By Thomas J. McKillen
Managing Editor

The Germantown boys volleyball team continued its breakthrough season at the state tournament at Wisconsin Lutheran College Nov. 11-12, scoring an upset over traditional powerhouse Wauwatosa East before losing to eventual champion Milwaukee Marquette the next day.

Nov. 11: Toppling Tosa East
If Germantown was nervous about the program's first appearance in a state tournament, it didn't show.
The Warhawks beat Wauwatosa East in the state quarterfinal  25-14, 20-25, 25-12, 25-23.
A 7-1 run in the first game gave Germantown 10-4 lead following a block by Jon Averkamp. The Red Raiders never got any closer than five points the rest of the first game.
“To jump out and win that first game the way we did was huge,” Germantown Coach Brian Rushmer said afterward. “Momentum was ours coming into games two and three even after they beat us in game two.”
East turned the tables on the Warhawks in the second game, holding leads between one to three points midway through the game. Germantown caught up to the Red Raiders as a block by Jake Showalter made the score 20-20. However, Max Kiplin recorded one of 14 kills for the next point and East followed by scoring the next four points.
Midway through the third set, both teams struggled with their serves as three consecutive points were scored off serves falling out of bounds. A kill by Averkamp gave Germantown 15-10 lead and sparked a 10-2 run that gave a Germantown 2-1 game lead.
Wauwatosa East rallied in the fourth game and had a 18-13 lead following a kill by Zak Sylvester. But Germantown scored the next four points to get back in contention.
“We just have to push, every point push,” Jake Showalter said. “We wanted to get this done with and get that lead — that was crucial.”
Rushmer noted that key to win was his team continuing to apply pressure throughout the match.
“If we got a lead, we kept pushing. When we were down, we kept pushing — which is huge,” Rushmer said.
A block by Matt Schultz gave Germantown a 21-20 lead but a kill by East's Mich Dillon tied the score and an illegal hit by Germantown gave East a 21-22 lead. Germantown tied the score after East was called for a double hit. Zak Showalter then converted tip kills sandwiched between an East point to allow Germantown to advance to the state semi-final the next day.
Rushmer later added that the team didn’t want to go to a fifth game “because we didn’t want to be too tired tomorrow.”
Luke Fischer added that the quarterfinal victory “shows that we can play with the best. When we play our hardest, we’re going to compete with every team.”

Nov. 12: Facing a champion
While the state tournament appearance was the first for Germantown boys volleyball — the team began competition five years ago — Milwaukee Marquette was making their ninth consecutive appearance at the tournament.  Marquette won five previous state titles.
The Hilltoppers beat Germantown 25-16, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18 on the way to winning their sixth title.
Marquette started the first game with a 6-1 run and held a 17-7 lead after a kill by A.J. Mueller. While Germantown cut the lead to 19-12, they weren’t able to narrow the deficit any further.
Marquette opened up another early lead in the second game, taking a 17-9 lead on a block before Germantown scored four straight points to narrow the gap to 22-16. Marquette responded by scoring the final three points of the game.
“They started faster than us but in the third game we got it together in the beginning,” Tom Andrus said afterward.
Germantown stayed close with the Hilltoppers early on in the third game, as a kill attempt went out of bound to give Germantown a 9-10 lead. The teams stayed close until Germantown scored the final three points to force a fourth game.
“Not many teams in the state can get one game against Marquette,” Zak Showalter said afterward.
Marquette took an early lead in the fourth game but Germantown stayed within catchup distance, as a violation made the score 15-13. But Marquette rallied, outscoring Germantown 5-1 to finish the match.
Rushmer said taking a game from Marquette and taking the fourth game to the very end was important for the program.
“It still makes us feel like we’re here to stay with the program,” Rushmer said.
Rushmer said he sought to have his team stay with Marquette throughout the match.
“Our goal coming into match was to get to 20-20 and see who could push forward at the end of the game. Letting them get those two runs in the first two games, that’s what made them win,” Rushmer said.
Marquette followed its win over Germantown by defeating Kaukauna later in the day to win the state title.

The past, present and future
The state tournament experience was  a first for a program that went winless two years ago.
“It was great we got this far. We faced a great team in Marquette and gave them a run for their money and a heck of a season,”  Tom Andrus said.
Andrus was one of two four-year starters on the teams. He conceded he didn’t imagine the team getting this far when he started four years ago.
“I had no idea we would get this far,” he admitted.
Zak Showalter joined the team as a junior and he admitted he initially didn’t have an idea the team could get this far.
“No idea until this year. This year I knew we had a good shot because we had a lot of athletic ability and a lot of talent. We just had to put it together and toward the end of the year we put it together,” Showalter said.
The team will lose nine seniors but there are six that will be slated to return next season.
“The best thing we can take away from this season is that we’re now competitive. As far as I’m concerned, we can compete with the best and we’re right there with anybody in the state,” Rushmer said.
Rushmer noted his team was in the top 10 in the coaches poll for most of the year.
“I think with the guys that are returning and the atmosphere this has created, the word of mouth that will spread in Germantown — boys volleyball made it to state,” Rushmer said.

If the Germantown boys volleyball team was nervous about the program's first appearance in a state tournament, it didn't show.

Germantown beat Wauwatosa East in a state quarterfinal at Wisconsin Lutheran College Nov. 11, 25-14, 20-25, 25-12, 25-23.

A 7-1 run in the first game gave Germantown 10-4 lead following a block by Jon Averkamp. The Red Raiders never got any closer than five points the rest of the first game.

East turned the tables on the Warhawks in the second game,  Germantown caught up to the Red Raiders as a block by Jake Showalter made the score 20-20. However, Max Kiplin recorded one of 14 kills for the next point and East followed by scoring the next four points.

Midway through the third set, both teams struggled with their serves as three consecutive points were scored off serves falling out of bounds. A kill by Averkamp gave Germantown 15-10 lead and sparked a 10-2 run that gave a Germantown a 2-1 lead.

Wauwatosa East rallied in the fourth game and had a 18-13 lead following a kill by Zak Sylvester. But Germantown scored the next four points to get back in contention. A block by Matt Schultz gave Germantown a 21-20 lead but a kill by East's Mich Dillon tied the score and an illegal hit by Germantown gave East a 21-22 lead. Germantown tied the score after East was called for a double hit. Zak Showalter then converted tip kills sandwiched between an East point to allow Germantown to advance to the state semi-final at noon.

Germantown will play Marquette, which beat Catholic Memorial 25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19.

The Germantown boys volleyball team beat Nicolet in the sectional final Nov. 3 to qualify for the state tournament.
Germantown won 22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 26-24, 15-12, the second win this season over their North Shore Conference rivals.
Germantown will play Wauwatosa East in the state quarterfinal at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Wauwatosa at 5 p.m. Nov. 11.
Germantown advanced to the sectional final with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 win over Arrowhead Nov. 1. Germantown rallied from an early deficit in the first set and took a 19-18 lead on a kill by Luke Fischer. Two kills by Matt Schultz sealed the first set win.
Germantown held the lead throughout most of the second set. Jon Averkamp finished the set for Germantown with two kills.
Arrowhead rallied in third set and took a 16-17 lead following an error by Germantown. The teams stayed within two points of each other and a block by Arrowhead tied the set at 23-23. But Germantown finished off Arrowhead with a kill by Zak Showalter and a tip by Fischer.