Talented trio ready to lead Lancers
Watching the Brookfield Central girls volleyball team two years ago, you couldn't help but get a glimpse of the future.
The Lancers were a middle-of-thepack team in their conference, but did so with a starting lineup that consisted of three freshmen.
At setter was Tatum Kebisek, tasked with the responsibility of running the offense before she had even had her first day of high school.
Morgan Daugherty was in the rotation, moving around to different spots at the net where her 6-foot-2 frame and leaping ability were on full display.
And then there was Mckenna Wucherer, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter with a rocket launcher for a right arm.
“I don't think we've had three freshmen start like that off the bat,” Brookfield Central head coach Scott Spiess said. “It's a pretty special group.”
The Lancers' three stars, who are all now going into their junior year, have been playing together since the sixth grade. As they enter the season as the top-ranked team in the Journal Sentinel's area rankings, that chemistry has allowed them to shine.”
“We've always had that special connection as three of us,” Kebisek said. “I feel like that's kind of shown throughout the years.”
The all-American
When Spiess thinks of players in recent history from Wisconsin who can swing like Wucherer, the list is pretty small.
Wucherer committed to play at Minnesota as an eighth grader and has since lived up to every ounce of hype.
Through two seasons, she has 1,163 kills with an average of 4.9 kills per set on a 36.5% hitting percentage. Her 592 kills as a sophomore last year were second-most in the state.
“Not too many can hit it as hard as she does,” Spiess said. “Those that can are those special players and you can obviously see it.”
Wucherer has been recognized as one of the best in the nation, being one of 20 players selected for the USA youth national training team this summer.
“Just being a part of the USA program has been an incredible experience,” she said.
Spiess has seen Wucherer turn into a complete player with a better understanding of the technical aspects of the game that can separate her against higher competition at the next level.
“Her ball control has really improved. Her serve receive and defense are much better,” Spiess said. “Even with her attacking, she can crush the ball from all over. She's expanded her range and expanded her contact point of hitting the ball at a higher point over blocks or around blocks.”
Each match, the Lancers have to find the right balance between making sure they get the ball to their best player enough while also keeping other hitters involved to keep the defense on its toes.
“It's a temptation to throw every ball out there to Mckenna,” Spiess said. “We've had a lot of conversations about it with Tatum, taking chances in practice and building other players' confidence and her own confidence in them. As that becomes easier, it can translate into the games.
“But we talk a lot about getting it to our scorers in crunch time. At the end of the games, they hear religiously from me that we've got to go to our point scorers and Mckenna is the ultimate point scorer.”
A student of the game
Kebisek grew up in the gym and it shows when she takes the court.
Her sister, Shannon, played for Brookfield Central; her brother, Logan, is a senior on the boys varsity team this year; and both of her parents coach the sport at lower levels.
A lifetime spent around the game has helped form Tatum into a high-IQ player at setter, a position where a sound understanding of the game is crucial.
“She has a really good court sense and understanding of the game,” Spiess said. “She's watched lots of volleyball, played a lot of volleyball and you can tell."
Kebisek and Wucherer both grew up going to Lancers games to watch their older sisters, and last year they formed one of the best 1-2 punches in the state. Kebisek finished second in the state with 1,176 assists, just over half of which went to Wucherer.
“We trust each other so well,” Wucherer said. “We have an incredible bond on and off the court. We've been in the gym together for so long and I don't remember the last time we didn't' connect on a pass.”
Developing into a standout
While Wucherer and Kebisek were almost certainly locks to make varsity as freshman, Spiess calls Daugherty the “late bloomer” of the trio. Not even Daugherty herself expected to see her name on the final roster after tryouts.
“It definitely caught me by surprise,” Daugherty said. “I was definitely not as good as a freshman.”
The potential within Daugherty, a 6foot-2 former basketball player, was obvious to Spiess, though.
“She's gotten so much stronger and her IQ has come a long way the last couple of years, and that's why we saw she could be such a good player,” he said. “She's great coming off one foot coming behind the setter and that comes from that athletic background.”
While Daugherty moved around at different spots as a freshman, she solidified herself as a middle blocker last year in a breakout year in which she had 186 kills at a .294 hitting percentage to go along with 74 blocks.
Having an efficient hitter opposite Wucherer is pivotal for the Lancers as defenses shift a double block toward the most powerful arm in the state.
“It's definitely super nice to have her because when other teams double me, she'll pound the crap out of the ball on a one-on-one,” Wucherer said.