Volleyball Recap: Appleton North Wins High-Profile Matchup Against Kimberly

Appleton North faced Kimberly in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Lightning had just enough and edged out the Papermakers 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lightning have posted since September 6th.

While Appleton North might've won, it sure wasn't easy: Kimberly scored at least nine points in every set they played. The final score came out to 22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-27, 15-9.

SAOLAI THAO

Assists (Career)

09/30/25 vs Kimberly	20
08/30/25 vs Brookfield Central	13
08/27/25 vs Indian Trail	13
09/16/25 @ Appleton West	12
08/30/25 vs Kimberly	12

SAOLAI THAO had a dynamite game, getting seven digs and three aces. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in assists (20).

Appleton North pushed their record up to 17-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Kimberly, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 18-8.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. After both having extra time off, Appleton North and Kaukauna will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th. As for Kimberly, they will host Fond du Lac at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th.