This story is sponsored by The Williams-Gray Co.
By Jake Miller
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
WAUSAU – Tiffany Stargardt, the senior captain for the Marshfield volleyball team, has gone to watch the WIAA state tournament in Green Bay for years.
That deeply-rooted desire to be part of the tournament is what drove her and the Tigers to a dominating season, which included their first trip to a WIAA Division 1 sectional final game since 2006.
But for the Tigers, a familiar Wisconsin Valley Conference foe on Saturday night ended their run for another state tournament appearance.
The Merrill Bluejays mounted a dominant performance at Wausau East High School, beating the Tigers 3-1 (23-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-21) in a Division 1 sectional final to earn their first state tournament appearance since 1982, while prolonging the Tigers’ drought.
“It’s crazy to know you’re one step away from being at the state tournament,” said Stargardt, a varsity player since her freshman year. “We go watch it every year. Stepping on the Resch Center floor, that would be an amazing feeling. But just to get this far is crazy, because there are so many teams that never make it this far.”
The Tigers (34-8) played from behind nearly the entire match, but took control late in Game 1, rallying from a 22-20 deficit to pull out the win. That momentum was short lived after the Bluejays dominated Game 2, when their outside hitters came alive.
Junior Renee Sladek led Merrill with 14 kills, and three other players had double-digit kill totals.
“I’ve never seen their outside hitters play like that before,” Marshfield coach Dawn Sadowska said. “And it’s going to be disappointing if we go and watch them on Thursday (in the state tournament) and they’re not hitting like that.”
For the Tigers, each rally seemingly was killed by a poor serve, atypical bad shot or even a ball that rolled along the net and went in favor of the Bluejays. All that combined made it difficult for the Tigers to find their rhythm, Sadowska said.
“Those little things, when you’re playing such a tight game like that and you need those points, that’s going to hurt you,” Sadowska said.
Marshfield’s offense certainly didn’t back down. Stargardt, the Wisconsin Valley Conference leader this year in kills, led all players with 19 kills. Junior Courtney Bauer added 12.
Stargardt dealt with a double team nearly all night, as Merrill tried to shut down Marshfield’s top scoring threat.
“They know the majority of the balls are going to me, and they block me,” Stargardt said. “…but what you going to do?”
The previous two matches between Merrill and Marshfield during WVC play went to five games, including the match Merrill won to claim the conference title. Saturday, the Tigers struggled to bounce back after the loss in Game 2.
“I think a lot of girls were down after the second game,” Stargardt said. “I tried to pump them up and said, ‘It’s not over after the first two games; there are three more to be played.’”
Marshfield junior setter Tori Nanstad led the team with 36 assists, while Miranda Forrest had four blocks. Senior Mikala Sebastion had three blocks.
Junior libero Darian Molter had 20 digs and Stargardt added 17.
Sadowska, who has led the Tigers to seven state appearances between 1998 and 2006, reminded her team that Saturday’s loss isn’t the moment that shapes the legacy of this team – the one that led Marshfield back to the sectional finals for the first time in years.
“I told them before we played that no matter what happened, they have to know I’ve had fun and been so proud of them all season,” Sadowska said. “They have to remember the good times no matter what – this cannot be the defining moment of the season.”