Sauk Prairie leads Badger North Conference all-conference volleyball team with three on first team

By Dan Larson / Sauk Prairie Eagle

The Sauk Prairie prep girls volleyball team won a share of the Badger North Conference title for its first conference championship in 35 years, and it beat perennial conference-contenders Waunakee and Reedsburg for what is believed to be the first time since the late 1990s on its way to doing so.

So it should come as no surprise that three Eagles were named to the first-team of the conference's all-conference team — the most in the conference — which the conference released Nov. 11.

 "It shows the talent, and the way they played together,  the other coaches had to respect that when it came to voting," Eagles coach Eleanor Engelby said in a phone interview Nov. 13.

That they did. Senior middle-hitter Ashley Wipperfurth, who was also a first-team selection a year ago, was the only unanimous selection on the seven-player team.

"Her determination and how much time and effort she's put into the sport, you could just tell with the quality of player she's become over the years," Engelby said. "She's just an outstanding player."

Junior Alex Gust (outside hitter), an honorable-mention selection last year, and sophomore Lacey Puls, a second-team selection last year, rounded out the trio.

Junior Lauren Halweg (setter) earned second-team honors, but Engelby said she could just have easily been on the first team.

"I think Lauren was far and above the rest of the setters in the conference, and it did surprise me that she didn't make first team," Engelby said. "Her (assist) stats were phenomenal."

But while Halweg might not have made the first-team, she no doubt had a hand in it. She routinely collected assists on points finished by Wipperfurth, Gust and Puls.

"People who don't know the sport very well tend to forget that our hitters aren't going to be as great as they can be unless they have a setter there to get them the ball," Engelby said. "And Lauren did a great job for us there — making great decisions and keeping the girls going with the sets that she gave them."

Waunakee, which won conference titles outright in 2006 and last year, shared the conference title with Sauk Prairie with an 11-1 record and earned the second-most first team selections with two (outside-hitters Libby Burkle and Crystal Ziegler). The Warriors also had four selected across all teams.

Sauk Prairie also had the most underclassmen selected across all teams with three — an indication that the Eagles should be able to contend for a conference title again next year, Engleby said. Waunakee had the next most with two.

The Eagles also announced their team-award winners at their team banquet, which was held Nov. 9 at the high school.

Ashley Wipperfurth was voted by her teammates as the Most Valuable Player, while sophomore Brittany Hahn received the Hardest Worker award and junior Andrea Fiene was named the Most Improved Player. Senior Allie Ochsner received the Spirit award.

FIRST TEAM

Name	Position	School	Year
Ashley Wipperfurth *	Middle hitter	Sauk Prairie	Senior
TeAnn Harms	Middle hitter	Reedsburg	Senior
Libby Burkle	Outside hitter	Waunakee	Senior
Crystal Ziegler	Outside hitter	Waunakee	Junior
Mackenzie Ziegler	Middle hitter	Portage	Sophomore
Lacey Puls	Middle hitter	Sauk Prairie	Sophomore
Alex Gust	Outside hitter	Sauk Prairie	Junior

* indicates unanimous selection

SECOND TEAM

Name	Position	School	Year
Hailie Ripley	Middle hitter	Waunakee	Sophomore
Kelsey Lindquist	Setter	Waunakee	Senior
Katy Schulenburg	Setter	Reedsburg	Senior
Katie Hahn	Outside hitter	Reedsburg	Senior
Ashley Springer	Outside hitter	DeForest	Senior
Heidi Anderson	Outside hitter	Baraboo	Senior
Lauren Halweg	Setter	Sauk Prairie	Junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Name	Position	School	Year
Michelle Friedel	Setter/hitter	Portage	Senior
Shelby Beth	Outside hitter	Reedsburg	Senior
Kaitlyn Hinrichs	Setter	Mount Horeb	Senior
Olivia Kuker	Outside hitter	Mount Horeb	Senior
Megan Marquardt	Middle hitter	DeForest	Sophomore