mater!) play on behind me.
Kettle Moraine and New Berlin will face off at 7:30 p.m., and you can check back to the Preps Alcove for updates as they happen.