Waukesha North Volleyball Issues Parking Advisory Ahead Of Muskego Rivalry Match

WAUKESHA — Waukesha North High School's athletic department has issued a parking advisory ahead of Friday's volleyball match against regional rival Muskego, after presale ticket figures came in at 340, a 60-person increase over last year's rivalry game.

The gymnasium lot, which the school confirmed holds exactly 85 vehicles, is not expected to accommodate the projected crowd. Athletic director Terry Oslund, 54, said the department began planning around the gap three weeks ago, after advance sales crossed the 300 mark on a Tuesday afternoon he described as "not a day we usually check the numbers."

Arrive Early, Or Don't Arrive At All

Oslund is recommending fans arrive 45 minutes before the 7 p.m. first serve, and is pointing overflow traffic toward the lot at Frame Park, one block away. A sign-and-cone plan, drawn up by the district's facilities staff, will direct cars down Lincoln Avenue rather than let them circle the gym lot looking for a spot that Oslund said "mathematically does not exist after the 60th car."

"We looked at the numbers and the numbers don't change no matter how long you stare at them," Oslund said. "Eighty-five spaces. Three hundred forty tickets. Somebody's walking a block, and it should be the people who show up on time."

Residents Point To The Fairgrounds

Not everyone is confident the plan will hold. Dawn Rusch, 46, whose daughter plays junior varsity, said the school should have seen this coming after the Hunter Nation rally drew 500 people to the fairgrounds on Oct. 10 and left overflow parking described at the time as "orderly chaos."

"If the fairgrounds couldn't figure out where to put 500 extra cars, I don't know why anyone thinks a 1980s gym lot is going to do better with volleyball parents and their SUVs."

— Dawn Rusch, parent

Rusch said she plans to park at Frame Park regardless of the official advisory, arriving an hour early with a folding chair and, she said, "zero intention of circling that lot even once."

The Rivalry Itself

On the court, the Northstars enter Friday's match at 11-4, with Muskego sitting one game back in the conference standings. Oslund said the parking logistics, while real, are secondary to what he called "the loudest gym we'll see all season," citing student section attendance that has grown each of the last three home matches.

The district has not announced plans for a shuttle between Frame Park and the gymnasium, though Oslund said the idea "came up in a meeting and then the meeting ended before we voted on it." For now, the advisory stands as issued: come early, park a block away, and expect the lot to fill by the time the junior varsity match finishes.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Friday. The Northstars' student section is asking fans to wear navy.