Middleton Successfully Defends State Boys Volleyball Title
Posted: 11/6/2026
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Top-seeded Middleton (35-2) won its second straight championship at the 2026 State Volleyball Tournament with a convincing 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 victory over second-seeded Hamilton (34-7) in the title game at the Resch Center Saturday.
The Cardinals took control of the match with a balance and efficient hitting attack, particularly in the first and second sets. They recorded a .343 and .360 hitting percentage in those two sets, respectively, and finished with a .273 percentage for the match.
The Cardinals’ balanced offensive arsenal featured three players with nine kills, including Jonah Johnson, Mason King, and Henry Dailey. In addition, Tanner Goldbeck contributed with seven kills. Liam Colgan was the team’s leading setter with a game-high 31 assists. Johnson also scored three times on aces to lead all servers. Defensively, Jude Gehrke led the Cardinals with 10 digs, and Johnson added nine saves. Middleton scored on seven blocks, including a game-high four by Dailey.
The Chargers found it difficult to score on the attack against the Cardinals’ defense with a .074 hitting percentage for the match and committing 19 errors in 81 attempts. Cole McCoy recorded 10 of the squad’s 25 kills to lead Chargers’ offensive. Charlie Mrotek dished out a team-leading 16 assists and Ben Koch chipped in with seven. McCoy also contributed offensively with a pair of aces. Defensively, Ryan Mueller made a team-high seven digs, and Sharvesh Saravanan added three block assists.
It marks Middleton’s third championship in the last four seasons. The Cardinals have now advanced to the title game five times in the last seven seasons, including the 2020-2021 alternate season during the COVID pandemic. In their 17th State Tournament appearance, the Cardinals advanced to the championship match with a four-set win over Wauwatosa East in the quarterfinals and in three sets versus Mukwonago in the semifinals.
Hamilton placed runner-up in its second State experience. The Chargers recorded four-set victories over Westosha Central in quarterfinals and Arrowhead in the semifinals to advance to the title match.
The 2026 State Volleyball Tournament resumes Saturday with five girls’ tournament finals, beginning with Division 5 at 9 a.m. at the Resch Center.
