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Clayton Wins Division 4 State Title

By WVCA, 11/04/17, 11:00AM CDT

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Schradle wins first crown as Bears' head coach

Division 4 State Champion Clayton

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Head Coach Sadie Schradle and the Clayton Bears surged to a 25-15, 25-20, 25-27, 25-22 victory over Lourdes Academy to win the 2017 WIAA Division 4 State Championship Saturday morning at the Resch Center.

Schradle won her first state title as Clayton’s head coach, the third for the program, and the school’s first since 1996. Clayton finished runner-up in 2016 under Schradle’s tutelage, falling to Newman Catholic in the title match.

Lourdes’ Trudi Woods finished runner-up for the second straight year, bringing the silver ball back to Oshkosh last season in Division 3.

Juniors Alison Leslie and Selena Levendoski combined for 43 kills on .316 hitting in the title match. Levendoski also tallied a team-high 19 digs to lead a quartet of Bears—including juniors Kiana Fall, Kailey Ketz and Jaedyn Bussewitz—to double-digit defensive efforts. Bussewitz also added 10 kills and junior Marissa Gilbertson distributed a match-high 54 assists in the four-set victory.

Junior Rachel Aasby recorded a double-double of her own with 21 kills and 10 digs to lead the Knights. Sophomores Claire Chier and Raechel Russo both scored 13 kills and double-digit digs, while junior Morgan Thiel tallied a match-high 24 saves.

The coaching roots run deep with the Schradle family, as Sadie picked up right where her mother, Diane, left off. Diane led the Bears to state tournament berths in 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2015, while previously winning titles at neighboring rival Turtle Lake in 1993, 1994 and 1995.

Clayton knocked off defending champ and state tournament rival Newman Catholic in a thrilling five-set semifinal match, 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-8, marking the first time Betty Lange's Fighting Cardinals failed to reach a state final since 2011. Lourdes swept Benton 25-23, 25-20, 25-15 in the Zephyrs’ first-ever state appearance.


WVCA Division 4 All State Tournament Team

Marissa Gilbertson, Jr., S, Clayton
Alison Leslie, Jr., MH, Clayton
Selena Levendoski, Jr., MH, Clayton
Rachel Aasby, Jr., OH, Lourdes Academy
Claire Chier, So., S/RS, Lourdes Academy
Emma Lawrence, Sr., OH, Benton
Rylie Vaughn, Sr., S/OH, Newman Catholic