Arcadia gets Coulee win due to forfeit

On a technicality, the Arcadia volleyball team avoided a winless record in conference play this fall.

Despite losing to the Luther Knights in straight sets last week, the Raiders were awarded a forfeit win for the match due to a Luther eligibility infraction.

During the actual play on the court, the Knights swept Arcadia 25-12, 25-15, 25-23 last Tuesday in Onalaska. Raider stat leaders from what originally appeared to be a loss were senior Tatum Drazkowski and freshman Sophia Jereczek with five kills each, sophomore Layla Blaschko with 10 digs and freshman Elsie Wozney with 14 assists.

During the match, Luther put in a player who had suffered a season-ending knee injury to serve one point (which was won by Arcadia) before being subbed back out. What was meant to be a harmless special moment for a player who had her season derailed by injury unfortunately had larger ramifications because it created an unintended eligibility infraction.

“Following Tuesday evening’s volleyball contest against Arcadia, Luther High School discovered an unintended eligibility infraction and self-reported the violation to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA),” Luther athletic director Dan Unke said in a statement. “As a result, Luther has been required to forfeit the contest.”

As a result, the Raiders finish the conference season with a 1-11 league record. They head into the playoffs at 10-23 overall, having swept Alma Center Lincoln 25-23, 25-13, 25-16 and defeated Cochrane-Fountain City in four sets 24-26, 25-19, 25-11, 25-18 at a Saturday triangular.

The winner of this week’s playoff clash between No. 7 seed G-E-T and No. 10 seed Arcadia moves on to face second-seeded Luther in the regional semifinals in Onalaska on Thursday at 7 p.m.