Appleton North girls volleyball team has dominating performance in state quarterfinal win over Kettle Moraine

ASHWAUBENON − Few teams can successfully withstand the sheer power of the Appleton North girls volleyball attack.

The Lightning, with three Division I college athletes around the net, used their superior length and powerful swings in knocking off Kettle Moraine 3-1 in a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal Thursday at the Resch Center.

North (33-4) defeated Kettle Moraine by the scores of 25-19, 25-16, 23-25 and 25-19. The Lightning advances to play Divine Savior Holy Angels (41-6) in a state semifinal Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Dashers swept Middleton in another quarterfinal match.

Ella Demetrician, a 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter, led North with 25 kills. The Michigan recruit also had 12 digs. Karissa "KC" Fortune, a 6-2 senior outside hitter, added 21 kills and 12 digs. Emerson Van Lannen, a 5-11 junior setter, had 55 assists and Ella Brinkhoff chipped in 28 digs.

Olivia Lasee, a 6-2 senior middle hitter, added nine kills and two blocks. Madeline Koshuta also had nine kills and a pair of blocks for the Lightning.

"We have two stud outsides to start with, so most teams are just expecting us to go to them," Appleton North coach Steve Scheuerell said "And Emerson has been doing a fantastic job, and she found the right people at the right time. Our middles were up and pulling blocks and executing … (Emerson) set the right side a few times when it was a perfect 1-on-1 matchup and she also knows when to kind of give a dump to have a team play honest.

"I think, overall, we’re blessed to have a very balanced team. There might be a few that have a high number of kills, but really overall you’re not quite sure where (the ball) is going."

North raced to a 2-0 lead, but Kettle Moraine shook off the slow start and won the third set. The Lightning regrouped, however, and rode the setting of Van Lannen and the team's big hitters to the win in the fourth set.

The addition of Van Lannen, who was out early in the season due to a thumb injury on the first day of practice, has solidified an already potent North lineup. The Lightning played well in her absence, Scheuerell said, but having one of the top setters in the state back orchestrating the offense has North operating at peak efficiency.

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"Her best match of the year was our best match of the year and that was against Kimberly (in the sectional final)," he said of Van Lannen. "I'm so happy for her because she put so much work in and for her to get a broken thumb the first day of practice in the last 10 minutes and then have to sit two months not knowing if you're in and when you're going to come back, she (maintained) a positive mentality. I think the whole team is jelled together and at 100%. No excuses."

Divine Savior enters as the No. 2 seed and the two teams played each other three times in various tournaments, with DSHA winning two of the three matchups.

Fortune and Van Lannen are eager to take on the Dashers, however, and feel DSHA brings out their best play.

"I think we played them tough every single time," Fortune said. "I think we played our best volleyball against them in those matchups and I think we match up with them really well. They have a few power hitters and both of our defenses are really strong. It’s going to be a fun game."

Said Van Lannen: "I'd say absolutely we're confident. Every time we played them it was with different lineups and I think now we have a set and confident lineup."

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton North girls volleyball team wins WIAA state quarterfinal