DSHA is working for more than a second straight volleyball title. The Dashers are pursuing perfection.

Perfection has three different definitions when you type the word into Google.

The one out of that trio that probably fits the Divine Savior Holy Angels volleyball program would be "the action or process of improving something until it is faultless or as faultless as possible."

It's been 361 days since the Dashers have tasted defeat on the court. It was in a 2-0 sweep during a tournament in Illinois to Marist, a program that won 31 matches last season and completed a back-to-back state IHSA championship run in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Since that loss, the Dashers have won 42 straight matches across all competitions and sit at 29-0 with another trip to the Chicagoland area coming this weekend for tournament action and a second straight Division 1 state title in their sights.

The 29th victory may have been one of the hardest over the last year.

It took a fifth game – something the Dashers hadn't played all season – but the No. 1 team in the state found a way in a 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-13, 15-13 thriller over Greater Metro Conference rival Sussex Hamilton to keep the undefeated season alive.

"We just wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to let anyone ruin our season," Dashers coach Caitie Ratkowski said. "We’ve worked really hard to be where we’re at right now, and so we – well, I shouldn’t say we, I should say the girls; I try to be there to motivate them – but they decided that they wouldn’t back down and show what they were made of."

Ratkowski was more than complimentary of her bunch, especially the program's core that helped DSHA's first state title since their back-to-back championships in 2014 and 2015. She voiced her pleasure about coaching a roster that has the chance to do something that hasn't been done in two decades in winning a Division 1 state championship as an undefeated team. In 2003, Westosha Central won the D1 title to cap an 18-0 campaign. DSHA's current streak reached 18 games all the way back on Aug. 26 in the Dashers' first tournament of the season.

"It’s a lot of fun. They’re a blast. They’re a great group. They don’t need to be motivated by adults. They are motivating themselves and each other," Ratkowski said. "They’re very talented, but they still want to get better. They want to fix things at practice. They want to push each other every day. They want to keep winning, but they don’t wanna back down.

"It’s a ton of fun to coach them and help them get to that point where they want to be. Sometimes, you get these really talented kids and you just kinda let them go because you think you know what they’re doing, but this group wants to learn and get better and keep going."

Two members of that core 2022 championship group –  Wisconsin recruit Madison Quest and Creighton recruit Sophia Wendlick –  hammered home 43 of the 51 kills for DSHA on Tuesday to keep the Dashers in line for another Greater Metro Conference title. Belmont recruit Jordan Czajkowski dished out 42 assists, while Michigan State recruit Olivia Durst registered a team-high 16 digs.

The Dashers are loaded with top-level talent and both Wendlick and Quest relish the opportunity at making history with the postseason on the horizon.

"I think we definitely know there’s a big target on our back, but I feel like we also put in the work," Wendlick said. "We put in the time in practice that we can handle the pressure of people that are coming at us.

"I think we were kinda finally pushed to our limit and I feel like it’s knowing where we are and where we stand and what we need to get better at. We just came together at the end. We struggled in the beginning, but we came together, fought hard and stayed together, stayed positive and took care of business."

"I think all of the noise around being ranked No. 1 in the state or something about being ranked whatever in the nation (No. 14, according to MaxPreps' rankings), I think that’s something that can really cloud things, but we’ve really let it build our confidence up," Quest said. "We put that kind of stuff to the side and really focus on each and every match. We understand that rankings don’t define who we are. We still have to go and prove that we’re No. 1."

Tension was thick after DSHA lost the first two two games to a legitimate title contender in Sussex Hamilton, but Ratkowski said Tuesday was exactly what her team needed to continue the surge towards history.

"It’s awesome. This was a great confidence builder for them, but it’s also a motivator," Ratkowski said. "Now that they’re up here, they don’t wanna get knocked down, so they’re doing anything and everything that they can to get better every single day in practice and to bring it in every match to make sure we stay where we are."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: DSHA out to be first unbeaten Wisconsin D1 volleyball champ since 2003