‘Jays still ranked first

Athens is the No. 1 team in D-4 this year

By Casey Krautkramer

The Athens varsity volleyball team has maintained its No. 1 state ranking in Division 4 this entire season. Athens has an impressive 27-3 match record.

Athens has already beaten the three best volleyball squads in the Marawood North Conference including Abbotsford, Phillips and Prentice. The Bluejays have gained the upper hand over the other conference schools to win the North championship for the first time since 2017.

The Bluejays have seven returning volleyball players from last year’s team that lost to the Edgar Wildcats in the WIAA Division 4 regional championship. There were no seniors on Athens’ squad last season.

Tanille Hartwig is in the midst of her sixth year as Athens’ head varsity volleyball coach. Her assistant coaches are Kathy Luther, who was Hartwig’s Athens High School head volleyball coach, and Jessica Bingham.

The following are the volleyball team’s top returning players this season: Senior Savannah Epping, libero; senior Celina Ellenbecker, defensive specialist; juniors Jazelle Hartwig and Addison Lavicka, setters and outside hitters; junior Sydney Coker, right side hitter; junior Sophia Coker, middle hitter and sophomore Danica Diethelm, right side hitter.

“Having the same group of girls playing together again this year helps us out with our experience level and also the comfort level they have with each other,” Tanille Hartwig said.

The head coach has the luxury of having her two oldest daughters, Jazelle and Sy’Rih Hartwig, on this year’s varsity squad. Sy’Rih Hartwig is middle hitter in the team’s starting lineup as only a freshman this year.

Athens started the 2022 volleyball season by winning the Three Lakes tournament on Aug. 23 with a 5-0 match record against Prentice, Medford, Shell Lake, Gresham and Three Lakes. Athens then took fifth place out of 40 teams competing at the Menominee Sprawl. Both of its tournament match defeats were to Division 1 Chippewa Falls.

Fast forward to last Thursday when Athens beat Wabeno/Laona in straight sets at home. Wabeno/Laona might’ve lost key seniors from last year’s squad that was WIAA Division 4 state tournament runners-up, but the Rebels are still honorable mention in this year’s Division 4 coaches poll.

“We wanted to show up for our parents and protecting our home floor,” Tanille Hartwig said “This was just another step in the journey and to keep focusing on the goal ahead.”

She gave coaches speak before revealing how the team wants to end its “journey” this season.

“We are all about taking things one day at a time whether it’s at practices or at a game but they have their eyes set on the Resch Center,” Tanille Hartwig said. “I think with the proper work every day and learning from our negative experiences, but also capitalizing on our positives, the goal of playing in the state tournament is definitely within reach and they just need to keep working hard and believing in themselves.”

It’s not surprising to hear Tanille Hartwig admit the Athens coaches and players aren’t openly talking amongst themselves about the team’s No. 1 state ranking in Division 4 this season.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword because you can look at it as ‘hey we are ranked No. 1 this is awesome’ but it’s also the pressure of ‘oh man we are ranked No. 1 and everybody wants to get us,’” she said. “We really just take every game for what it is and we understand if we happen to drop a game right now it’s not the game of the world for us and it’s just another learning experience that we’ll hopefully grow and move on from.”

Athens volleyball must be doing something right this season to have a 27-3 match record and No. 1 state ranking in Division 4.

“I feel like we have players with a lot of God given ability on this team but we also have some hard workers who aren’t just in the gym for three months out of the year,” Tanille Hartwig said. “They are in the weight room all summer long. They are working hard and they are a lot of three-sport athletes who are able to work together. I really think they are just a group of friends who love the game and are willing to work hard for each other.”

Epping said after Thursday’s match win against Wabeno/Laona that she and her teammates still carry with them the bad taste in their mouths from losing to Edgar in the WIAA Division 4 regional title match last season, and she doesn’t want it to happen again.

“That loss was definitely a big motivator for us to want to do better this season,” said Savannah, who is the daughter of Greg and Jamie Epping. “As a senior this season, going to state is a really big goal for us that we want to accomplish.”

Athens will compete in the Marawood Conference Crossover this Saturday, Oct. 1, which begins at 10 a.m. at Abbotsford High School. Teams besides Abbotsford who’ll be there are Edgar, Chequamegon, Wausau Newman and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.

CONCENTRATION- Athens senior volleyball player Celina Ellenbecker serves during Thursday’s 3-0 home match victory against Wabeno/Laona.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER