LARSON COLUMN: Hard to hide these kinds of emotions
Photo by Dan Larson / Sauk Prairie Eagle
Brittany Hahn, left, Morgan Breunig, second from left, and Aimee Thrune enjoy Sauk Prairie's sectional championship Oct. 31 while Lauren Halweg takes a moment to let the feeling of advancing to the state tournament for the first time in school history sink in.
By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle
See that smile on Brittany Hahn’s face in the picture to the right? That just about tells it all, doesn’t it? That was the most prevalent reaction for the Sauk Prairie girls volleyball team and its fans Oct. 31, when the Eagles advanced to their first state volleyball tournament in school history. And why not, it was a night to smile — heck, it’s been two full seasons of many nights like that. Last season, the Eagles won the Badger North Conference for their first conference title in more than 30 years — a big part of the reason taking it one step further and making it to state was the predominant goal for this season. Sure, there was adversity, like a conference opening loss to Portage. And yes, there was that moment when it seemed so close yet just out of reach — when the Eagles trailed two sets-to-one and by five points in the fourth to Edgerton in the sectional semifinal. That’s just the bitter that makes the sweet a little sweeter, though, isn’t it? "We always thought we could," Lacey Puls, a junior and three-year starter, said two days later. "But reaching our goal, it’s just an amazing accomplishment for us." It sure is, and it’s one they all agreed was even more special because they’re all such good friends. "For us to have this honor, it’s really cool," said senior Lauren Halweg, whose sophomore sister, Alison, joined the team this season and has had a measurable impact after playing tennis last season. "It’s really cool. It’s also really nice that we get to do it with people that we’re really close to." And maybe that’s the most incredible part. Winning is fun, but doing so with people who are more than just teammates is even more so. Then again, it’s hard to win if those involved aren’t talented and don’t put in the time to make that talent pay off. Clearly, this team has it, and they’ve put the time in — and seemingly everyone on the team has had an impact at one point or another. On Oct. 29, Gust’s energy and play midway through the fourth set helped spark the Eagles to the final, where Brooke Larson came up big in the clinching fourth set with a pair of digs off the bench. That balance might also be the reason the celebrations might not be over. "Not one of us is amazingly great," Puls said. "We’re all great, and I think that makes us a really great team all around."