By Katrina Jansen-Buciuni, Staff writer
Indian Trail’s Boys Volleyball wrapped up a thrilling 2016 season, making it to the WIAA state nals.
From the start, Indian Trail’s volleyball fans got to watch great game play. e Hawks came out and beat State Champions Catholic Memorial on Sept. 24 in Kaukauna and then beat the No.3 ranked Germantown on the same day.
“Our biggest accomplishments were seen throughout the year when we knocked out some of the best teams in the state at tournaments,” said Coach Brian Sharkey.
e Hawks took third in three major tournaments during September, nished with an overall season record of 29-12-2, and managed to lose only one game during the postseason with the record of 6-1 in overall confer- ence playo s.
“We made it back to state which was the icing on the cake,” Sharkey said.
“ e team’s success stems from their hard work not only during the three months of season, but in the o season. ey would be nowhere without the out-of-season workouts, club training and open gyms,” Sharkey said.
So how did the team prepare for the playo s?
“I think the athletes really started buying into the system we were trying to implement at the end of the
season, and that’s what helped them get over the hump to beat Tremper and make it to the State Tournament. We watched hours of lm and planned accordingly, and that paid o huge,” he said.
rough the season, the team did face challenges.
Finding a spot for each player was difficult, Sharkey said. Every player brought something different to the team and trying to find a position for every player to use their specific skills was something that the team had to work on all year.
So what was Coach Sharkey most proud of?
“I am most proud of the contributions that everyone made to this team. All 12 athletes on the varsity team played a key role in getting us to where we were, even for the guys that didn’t start or see a lot of playing time,” Sharkey said.
“We had one athlete who most of the year, all he did was go in and serve a couple balls per game, but in the matches that mattered, those points added up in our favor. ose role players did as much for the team as our regular starting lineup,” he said.
So now it’s up to next year’s team to ll some big shoes.
“( e team) is already working hard to meet the goals that they plan on setting. Some people might overlook us next year seeing as we graduate eight seniors. But we have numerous other athletes ready to step up in their place,” Sharkey said.