Raiders off to blazing fast start

By Casey Krautkramer

Marathon’s varsity volleyball team couldn’t have began this season any better.

The Red Raiders won all four matches against Viroqua, Almond-Bancroft, Sturgeon Bay and Ashton in its season-opening tournament on Aug. 27 at JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells.

Marathon then won all five matches on Aug. 31 to capture the Marathon Early Bird Invitational championship. Marathon beat Thorp, Three Lakes, Phillips and Fall Creek to advance into the championship against Phillips. The Red Raiders downed a tough Loggers squad, 2-1, in the championship match. The Red Raiders stretched their winning streak to 10 matches after beating Merrill, 2-0, in the Mosinee Quad on Sept. 3. Marathon’s winning streak was snapped when it lost 2-0 to both Altoona and Mosinee.

Lynelle Love and Marathon volleyball alumni Nicole Schneider are in their sixth year as co-head varsity coaches. Their assistant coaches this season are all Marathon volleyball alumni including Paige (Wirkus) Koch, Rhiana (Sweno) Seubert and Ashley Gertschen.

Marathon graduated four starting volleyball players, including four-year varsity starter Ava Krueger, from last year’s team that finished the season with a 15-12 match record. Marathon’s season ended when it lost to arch-rival Edgar in a Division 3 regional home semifinal match.

Krueger was awarded the Marawood South Conference Player of the Year last season and she is now playing college volleyball for UW-Oshkosh. “Losing Ava as such an important leader on our team has motivated the rest of the girls to step it up on and off the volleyball court to work together as a team,” Schneider said.

Marathon’s top returning varsity volleyball players this season are senior outside hitter Kyla Heise, senior setter Chenpieng Phakitthong, senior libero Katie LeBlanc, junior middle hitter Emma Love, sophomore setter/right side hitter Mayven Schneider and sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Love.

LeBlanc and Phakitthong received honorable mention all-Marawood South Conference last season.

The Red Raiders’ top newcomers to the varsity squad this season are junior middle hitter Myles Haehlke and freshman right side hitter Brinly Stencil.

Marathon halted its two-match losing streak on Thursday with a 3-1 road match win against Wittenberg-Birnamwood. Emma Love led the Red Raiders with 17 attack kills and Heise added 14. Kate Love collected eight kills and Stencil had six.

Phakitthong and Mayven Schneider paced the Red Raiders with three ace serves apiece. Schneider had a solo block while Haehlke and Kate Love had one block assist each. Phakitthong led Marathon’s defense with 14 digs while Kate Love added 12, Schneider had 11 and LeBlanc added nine. Phakitthong paced the Red Raiders with 22 pass assists and Schneider had 18.

Marathon will be competitive in every match this season if the players follow the team’s motto.

“Our team motto is “next play,” Schneider said. “We are focusing on being able to shake off mistakes, learn from them and move on.”

Schneider outlines the team’s goal this season.

“Our goal this season is to get better every day,” she said. “With a lot of returning players, we are hoping to continue where we left off last year and build from it. Our team has the start of great chemistry together and we are hoping to use that to our benefit for a successful season.”

Marathon has an 11-2 match record after Thursday’s win against Wittenberg-Birnamwood.

The WIAA added a fifth division in volleyball this season. Marathon and Stratford are in Division 3, Edgar is in Division 4 and Athens is in Division 5.

Marathon is ranked eighth Division 3 in this week’s Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches poll. Stratford is ranked sixth.

Phillips, which Marathon beat twice in the Early Bird Invitational, is ranked sixth in Division 4. The Loggers’ only two match losses are to the Red Raiders.

Phillips won the Marawood North Conference last season and also beat Marawood South Conference champion Stratford in the first-place crossover match in Marathon.

MARATHON VARSITY VOLLEYBALL - Introducing the 2024 Wildcats volleyball team. Pictured, from left to right, front row: Katie LeBlanc, manager Kayla Freund and Chenpieng Phakitthong; middle row: Brinly Stencil, Katelyn Love, Rehgan Martin, Mayven Schneider and Leah Dodson; back row: Mylee Haehlke, Emma Love and Kyla Heise. PHOTO BY STACY STUBBE