Stage is set for meeting between Tosa's crosstown volleyball rivals

East vs. West with state tournament berth as prize

Nov. 4, 2009

Anyone who is surprised that archrivals Wauwatosa East and Wauwatosa West are meeting Thursday at Whitefish Bay with a WIAA Boys Volleyball State Tournament berth on the line is not familiar with the recent history of these two squads.

This makes the sixth straight season that these two teams have met for the right to go to state. The Trojans won the first two meetings, and the Red Raiders have won the last three.

"We know, based on our sectional, that we will probably have to play Tosa West to go to state," a hoarse Tosa East coach John Simon said Tuesday following a 3-1 victory over the Whitefish Bay/Dominican co-op team at Tosa East. "They (the Trojans) have been in our sights since Day 1. This is not a surprise to us."

Tosa West coach Kyle Sikora is excited about playing his crosstown rivals.

"I absolutely love playing Tosa East," he said following his team's 3-0 sweep of Shorewood Tuesday. "Every year it seems to come down to John Simon's team at Tosa East and our team here at Tosa West. I'm hoping to even the score up at 3-3 and make our way back to state. I think our guys can do it."

The Trojans beat the Red Raiders in the Homestead Invitational last month.

"I think it helps our confidence," said Tosa West senior Ryan Bruss. "But they are going to come out even more motivated. They will have all their fans there, so we have to step up even more.

"It's a big game; it's always a big game no matter what sport we play. We play East, you got to come out ready. Our fans are going to be there. You have to show you represent your school."

Sikora also is fired up about having the chance to take his team to state right in front of him.

"I look forward to it," he said. "This is what I coach for. I love coaching in the regionals, sectionals, and I love trying to get these young guys to state and show them what it's all about."

Tosa West regional

The Trojans swept a tough Shorewood team Tuesday (25-20, 25-22, 25-15) to make it to the sectional final.

The Greyhounds jumped off to a 16-13 advantage in the first game before Tosa West went on a 12-4 run to win it. Leading 21-20, sophomore Stuart Burkart served out for the win.

Shorewood made what looked like an easy Tosa West victory into an exciting match in the second game. With the Trojans leading 24-18, the Greyhounds ran off four straight points to cut the lead to 24-22. Tosa West won the match when the Shorewood hit a soft serve into the net.

Leading 19-15 in the final game, the Trojans realized they were one win away from the sectional finals. With senior Aaron Klauck serving out, the Trojans went on a 6-0 run, as Ryan Cvecko had two points and Alec Redlich and Bruss one each down the stretch.

Redlich led the way with 16 kills, and Bruss had 32 assists. Mitch Lahmann had six digs, Keith Browne had five blocks and Klauck had two aces.

Tosa East regional

The Red Raiders had a tougher battle than expected against Bay/Dominican, winning (25-22, 25-20, 15-25, 25-22).

"They played pretty well," Simon said. "Charlie Sather did a great job. We could not stop him most of the night."

Tosa East got off to a slow start in every game. After winning the first two games, the Red Raiders seem to run out of gas in the third game.

"We had no energy," Simon said. "They had Sather, and we made a lot of errors. When we did hit a good shot, they dug them and he (Sather) put the ball away."

The Red Raiders came back in game four after another slow start to take a 20-18 lead. Then they blocked three shots in a row to take a 23-18 lead. Bay/Dominican rallied to within one, 23-22, but captain Thomas Schulz killed a shot and an out-of-bounds shot gave Tosa East the win and the match.

Schulz and Kyle O'Connell each had 12 kills, and Ryan Hoffland had 40 assists. Tosa East spread around the digs, as Zak Sylvester and Schulz each had eight, Hoffland had seven, Aaron Uden had six, O'Connell and Alex Conway had four each, and Matty Patton had three.

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