GREEN BAY - As it had for much of the postseason, the Brodhead volleyball team thrived in its role of underdog again Friday in its WIAA Division 2 state semifinal against Waukesha Catholic Memorial.
But this time, the task proved just a little too tall.
The Crusaders, ranked No. 2 in the state at the end of the regular season, proved too much for Brodhead, winning in straight games 25-23, 25-23, 25-20, ending the Cardinals' season at 32-6.
"What do you say?" Brodhead head coach Eric Ebensperger said after the game. "They fought hard. They kept going. That's a tough team we just played; ranked second in the state - and we're not even ranked."
But Brodhead gave Catholic Memorial everything it wanted in front of a large crowd at the Resch Center. The Crusaders had to rally from a late four-point deficit to take game one. Kristen Ruchti had two kills and two blocks, and Courtney Mielke had four kills for Brodhead in the game.
The Cardinals led for much of the match, including holding a 23-20 lead before Catholic Memorial's late surge to end game one.
In game two, Catholic Memorial came out swinging, scoring the first two points including a heavy kill by kill lead Aly Kujawa. But the Cardinals, behind the play of Mielke and the defense of Ruchti and Dana Lewis, took five straight points early on to take an 8-3 lead.
Mielke finished with a match-high 14 kills and 11 digs for Brodhead. Ruchti had 12 kills, while Kujawa had 13 for the Crusaders.
"She's a firecracker out there," Ebensperger said of Mielke. "She's our sparkplug. She just keeps going and going. She hits like she's 6'1". If you've got hops like that, then you should keep firing away."
Mielke, one of the smallest players on the court in every match, was seen throughout the day as the feisty little dog in a pen with the big dogs.
"I always laugh when coach would tell me, 'They're really tall!', and I would say, 'Oh really, I'm only 5'4!' Everybody is always taller than me," Mielke said. "I'm always shorter than everyone else and I play outside. I think it just shows that if you are willing to work hard enough you can do whatever you want.
"I tell my coach that I'm going to hammer down every time."
Despite the five-point lead, Brodhead let Catholic Memorial come back to tie the game at 11-11.
Brodhead picked up the pressure and forced Catholic Memorial to two timeouts before the score reached 19-16 in the second game. Brodhead then went up 21-17 before Catholic Memorial stormed back to tie the game at 21-21, forcing Ebensperger to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Catholic Memorial's Diane McLeod and Kelli Browning blocked two Ruchti kill attempts and one by Jordan Riese on the first volley out of the gate to take the 22-21 lead. Brodhead regained possession at 23-22, but then went down to a second game-point at 24-22.
Cassie Wymer had a well-placed tip kill to bring the game to within one point again before Catholic Memorial's Kate Acker spanked a spike into open territory to close the game out 25-23.
The third game was much different. After losing two close matches, Brodhead looked like the air had been released from its tires.
Asked if his team may have had some of their zest misplaced after the two losses, Ebensperger said, "It might have. But they came back hard."
Catholic Memorial darted to a 9-3 lead before the Cardinals knew what hit them. Catholic Memorial extended the lead to 12-4 and Ebensperger called a timeout, trying to shift the momentum.
But Catholic Memorial wasn't slowed, using a 13-3 run to take an 18-5 lead. The Cardinals didn't quit, closing to 18-0 and then 23-20, but couldn't get any closer.
"They came back hard. They did. It could have gone either way at 23-20. It's a game of momentum and they were in it just a little bit longer. You can't fault the girls, they did their best," Ebensperger said.
Brodhead's players, after fighting off tears, realized the lasting effect of the match and their trip to state.
"We were all excited about coming here," Mielke, a senior, said. "We felt we deserved to be here. No one thought we could ever make it here. But we kept beating teams, beating teams that were ranked and we have never been ranked. To be here, it was just awesome."
Ruchti, also a senior, agreed.
"There were so many teams here and we were just really happy to be one of them," she said.
"The girls didn't come in here like deer in headlights," Ebensperger said. "I was a little nervous about that. But they came to play. They kept coming, they kept playing. You could see the way they played and their desire. They just kept fighting to the end."
"I'm proud of the team. I'm proud to have been able to coach this team. I'm proud of the community. The support has been phenomenal."
But this time, the task proved just a little too tall.
The Crusaders, ranked No. 2 in the state at the end of the regular season, proved too much for Brodhead, winning in straight games 25-23, 25-23, 25-20, ending the Cardinals' season at 32-6.
"What do you say?" Brodhead head coach Eric Ebensperger said after the game. "They fought hard. They kept going. That's a tough team we just played; ranked second in the state - and we're not even ranked."
But Brodhead gave Catholic Memorial everything it wanted in front of a large crowd at the Resch Center. The Crusaders had to rally from a late four-point deficit to take game one. Kristen Ruchti had two kills and two blocks, and Courtney Mielke had four kills for Brodhead in the game.
The Cardinals led for much of the match, including holding a 23-20 lead before Catholic Memorial's late surge to end game one.
In game two, Catholic Memorial came out swinging, scoring the first two points including a heavy kill by kill lead Aly Kujawa. But the Cardinals, behind the play of Mielke and the defense of Ruchti and Dana Lewis, took five straight points early on to take an 8-3 lead.
Mielke finished with a match-high 14 kills and 11 digs for Brodhead. Ruchti had 12 kills, while Kujawa had 13 for the Crusaders.
"She's a firecracker out there," Ebensperger said of Mielke. "She's our sparkplug. She just keeps going and going. She hits like she's 6'1". If you've got hops like that, then you should keep firing away."
Mielke, one of the smallest players on the court in every match, was seen throughout the day as the feisty little dog in a pen with the big dogs.
"I always laugh when coach would tell me, 'They're really tall!', and I would say, 'Oh really, I'm only 5'4!' Everybody is always taller than me," Mielke said. "I'm always shorter than everyone else and I play outside. I think it just shows that if you are willing to work hard enough you can do whatever you want.
"I tell my coach that I'm going to hammer down every time."
Despite the five-point lead, Brodhead let Catholic Memorial come back to tie the game at 11-11.
Brodhead picked up the pressure and forced Catholic Memorial to two timeouts before the score reached 19-16 in the second game. Brodhead then went up 21-17 before Catholic Memorial stormed back to tie the game at 21-21, forcing Ebensperger to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Catholic Memorial's Diane McLeod and Kelli Browning blocked two Ruchti kill attempts and one by Jordan Riese on the first volley out of the gate to take the 22-21 lead. Brodhead regained possession at 23-22, but then went down to a second game-point at 24-22.
Cassie Wymer had a well-placed tip kill to bring the game to within one point again before Catholic Memorial's Kate Acker spanked a spike into open territory to close the game out 25-23.
The third game was much different. After losing two close matches, Brodhead looked like the air had been released from its tires.
Asked if his team may have had some of their zest misplaced after the two losses, Ebensperger said, "It might have. But they came back hard."
Catholic Memorial darted to a 9-3 lead before the Cardinals knew what hit them. Catholic Memorial extended the lead to 12-4 and Ebensperger called a timeout, trying to shift the momentum.
But Catholic Memorial wasn't slowed, using a 13-3 run to take an 18-5 lead. The Cardinals didn't quit, closing to 18-0 and then 23-20, but couldn't get any closer.
"They came back hard. They did. It could have gone either way at 23-20. It's a game of momentum and they were in it just a little bit longer. You can't fault the girls, they did their best," Ebensperger said.
Brodhead's players, after fighting off tears, realized the lasting effect of the match and their trip to state.
"We were all excited about coming here," Mielke, a senior, said. "We felt we deserved to be here. No one thought we could ever make it here. But we kept beating teams, beating teams that were ranked and we have never been ranked. To be here, it was just awesome."
Ruchti, also a senior, agreed.
"There were so many teams here and we were just really happy to be one of them," she said.
"The girls didn't come in here like deer in headlights," Ebensperger said. "I was a little nervous about that. But they came to play. They kept coming, they kept playing. You could see the way they played and their desire. They just kept fighting to the end."
"I'm proud of the team. I'm proud to have been able to coach this team. I'm proud of the community. The support has been phenomenal."
