Picking the Winners in the WIAC Tourney Crapshoot

Only one time since 1999 has the No. 1 seed won the WIAC tournament. That was way back in 2000, when Whitewater avoided an upset for three whole matches.

That’s all it takes – three matches – to win the darn thing, but only once in the past eight seasons has the home team pulled off the probable. That, more than anything, proves how strong and balanced the WIAC is, year in and year out.

Not every WIAC tournament has a big surprise winner, like in 2005 when Platteville won every match on the road as the No. 5 seed. But being the top seed has not been kind over the years.

Year        Top Seed         Tourney Champ 2006       Eau Claire        Whitewater (No. 3 seed) 2005       Whitewater      Platteville (No. 5) 2004       Whitewater      Stout (No. 2) 2003       River Falls         La Crosse (No. 2) 2002       River Falls         Whitewater (No. 2) 2001       Oshkosh           Whitewater (No. 2) 2000       Whitewater       Whitewater 1999        River Falls        Whitewater (No. 2) 1998        Whitewater      Whitewater

Two trends are evident. First, Whitewater is money in the tournament. Only three other teams have won it in the last nine seasons, although Whitewater has lost the last two times it hosted. Second, the No. 2 seed has won five of the nine tourneys. After this one, make it six of the last 10.

In my eyes, this season there are two top dogs, Whitewater and Oshkosh. Not far behind, in the deputy dog position, is La Crosse, which proved it can beat anyone when the Eagles beat Juniata. I think only those three teams can/will win the 2007 version of the WIAC crapshoot.

Here’s how I see things playing out:

No. 1 Whitewater over No. 8 Stout. If I’m sure of two things, the sun will rise tomorrow and Whitewater will beat Stout. Warhawks in three.

No. 2 Oshkosh over No. 7 Platteville. If I’m sure of three things … In truth, Platteville is good. Setter Kelly Laschinger is great. Rachel Chapman and Lisa Bell are a good hitting combo, and it’s tough to beat a good team three times in the same season. That said, Oshkosh is better than Platteville. The Titans should make it 3-for-3 over the Pioneers this season. Titans in four.

No. 6 Superior over No. 3 Eau Claire. Yep, go ahead and read that again. Superior will not only make a WIAC tourney appearance, I think it will win. There has to be a reason behind Superior’s recent wins over St. Thomas and La Crosse. Yellowjackets in five.

No. 4 La Crosse over No. 5 Stevens Point. Should be a good one like the seeds would suggest. Carlson and company are just a shade better than Maus and crew. Then again, the best team does not always win. Eagles in five.

La Crosse over Whitewater. Should be some long points in this one. Both defenses are superb. Both teams have great hitters. La Crosse is streaky, thus the wild card. Whitewater has beaten La Crosse twice in four games this season. I just have a good hunch that the third time is the charm. Eagles in five.

Oshkosh over Superior. Oshkosh cruised in this matchup earlier this year, but Superior did not have Courtney Stach, its leading hitter. No matter. Oshkosh should be at full strength again, like the Titans were the first go-round. Oshkosh just doesn’t lose to Superior in volleyball. The Titans have won 17 straight over the Yellowjackets. Make it 18. Titans in three.

Oshkosh over La Crosse. Should be a dandy. Limiting Katelyn Carlson and Amber Schoonover will be a challenge, especially after the confidence-boosting win over Whitewater in the semis. But La Crosse will be playing after two draining five-game wins. The Titan block and back row will come through. Titans in four.

There you have it. You don’t even have to make the trip to Whitewater. The No. 2 seed will win the tourney for the sixth time in 10 years. For good measure, I will tell you that the tourney MVP plays right-side for Oshkosh.

-Ricky Nelson