Eagles get set for the future
By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle
The last two Sauk Prairie girls' volleyball seasons must have seemed something like deja vu to Eleanor Engelby.
The Eagles' coach has seen her team finish third or tied for third in the Badger North in 2005, '06 and last season.
But with four of six positions filled by girls' with considerable experience this season, Engelby thinks it's within reason to break the trend.
"Their goal is to win conference, and they know it's attainable," she said in an interview Aug. 28, indicating she thinks this year's team is on par with recent conference powers Waunakee and Reedsburg.
"The first two years that I was here, the girls never really tried (against Waunakee and Reedsburg) because they were like, 'We're never going to beat them, they're just too good of a team.' This year, these girls know that they have the talent and that they can beat whoever they want to beat."
Leading that talented bunch is Ashley Wipperfurth, a 5-foot-11 middle hitter who was first-team, all-conference last season as a junior.
Engelby called Wipperfurth "extremely athletic," but said its Wipperfurth's competitiveness that she thinks will have the biggest affect on this year's team.
"She wants to excel in everything she does and she wants to be the best she can be," Engelby said. "I think a lot of girls see her dedication and how much she enjoys the sport, and they just want to rally with her and be the best they can be too."
Joining Wipperfurth in the middle is sophomore Lacey Puls, a second-team all-conference selection a year ago.
Junior Alex Gust (honorable mention) returns at outside hitter and Lauren Halweg (setter) Andrea Fiene (right-side hitter) and Brittany Hahn (outside hitter) round out the starting line for the Eagles.
Engleby also said junior Aimee Thrune will come in quite a bit when Fiene's position rotates to the back row, and senior Allie Ochsner will be used — like she was a year ago — in certain situations as a defensive specialist.
"You want to get them all on the floor because they all bring something unique to the team," Engelby said of her rotation.
Sauk Prairie beat Dodgeville in the first round of its WIAA Division 2 regional tournament last season — the first time it won in the opening round in Engelby's three years as coach — before losing to Richland Center in a regional semifinal.
And Engleby thinks that experience, along with her team's combination of talent and experience, will help this year's team get even deeper into the playoffs.
"It was a big game. The gym was packed and they're not used to that, and I think they had a little jitters in them," she said. "Those girls know that, we could have won that game if we hadn't let past experiences get into our heads.
"These girls honestly want to go to state, and they know that they have the potential to win all those games to get there," she added, indicating they've been talking about that goal since summer volleyball began. "They're not going to let anything stand in their way — at the end of the day, they're going to put everything that they can on that court."
2008 Sauk Prairie GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL schedule
Aug. 28 — @ Whitewater Invite— Williams Center, UW-Whitewater, 9 a.m.
Sept. 2 — vs. PORTAGE, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 4 — @ Reedsburg, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 9 — vs. MOUNT HOREB, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 13 — @ Monona Grove Invite, 9 a.m.
Sept. 16 — @ Waunakee, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 18 — @ DeForest, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 20 — @ Port Washington Invite, 9 a.m.
Sept. 23 — vs. BARABOO, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 25 — @ Portage, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 30 — vs. REEDSBURG, 6:45 p.m.
Oct. 2 — @ Mount Horeb, 6:45 p.m.
Oct. 9 — vs. WAUNAKEE, 6:45 p.m.
Oct. 14 — vs. DEFOREST, 6:45 p.m.
Oct. 16 — @ Baraboo, 6:45 p.m.
Oct. 21 & 25 — WIAA Division 2 regionals, tba
Oct. 23-24 — WIAA Division 1 regionals
Nov. 1 — WIAA Division 1 and 2 sectionals tba
Nov. 6-8 — WIAA state tournament, Green Bay, Resch Center
~ Home games in BOLD CAPS