‘Jays going to state!

Athens gets No. 2 seed in state tourney

By Casey Krautkramer

The Athens varsity volleyball team has dominated its WIAA Division 4 regional and sectional playoff opponents by winning all four playoff matches in straight sets to qualify for this weekend’s state tournament.

Athens defeated both Rosholt and Wausau Newman 3-0 to win the regional championship.

Then Athens downed Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 3-0 in Thursday’s home sectional semifinal and Wabeno/Laona, 3-0, in Saturday’s sectional title match in Oconto Falls. The Bluejays are led by the junior spiking duo of Jazelle Hartwig and Addison Lavicka. Jazelle Hartwig led Athens with 11 attack kills and Lavicka added 10 against Assumption. Hartwig paced the Bluejays with 16 kills against Wabeno/Laona and Lavicka had 11.

They are also excellent at passing the volleyball to teammates. Lavicka led Athens with 17 pass assists and Jazelle Hartwig added 12 against the Royals. Lavicka paced the Bluejays with 22 assists and Jazelle Hartwig had 13 against the Rebels.

Junior Sophia Coker, a tall volleyball player on the front line, led Athens with three solo blocks and three block assists against Assumption.

Qualifying for state is extra special for defensive specialists Savannah Epping and Celina Ellenbecker, who are the only seniors on this year’s squad. Epping led Athens with 10 digs against the Royals and Ellenbecker paced the Bluejays with 20 digs against the Rebels. Epping spoke about the significance of her team advancing to the state tournament.

“Playing my last volleyball match on the state tournament court means a lot to me,” she said.

Jazelle Hartwig is relishing the opportunity for her volleyball team to chase a gold ball in the Division 4 state tournament.

“It’s huge to make it to state because we’ve been working very hard to meet our end goal,” she said.

Qualifying for state is also extra special for Tanille Hartwig, Athens volleyball head coach, because she’s watched her daughters’ classmates grow up with them through their youth. Her daughters are junior Jazelle and freshman Sy’Rih Hartwig on the varsity volleyball squad.

“This is something these girls have been talking about since 2016 when they watched that Athens team play in the state tournament,” Tanille Hartwig said. “We have a picture of most the players on this year’s team sitting and watching the 2016 Athens state team play at the Resch Center and it’s neat to see. When they were in eighth grade, they set the goal when they were in high school they wanted to make the trip to state. I feel like I’m a second mom to my daughter’s classmates on our volleyball team. I’m just proud of the hard work they’ve put into this season and I hope they are enjoying every moment of it.”

The 2016 Athens volleyball team lost in the WIAA Division 3 state tournament semifinal match. The 1976 Bluejays were the first squad to play at the state tournament in school history, finishing as Class C state runners-up during the pool-play era in 1976. No Athens volleyball team has ever won a state championship.

Kaitlyn Brooks, a star spiker on Athens’ 2016 state tournament volleyball squad, coached the Bluejays seventh grade volleyball team this fall. Coach Tanille Hartwig has invited Brooks into her varsity squad’s recent practices to help provide leadership for the players on this season’s team. Tanille Hartwig was an Athens varsity assistant coach for the 2016 state tournament squad.

No. 2 WIAA state tournament seed Athens has a 37-7 match record this season going into its state semifinal at 9 a.m. this Friday, Nov. 4, against No. 3 seed Monticello, 30-1, at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

The other WIAA state tournament semifinal between No. 1 seed Chippewa Falls McDonell, 39-12, and No. 4 seed Wonewoc-Center, 25-4, will occur on the other volleyball court at the same time on the same day. Should Athens defeat Monticello, then it would play in the WIAA Division 4 state championship at 9 a.m. this Saturday, Nov. 5.