This story is sponsored by: Valley Communities Credit Union
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
SPENCER –Marawood Conference South Division champion Auburndale took its first major step Friday in making it back to the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament.
The third-seeded Apaches used dominating stretches in all three games to beat No. 2 seed Spencer on its home court, 25-13, 25-19, 25-23, in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal at Spencer High School.
The Apaches will hit the road again Saturday when they play at No. 1 seed and Cloverbelt Conference East Division champion Owen-Withee in a regional final. The winner moves on to the Division 3 sectional semifinal next Thursday at Abbotsford against either Athens or Marathon.
Any team that makes it through the regional will deserve it.
“Playing these good teams helps you prepare for what’s ahead,” said Auburndale coach Peggy Empey, who led the Apaches to their first WIAA State Girls Volleyball Tournament last season.
Auburndale scored nine straight points to open up a close first game. Eight straight points on the serve of Kari Willfahrt put Auburndale on top 20-8 and a tip kill by Kayleigh Kundinger closed out the win.
The Apaches carried the momentum into the second game, jumping out to a 14-5 lead behind three kills each from Nicole Nikolay and Liz Breu.
Spencer never got closer than five points as it struggled to get its offense going, and the Apaches finished off the 25-19 win.
Auburndale did a great job of stopping the Rockets’ potent frontline that dominated opponents all season. Both the Apaches’ front line blocked a number of spikes, and when they did get through, the back row was able to turn them around more often than not.
“We practice our defense every day in practice,” Empey said. “We’ve done a good job all season.”
Spencer came to life with its backs against the wall in Game 3. Courtney Schulz had four kills, Aubrie Bissonette had three and Marcie Hebert had two as the Rockets took a 13-8 lead. But Auburndale responded, scoring 12 of the next 14 points to pull ahead 20 -18.
After a late rally by the Rockets staved off four straight match points, Auburndale’s Kayla Nikolay had a block kill for the final point of the match.
Earlier the season, Spencer beat Auburndale 2-0 during the Auburndale Invitational, but the Apaches have improved a lot since then, Breu said.
“We didn’t play together,” Breu said of the loss to the Rockets. “We’ve really worked hard in practice to beat them this time.”
What was the difference? “Intensity,” said Breu, who tied Nicole Nikolay for the team lead with eight kills.
Auburndale will need that same intensity to make another run at a state tournament appearance.