Kealy: ‘This was the conference championship’

By Reagan Hoverman

Three weeks into the 2022 season and the Big Rivers Conference champion has all but been decided.

The Big Rivers Conference opener featured River Falls at Chippewa Falls ( hi-Hi) in perhaps the most anticipated match in the state on Thursday, Sept. 1. River Falls entered the match ranked 10th in the state while Chippewa Falls was one of five teams receiving honor – able mention for Division 1, according to the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association.

In that Thursday evening match, hi-Hi defeated River Falls in four sets, knocking the Wildcats down to 0-1 in the Big Rivers. River Falls’ loss to a conference opponent in the regular season is its first in seven years, dat – ing back to the 2015 season. The only conference matches Chi-Hi has lost in the last three years have been against River Falls.

River Falls head coach Sara Kealy spoke about the pregame anticipation and her locker room speech, some – thing she rarely does in the regular season.

“I gave the girls a speech before the match started. I don’t usually go in the lock – er room,” Kealy said. “I told them that when I think back to my high school career, two matches stand out – one was a match to go to state and one was the match at state. I look at those matches like I had a chance to compete in two matches that mattered. I told them we haven’t had to compete in the conference the last several years and it was like a big giant yawn. The fact that we have something to play for tonight is special.” River Falls jumped out to a sizable lead in the opening set on Thursday night in front of a raucous Cardinals crowd. Midway through the first set, the Wildcats led 12-7 which forced a timeout by Chi-Hi head coach Luke Heidtke.

Chi-Hi responded with a notable scoring run of its own, which culminated in a timeout by Sara Kealy when the Cardinals brought the set within two points at 18-16 in favor of the Wildcats.

The timeout did little to slow Chi-Hi’s momentum, as the Cardinals continued to rally before taking a 21-19 lead which forced a second River Falls timeout. The Cardinals later finished the first set with a 25-19 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

The second set got ugly quickly for River Falls. Chi-Hi stormed out of the gate with a 13-3 scoring run that essentially ended the second set in a matter of minutes. Kealy’s squad made several small runs before get – ting to within five points, as Chi-Hi led 2015. However, the early double-digit deficit proved to be too much to overcome. The Cardinals won the second set 25-19 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Kealy’s Wildcats battled in that second set, despite Chi-Hi getting out to a massive lead early. Even though River Falls lost the set, Kealy was impressed with how her girls responded and fought to the final point.

“We battled, and I think sports is a metaphor for life. You’ve got to keep showing up and keep battling and sometimes you get your butt kicked,” Kealy said. “This team is very unique in that. Teams that I’ve had in the past with more depth or even more talented players didn’t do that. That’s why we would get to state and lose; we didn’t know how to grind.” River Falls continued to grind, despite trailing 0-2 in the best-of-five series against Chi-Hi. The third set featured offensive excellence from senior outside hitter Brianna Brathol and senior middle blocker Taylor Peterson.

Brathol and Peterson got ample scoring opportunities as senior setter Morgan Kealy directed the offense. With the third set tied 18-18, Morgan Kealy set the ball for Brathol on the outside who leaped and pounded the ball into the heart of the Chi-Hi defense to take a 19-18 lead.

Brathol’s kill gave River Falls a jolt of momentum and pushed the Wildcats to the brink of victory. The aforementioned Peter – son finished the third set with a kill to secure a 25-22 victory and make it a 2-1 series. Kealy spoke about Peterson’s performance against Chi-Hi.

“Taylor played really well tonight and she’s that kid that gives us consistency all the time,” Kealy said. “She communicates, is loud and has a presence on the court. She gives Morgan (Kealy) the same approach all the time. As a setter, if you have a middle that does that, you know you can rely on them. It’s nice to see her and Morgan start to click. She’s a good kid and she’s earned every opportunity.” The fourth set proved to be the final set of the evening as Chi-Hi earned a gritty 25-21 victory to win the match 3-1. The conference match loss is the first in seven years for the Wildcats. Sara Kealy spoke about the message to the girls in the locker room after the game.

“I told them that I’ve been here for 13 years and I’ve seen all different levels of talent on this team, but there’s not one single team in those 13 years that I would trade for this group,” Kealy said. “This game is a stepping stone for us because we have to get better every time we step on the court. We beat them (at the Sprawl), they beat us tonight and we’re going to play them again (in the playoffs). With the determination that we showed, I don’t doubt that we will keep getting better.” The loss drops River Falls to 0-1 in Big Rivers play this season. Chi-Hi and River Falls are head and shoulders above all other teams in the BRC and have been for years. Because conference teams only meet once per season, that season opener was essential – ly the conference title game.

“This was the conference championship,” Kealy said. “I told the kids in the locker room that I like to win, but I don’t feel like this season is a wash because we lost a match on Sept. 1. We have a lot of volleyball left to play and some awesome tournaments left to go to.” Kealy made it clear that winning a conference title would be great, but the ultimate goal is getting to state and competing in Green Bay. That goal is still very much alive, but River Falls will almost certainly have to go through Chi-Hi later in the season to get there.

Up next for the Wildcats is a home match on Thursday, Sept. 8, against Eau Claire Memorial. That Big Rivers matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

River Falls senior middle blocker Taylor Peterson serves during the third set against Chippewa Falls on Thursday, Sept. 1. River Falls head coach Sara Kealy spoke highly of Peterson after the match for her consistency as a player and as a leader on the team. Photo by Reagan Hoverman