2 additions making a difference at Living Word

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)

Published: Nov. 4, 2015

 

2 additions making a difference at Living Word

Coach, freshman lead T’wolves to state

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

After nine years of stability, Living Word Lutheran and its girls volleyball program had suddenly lost it. Gone was the coach of nine seasons, Kevin Buettner, who moved on to be the assistant varsity coach at West Bend West.

Under Buettner, the Timberwolves had some of their best years in school history, including an 87-32 mark with two conference championships and two sectional appearances between 2010 and 2012. In 2011, Living Word had one of the best win-loss records in the state (35-2).

Now what?

Dawn Walker was hired in June to replace Buettner. She had no varsity volleyball coaching experience before taking the job with the Timberwolves, but had several years experience as the middle school coach at First Immanuel in Cedarburg.

In Buettner’s last two seasons, the Timberwolves were competitive, but were 10 games under .500 (30-40).

Was the program slipping?

It was Walker’s job to say no. In her first year, she delivered, leading the program to a place it always dreamed about and likely never thought of as a reality: state.

“We can’t describe it because we’re the underdog,” Living Word junior Kayli Brown said after Saturday’s sectional championship victory over Burlington Catholic Central, a Division 4 power with five state titles from 2005-12. “Nobody thought we’d actually get here.”

The other difference-making factor that entered the mix for the Timberwolves was Keri Walker.

The 5-foot-11 freshman middle hitter and setter brought a different element to the program, an element that had been missing: versatility.

Going into state, Keri Walker leads the team in kills (207), and is second in assists (198), service aces (52), digs (182) and blocks (35).

“She has brought amazing ... everything,” Living Word senior Sophie Hoelz said after Thursday’s sectional final victory over Hilbert. “She can set, she can pass, she can hit. She’s really helped make our team mesh together really well.

“If we’re down and she gets a set, we know she’s going to get a kill. She’s the player that digs deep. She’s so young and she’s going to do great things.”

The Walker effect was something nobody envisioned, especially players who had been with the Timberwolves program before their arrival.

Maybe because of the uncertainty, the goals were modest.

“We wanted to be within the top of the conference,” Brown said.

Achieving that would’ve likely been good enough. But there was something about the two new pieces entering the mix at Living Word, a school with an enrollment of less than 140 students that opened in August 2001.

Living Word started the season 4-2, but went 7-9 the rest of the regular season, including a three-match losing streak to Brookfield Academy, Kenosha Christian Life and University School of Milwaukee.

“That was our worst week of volleyball,” Dawn Walker said.

Then came the conference tournament.

The Timberwolves knocked off Messmer to start the tournament. Then they got some payback in the next two matches, beating Kenosha Christian Life and Brookfield Academy to reach the tournament final.

In the tournament final, Living Word took a set from Lake Country Lutheran in the best-of-three format. The Lightning won the next two to win the match and the conference championship.

Lake Country Lutheran also advanced to state (Division 3).

“Our coach, the night before (the MCC tournament) said she wanted us to get in the top-two,” Brown said. “She said, ’I’m ready for the game. If everyone shows up and where we all play together ...,’ and that just happened that whole entire day and it’s continued.”

Brown admitted it was a bold prediction for her coach to make.

“But I always had hope,” she added. Dawn Walker taught that to this group of girls.

“She has brought a lot of life lessons about growing as a team and building mental toughness,” Brown said.

After conference, Dawn Walker fielded compliments from coaches in the MCC Tournament, including Lake Country Lutheran coach Janet Bahr, who told her they wouldn’t be surprised if the Timberwolves won a regional championship. They added a sectional championship and the school’s first appearance at the state tournament.

Dawn Walker believed it was possible, admitting because she was new to the mix she didn’t have a reason to think otherwise — maybe was naive, too.

“I’ve been waiting for them to be this team,” she said. “I know what they can do. I think it took a while for them to believe in themselves and realize the team they could be.

“They better believe it now.”