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Home International Kimberly, Xavier playing at elite level heading to state girls volleyball

Kimberly, Xavier playing at elite level heading to state girls volleyball

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Two big sectional final wins propelled the Kimberly and Xavier girls volleyball teams to the WIAA state tournament.

Second-seeded Kimberly (37-4) faces seventh-seeded Franklin (30-13) in a Division 1 state quarterfinal Thursday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon. No. 1 seed Xavier (29-11) takes on No. 4 seed Catholic Memorial (22-21) in a Division 2 semifinal Friday, Nov. 6, at 10:30 a.m.

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It’s the second consecutive state trip for Kimberly and 14th overall. The Papermakers bested Fox Valley Association rival Neenah 25-20, 25-15, 27-25 in the Manitowoc Sectional final.

Xavier is making its seventh WIAA state appearance and first since winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. The Hawks swept rival Fox Valley Lutheran 25-19, 25-16, 25-18 in the Seymour Sectional final.

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Action photos: Kimberly girls volleyball hosts Neenah

Neenah High School’s Lilly Romjue (28) against Kimberly High School’s Aubrey Van Camp (4) during their girls volleyball match in Kimberly, Wisconsin on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Kimberly defeated Neenah 3 sets to 1.
Wm. Glasheen/Appleton Post-Crescent

(Wm. Glasheen/Appleton Post-Crescent)

Big-game experience powers Kimberly Papermakers

Few teams are as battle-tested as Kimberly and that experience shone brightly in its sweep of Neenah on Oct. 31.

Kimberly, which had defeated Neenah twice earlier this season, held off the Rockets after a close first set. The Papermakers took control over the next two sets to advance.

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“One of the good things about playing a tough schedule like we do is that this is pretty common for us,” Kimberly coach Carrie Raminger said of her team’s ability to rally. “[In the postseason] you’re going to play good opponents. A lot of credit to Neenah. They came out, they were ready, and they caught us on our heels pretty early.

“But our team is accustomed to that, and I think [the experience] has dividends in these bigger matches.”

Harper Van Lannen agreed.

“I thought we came out a little shaky,” Van Lannen said of her team’s match against Neenah. “We always know that we play better when we get into a rhythm and all of us get going, so it was very rewarding to have it all come together.”

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Kimberly has won its last 12 matches and was champion of the Fox Valley Association. The Papermakers’ strength is in their vast array of hitters as Kimberly has five players with 100 or more kills: Bri Hagglund (299), Harper Van Lannen (240), Natalie Weyenberg (214), Lila Tesch (141) and Haylie Dulas (135).

Morgan Buechel leads in assists (550) and Finley Van Lannen anchors the defense with 415 digs.

“We’re playing good teams all year round, which I think really helped us,” Dulas said. “Through the struggles and through the wins, I think that really helped us push through to the end and I feel like that’s bringing us a lot of momentum into state.”

Raminger said the team isn’t taking its trip to the Resch Center for granted.

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“We never do,” she said. “We work really, really hard. They are totally bought into everything and we always say, ‘If good things happen, good things will happen.’ We don’t force it. We don’t say our season was a loss if this doesn’t happen, but it’s really cool that it did happen again.”

Xavier Hawks ‘locked in’ during postseason

Need proof that Xavier is playing its best at the most important time of the season? Just look at its impressive sweep of Fox Valley Lutheran in the sectional final.

The Foxes were 31-5 and had a roster as good as any team in D2, but the Hawks were “locked in” and ready to get the job done.

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Action photos: Xavier girls volleyball hosts Winneconne

Xavier High School’s Raya Zurfluh (6) against Winneconne High School’s Bailey Brantley (7) during their girls volleyball match in Appleton, Wisconsin on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Xavier defeated Winneconne 3-0.
Wm. Glasheen/Appleton Post-Crescent

(Wm. Glasheen/Appleton Post-Crescent)

“FVL is a really good team, really good hitters,” Xavier coach Luke Herriges said. “And the way our girls came out and just locked in, there’s been some nerves throughout the playoffs. But for that match, they shook them really fast and we were able to execute, too. To hold FVL, a very good team, under 20 points in every set? That’s amazing. We were really locked in.”

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Xavier is the top seed in the D2 field and its incredibly tough schedule is a big reason why. The Hawks battled top teams all season and also took their lumps. Five of the team’s 11 losses were to teams that made the D1 quarterfinals: Divine Savior Holy Angels, Arrowhead, Wisconsin Lutheran, Kimberly and Franklin.

Rose Kendall, a 6-foot junior rightside, leads the team in kills (314) but the Hawks have a balanced attack with Lexi Allen (184), Kayla Fournillier (197), Bella Daley (188) and Allie Gioffredi (157) all with more than 150 kills on the season.

Raya Zurfluh is the team’s sophomore setter and has 818 assists. Sophomore libero Hope Kaufman and Zurfluh are the leaders in digs with 373 and 271, respectively.

“We have five sophomores and those girls have been really rising to the occasion and handling themselves really well,” Herriges said. “Hope Kaufman, that was the best game I’ve ever seen her play against FVL. We were really proud of her. And Zurfluh, she’s finding her confidence. She’s an ultra competitor and to just let herself play free, that’s when she plays her best.”

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Gioffredi, one of four seniors on the team, said team chemistry is an important factor for the Hawks.

“It’s important that we make those kinds of connections with them so they’re more confident in their playing and that helps the whole team perform better,” she said about leading the younger players.

Lily Renz, a senior defensive specialist, said the Hawks have grown a lot over the season and that meetings with the team’s sports psychologist helped accelerate that chemistry.

“I do remember one meeting that we had with him where we talked about what we need from each other and how we can pick each individual person up,” she said. “But also about non-verbals, body language and facial expressions are important. I felt that was a turning point because understanding each other more in a deeper level helped us both on and off the court.”

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Xavier, the Bay Conference champion, defeated Catholic Memorial earlier this season in the Kettle Moraine Lutheran Charger Invite. The Crusaders finished sixth in the mostly D1 Classic 8 Conference. They’re led by Addison Kelenic (423) and Grace Parker (378) in kills and Emma Fries in assists (223).

“There’s a lot of parity in D2 this year,” Herriges said. “There’s not much difference between a one-seed and a four-seed. Our match with Catholic Memorial is going to be very competitive. Our match with them earlier this season was very competitive. We’re excited for the opportunity.”

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kimberly, Xavier playing at elite level heading to state girls volleyball

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com

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