‘Cats can’t topple the Dons

Team already looking to next season

By Casey Krautkramer/Ross Pattermann

So many Edgar fans attended the WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal volleyball match on Thursday inside the Marshfield Columbus gym, that it felt like the Wildcats were the home team instead of the Dons.

Despite Christopher Kohl leading Edgar’s student cheering section, along with several adult fans in attendance, the Wildcats still lost, 3-1, to the Dons. The sectional semifinals defeat, however, doesn’t take away from Edgar’s outstanding 2021 volleyball season. The Wildcats finish this season with a 22-6 match record, which is a huge improvement over last year’s 10-4 record during the COVID- 19 shortened season.

Marshfield Columbus easily beat Edgar, 25-13, in the first set but the Dons had more difficulty putting the Wildcats away in the second set. Marshfield Columbus still won the second set, 25-20, despite losing star senior Dorci Walker midway through the second set with an injury. Walker, one of the top attack kills leaders in the state, wasn’t able to return to the match.

Evan Krebsbach, in his second season as Edgar’s head varsity volleyball coach, gave credit to a gritty Marshfield Columbus squad that played the remainder of the match without its star player.

“First of all, I just want to congratulate Columbus Catholic,” he said. “They were incredible, even in adversity, with Dorci Walker going out; I thought they played really great. I think that actually sparked them even more because when you’re playing for something bigger than yourself, great things happen.”

He said most people might’ve felt Edgar would run away with the sectional semifinals match after Walker exited with an injury, but that certainly wasn’t the case.

“When Dorci Walker went out, ideally this sounds like it should have been a cake walk, but when we watched their team, obviously, everything goes through Dorci Walker,” Krebsbach said. “So really, we had to readjust and had to figure out what they were going to do. I think they had to spread the ball out a little more, so that took us off our game plan and put us on our heels. We take that second set and then that third set, then we have momentum. But that second set was pretty critical, and again I think it just came down to experience.”

Edgar edged Marshfield Columbus in the third set, 25-23, but then lost the decisive fourth set, 25-21. The Wildcats still enjoyed a memorable season, in which they won their first WIAA Division 3 regional championship since 2003.

“This season, man oh man; we saw the talent right away in the beginning of the season,” Krebsbach said. “I think that we knew we were going to be good, but you can’t teach success. The girls had to go out and get it, and I think that’s exactly what this year was; we found success.”

Now Edgar’s volleyball squad has experienced what it’s like to make a deep run into the playoffs this season.

“This year was all about the mental toughness because last year was really just a crap shoot, and the year before a lot of these girls were just freshmen,” Krebsbach said. “To go 22-6, it’s just incredible. To have them all coming back, including the conference player of the year, and to have five on allconference, it’s an incredible thing. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Edgar’s top volleyball player, Reagan Borchardt, still has one more season left in high school. Borchardt and Marathon senior Vanessa Krueger were awarded Marawood Conference South co-players of the year this season.

The Wildcats only graduate four seniors off this year’s squad including triplets Isabella, Lydia and Sasha Huehrnerfuss, Malia Hoesly and Sophia Larson. Krebsbach said they all contributed greatly to the team’s success this season.

“I want to give credit to five outstanding seniors,” he said. “They were pretty special and all brought something so different, even the triplets. Coming from the same momma, they were so different and they brought something different to the team. And I just want to thank all the seniors, who are just an unbelievably great group of girls to work with, and they were instrumental in making this season happen.”

Edgar’s younger players returning next season, including sophomore Makayla Wirkus, are already excited to see how far the Wildcats can advance in the playoffs next season.

“I feel like the best part of this year was the experience,” she said. “We know what it feels like to be in a big match like this now. I think people know that Edgar volleyball is real and we’re a threat. We will work hard in practice and next year we want to go even further, and I think we can; we just have to work hard. I know our seniors took it pretty hard, but they did their best and they helped us get here.”

Wildcats sophomore Emily Murkowski echoed Wirkus’ sentiment.

“I think this season we all learned how to work with each other and just stay positive when times get hard,” Murkowski said. “I think we needed to work together and stay aggressive, while talking to each other on the volleyball court and not getting intimidated. We’re super excited about next year and I think next year we’re going to go pretty far again in the playoffs.”

Marshfield Columbus lost, 3-1, without Dorci Walker in the lineup to Laona- Wabeno in the WIAA Division 4 sectional championship match on Saturday night in Bowler. The Dons conclude this season with a 28-11 match record. The Rebels, 33-8, will play at state for the first time in school history.

AN ACE ATTEMPT- WIldcats varsity volleyball senior Malia Hoesly serves during Thursday’s WIAA Division 4 sectional semfinals match against the Dons at Marshfield Columbus High School.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN

BLOCK PARTY IN MARSHFIELD- Edgar junior frontline volleyball players Kendalyn Dahlke (5) and Reagan Borchardt (3) rise up for a block attempt against Marshfield Columbus on Thursday during the Wildcats’ 3-1 loss to the Dons in a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinals match.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN