Serving up history: Mayville hosts Wisconsin's first-ever outdoor volleyball match
MAYVILLE, Wis. (CBS 58) — A small town was put in a big spotlight Tuesday night, as Mayville High School hosted Wisconsin's first-ever outdoor sanctioned volleyball match on their football field.
"Normally we don't have this many people that can fit in the gym, and I mean, here they are, fitting in the stands of a football field," said Marissa Vander Schaaf, libero and team captain for Mayville's varsity girls volleyball team.
The school spent months planning the Battle of the Marsh - a vision from head coach Alan Capps.
"I got a little emotional, because we've worked so hard on this," Capps said Tuesday night.
He wanted his team to play under the football stadium lights after seeing it work at schools in other states.
"I always tell the girls, dream big, then work your butt off to make the dreams happen," Capps said. "I think this is a dream. This is a fairytale, and I wanted my girls to experience that."
The 50-foot by 80-foot court is made of 190 sheets of plywood, donated by Drexel, with a Sport Court on top.
It was designed and built by dozens of volunteers.
"When they started seeing the adults working late nights, people taking off work, taking vacation time to help get this project through, that gets the girls really excited," said Mayville's athletic director, Scott Hilber.
Mayville, Waupun, and Horicon faced off in the long-anticipated triple-header, with stadium seats filled by fans from all three schools.
"I'm hearing from people in Alabama, saying hey, can you tell us what worked well, what didn't work well," Hilber said. "I mean, this is far reaching."
The event wasn't just to make history; it also honored the history that made the team.
"It was the '73 season, they didn't even have jerseys. They didn't have matching shorts. They had smocks that tied on the sides," Capp explained.
The tournament was dedicated to Mayville's first-ever girls volleyball team, which formed just months after Title IX passed in 1973.
"I think it was so important. I mean, we needed those girls to look at where we are now," Vander Schaaf said.
Her team plans to keep the legacy's rally going.
"This year is hopefully our year to go as far as we can," she said.