The Whippet Volleyball Program had a wonderful tribute and banquet Sunday night, November 6, that honored the work of our volleyball athletes, families, and seniors.
The MPR was packed with family and supporters of our program! We thank our families who have provided snacks, rides, love, and support.
We specifically thanked Michelle Stauff who serves as team parent for the program. Michelle was always there for this program, doing whatever it was we needed to support us. From team dinners, pasta parties, snacks, and scheduling, she was there!
We next honored the work and support of Bob Mischka. Bob is ever present supporting Whippet Athletics. We are so fortunate to have him capture these moments for our student athletes. Bob was presented a plaque from the program.
Next, we thanked our Athletic Director, Justin Crandall, “Sometimes we forget to thank the backbone of any program, the one who works behind the scenes to ensure we are scheduled correctly, have the right bus times, have the gym set up, champions support of athletics, and the list goes on. The program would like to thank our Athletic Director, Justin Crandall, and his secretary Shannon Cushman, for their support of our program all year long!”
Coach Kilar also recognized her coaching staff, Ariel Friertag, Rosie Jaskolski, and Whitney Updike. Ariel coaches our JV2 team and is the varsity team statistician and film preparer. We are thankful to have Ariel supporting our JV2 athletes and assisting on the varsity bench.
Rosie has done a stellar job as our JV1 coach this year. Safe to say, our numbers were large this year, and Rosie was faced with not only supporting their development in practice, but game managing during matches. Rosie also assisted us on the varsity bench with stats and in practice, and prepared the numerous shirts and gifts for our athletes all season long. We are so thankful for Rosie’s work this year.
Whitney Updike was not able to physically head coach a team this year, but provided so much to us behind the scenes and on the bench. Whitney has been instrumental with tech support, the wellness checks for all our athletes, and ordering for our special events. She has been a huge gift to this program, and we are thankful she was with us.
And our Junior Managers, Jasmine Kilar and Chloe Crandall were a huge support for us all season long!
Cristal Verduzco was our Senior Manager and a true gift to our team!
Head coach, Ariel Friertag, JV2, then celebrated and highlighted each of our JV2 athletes for their growth and commitment to the program.
Head Coach of JV1, Rosie Jaskolski gave a “sweet” tribute to our JV1 athletes, highlighting their skills, development, and hard work with a candy that represented all they gave to their team.
The Varsity team was highlighted going 23-9 and 8-1 in conference play. The dedication of these athletes was inspiring for all of us. This team was simply fun to watch! Coach Kilar recognized each of the athletes with a plaque displaying the word that described their contribution to the team.
Falyn Krahn, Sophomore, Outside Hitter: “Hungry”
Ava Alvarado, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist/Libero: “Hard Worker”
Care Yang, Freshman, Defensive Specialist/Libero: “Spark”
Zoe Kohl, Sophomore, Outside Hitter: “Compassionate”
Calli Grosinske, Sophomore, Setter: “Driven”
Ella Spear, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist: “Focused”
Marina Linos, Junior, Setter and Opposite Hitter: “Motivator”
Aidyn Amundson, Junior, Middle Blocker: “Encourager”
Caroline Skindingsrude, Senior, Defensive Specialist: “Heart” and Captain
Jenna Pope, Senior, Middle Blocker: “Desire” and Captain
CC Alexander, Senior Opposite/Middle Blocker: “Grit” and Captain
Cali Kopecky, Senior Outside Hitter: “Dedication” and Captain
Caleigh Yang, Senior Libero: “Disciplined” and Captain
Kindyl Kilar, Senior, Outside Hitter: “Fierce”
There were special recognitions given as well.
Whippet Growth goes to a player who soaked up any information a coach could give and always strived to get better every chance she could. Whippet growth goes to Ella Spear.
Whippet Spirit goes to an athlete who selflessly gave to her teammates. This award and the captain award goes to Caroline Skindingsrude.
Whippet Heart goes to two athletes who gave their entire self to this program. They showed heart to their teammates in word and action. The heart award goes to two players, Cali Kopecky and Jenna Pope.
Whippet Perseverance goes to an athlete who never quit no matter how hard things got. Never complaining, always keeping a positive mindset are attributes we all hope to have. This perseverance award goes to CC Alexander.
Co- Defensive Player of the Year goes to two athletes who refused to let balls hit the ground. We would often hope to direct the hits to these two athletes. They led us in digs (separated by 1) and left a defensive legacy we can all learn from. Co- defensive player of the year goes to Caleigh Yang and Kindyl Kilar.
Offensive Player of the Year goes to someone whose stats speak for themselves. Leading in almost every category and finishing her career at number 2 in the whole state of Wisconsin for kills, Offensive Player of the year goes to Kindyl Kilar.
MVP could go to our entire team as they all came together to play this game so hard and give everything they had. However, this individual led our team in so many ways. MVP goes to Kindyl Kilar.
RVC All Conference was selected as well. We have Jenna Pope and Cali Kopecky chosen as Honorable Mention All-Conference. 2nd team all-conference goes to Caleigh Yang. And, 1st team all-conference goes to Kindyl Kilar.
In closing, when our season ended at Edgewood, no one wanted it to end. However, what I noticed was the underclassmen were crying more than our seniors. I realized the underclassmen were more upset to be losing their seniors because of how they treated them, because of the example they set, because of the culture they helped create, and the leaders they were. I have said before; this team is special. I have coached from college to youth and at a couple of local high schools. This team, by far, was the most selfless and dedicated team I have ever worked with.
When the season ended, I was emotional too, because many will say “thank you” for coaching, but I say thank you for allowing me to be part of something so incredible. These athletes gave me far more than I gave them, and we are all better because of the time we spent together!
Photo courtesy of Bob Mischka.