Earning a trip to the state tournament is an unforgettable feeling.

Last Saturday, that thrill would belong to the Chippewa Falls McDonell gilrs volleyball team. Perhaps no emotion, however, could compare to those of one member, and one family.

"Well, the significance of that game ... there's so many things," McDonell volleyball head coach Kat Roesler said. "It's the history, it's the memories. You know, it's the experience that we're never going to forget this with these 11 girls."

Kat Roesler is finishing her second season as head coach of the Macks, but her connection to the team spans four decades. Thirty-three years ago, Kat's mother, Debbie Roesler, formed McDonell's volleyball team from scratch, guiding the program until 2002.

Sadly, Debbie didn't hand down the whistle to her daughter, as she suddenly passed away from a brain aneurysm in 2003.

"The reminders are everywhere," Kat Roesler said. "I mean, I'm in her same office, I have a lot of the same stuff, some of the same drills. We have some of the same balls here with her handwriting on them. It's just the subtle reminders that nobody else recognizes."

This week, Kat Roesler is preparing her team for its biggest match of the season, a Friday semifinal in the WIAA state tournament. Making state is a feat the Macks haven't accomplished in a decade, not since the days of the WISAA, when Debbie was the coach.

"There's probably two or three main similarities between Kathy and her Mom," said Kat's father, and assistant volleyball coach, Steve Roesler. "Kathy and Deb were both very intense, they're both knowledgable about the game. They're fiesty competitors, and at the same time, they keep things in perspective."

Ask anyone why Debbie Roesler was so successful in her 27 seasons coaching the Macks, and the answer always comes back to hear emphasis on creating a cohesive team. Daughter Kat carries on that fundamental concept, starting with McDonell's pregame ritual, and continuing in Green Bay.

"Every home game, we circle up around her initials, and just be like, 'Yeah, she's here with us, watching over us right now,'" Macks senior captain Ashley Zumbrock said. "She's the reason why we're here.'"

Last Saturday, as the Macks would celebrate their season-long goal of making the state tournament, Kat Roesler's first thoughts would drift back to how her journey all began.

"The only words I remember saying were from the both of us," Steve Roesler said. "Kathy said, 'I miss Mom,' and I said the same thing."

"Her legacy still carries over," Kat Roesler said. "A lot of their (her players') parents had her as a coach and teacher. She was around for a long time, and the legacy of the program is because of her."

Friday, that tradition continues, both on the court, and on the sideline.