MILWAUKEE — Defense, defense, defense.
That plan was hatched early last week. And it certainly wasn’t an easy sell.
But Middleton boys volleyball coach Ben White knew it was probably the only way his Cardinals could upset Germantown in the WIAA state quarterfinals last Friday.
Instead of entering a slugfest with the bigger, more physically imposing Warhawks, Middleton believed it could outlast Germantown and force a stream of unforced errors.
And for the first two games inside Wisconsin Lutheran College, everything went right for the upstart Cardinals.
But Germantown eventually adjusted, cleaned up its play, and rallied for a thrilling 26-28, 25-27, 25-18, 25-15, 15-11 win.
Middleton finished the year with a 19-6 record, while Germantown went on to reach the state finals, where it lost to Milwaukee Marquette.