SPORTS

Mariah Whalen earns preseason honors

Tim Johnson

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin recruit Mariah Whalen has helped Wausau Newman win the WIAA Division 4 girls state volleyball title the previous three years.

WAUSAU - Newman Catholic's Mariah Whalen enters her senior season solidified as one of the top girls volleyball players in the country.

The Cardinals standout, who is committed to the University of Wisconsin, was named to both the American Family Insurance ALL-USA preseason girls volleyball team and the CBS MaxPreps All-American girls volleyball squad.

There were 31 prep athletes selected for the MaxPreps squad and 21 players for the All-USA team.

Whalen is the only Wisconsin native on either team, but is joined on the MaxPreps team by three future college teammates who are part of the Badger program's incoming recruiting class — Sydney Hillery (Champlin Park, Minn.), Grace Loberg (Geneva, Ill.) and Dana Rettke (Riverside, Ill.).

Hillery also was named to the ALL-USA squad as well.

Whalen, an outside hitter, totaled 697 kills, 310 digs, 112 blocks and 84 aces last season. Whalen also and a .483 hitting percentage for a Cardinals team which posted a 42-1-2 record on the way to winning a third straight WIAA Division 4 state championship.

Whalen was a first team all-state selection by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association for the second straight season last year, and nine other local players were honorable mention selections. She has also been the Marawood Confernece player of the year the past two years.

The Cardinals went 3-0 in the Marshfield quadrangular Tuesday to open season play and travel to Mequon Homesteadfor an invitational this weekend. Newman Catholic begins tournamment play Friday afternoon.

Newman Catholic hosts Marathon on Tuesday in a Marawood Conference season opener