BRODHEAD - Senior outside hitter Kylie Moe kept the faith even when Beloit Turner rallied, looking to make an improbable comeback in the semifinals of the Brodhead Invitational Saturday.
The Cardinals withstood the comeback and held on to win the second set to sweep the Trojans 25-14, 25-23 en route to capturing the championship of the Brodhead Invitational for the third straight year.
"One of our goals was going for the three-peat," Moe said. "That match was important for us because that will be a big conference game for us. We wanted to make a statement."
The Cardinals did just that - earning a 25-12, 25-22 win over Evansville in the championship match.
Monroe (6-13) went 3-2 to win the silver bracket and finished fifth place overall. Argyle knocked off Whitewater 25-8, 25-20 to win the bronze bracket for seventh place out of 12 teams. The Cheesemakers went 2-2 in four sets in pool play before Lake Mills beat them in a nail-biter 26-24, 25-19. Monroe rebounded to win the silver bracket, rolling past Whitewater 25-19, 25-8 and dispatching New Glarus in a fifth-place match 25-21, 25-22.
"We played some really great volleyball," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "As the day went on, we progressively got better. Our serving was amazing today as we racked up 34 aces, as well as our hitting as we pounded down 79 kills. We were communicating well and moving the ball around to utilize our hitters."
Brodhead (6-4, 2-0 Rock Valley South), the defending conference champions, were battle-tested early on after opening with the Janesville Craig tournament where they played several Division 1 schools.
"It was good to see some bigger schools that play a faster pace than what we usually see in the Rock Valley," Moe said.
The experience of being in big moments paid off on the Cardinals. After going 4-0 in four pool-play sets, the Cardinals beat New Glarus 25-14, 25-17 to reach the gold bracket division. Brodhead knocked off Monroe 25-13, 25-20 and defeated Monticello 25-20, 25-11 in pool play.
The Cardinals were tested the most in a second set against Beloit Turner. After rushing out to a 10-2 lead in the second set, the Trojans stormed back to tie the set at 23. The Cardinals forced a sideout and the Trojans hit a spike out to close out the win.
"It was a good situation for us to be in to close out and finish the game," Brodhead coach Erin Kammerer said. "By being able to win that, it's a confidence builder. We had to go out and earn it. Turner didn't hand it to us. It's always one of our goals to win our home tournament and protect our own floor."
Moe and Blake Boegli both had a team-high 31 kills for the tournament. Brodhead senior Amber Pickel had 23 kills and eight aces.
Freshman teammate Abbey Johnson racked up a team-best 90 assists and notched nine aces. Johnson has thrived as a freshman setter; she served as the manager for the high school volleyball team for the last several years and now is making her mark on the court.
"Abbey Johnson changing the tempo setting makes a big difference for us," Kammerer said. "She has played enough volleyball," Kammerer said. "I haven't seen any freshman jitters yet. She's comfortable on the floor. She fits right in."
The biggest challenge for Monroe in a silver bracket match against Whitewater was trying to contain their 6 foot, 2 inch junior Myriama Smith-Traore.
"We just had to shut down No. 13," Witt said of Traore. "This was an awesome match. They knew they had to shut down No. 13 and they did."
New Glarus finished sixth as a team and Argyle took eighth. Juda captured 10th followed by Monticello (11th) and Albany (12th).
Monroe junior Lexi Hilliard had a big run from the service line including seven aces. Hilliard finished the tournament with seven aces and a team-high 17 digs. Monroe senior Hannah Vetterli had a team-high 23 kills and junior Alicia Kuester had 19 kills and sophomore Sydney Mathiason added 17 kills. Senior teammate Paige Murphy racked up 41 assists and sophomore Alysha Witt had 19 assists, followed by junior Hannah Neuenschwander with 17 assists.
Argyle lost all four games they played in pool play. The Orioles finished the tournament 1-2. Argyle (6-2) then dropped a match to Beloit Turner 25-16, 25-21 and New Glarus outlasted the Orioles 25-22, 25-14. The Orioles defeated Whitewater in a seventh-place match 25-8, 25-20.
Argyle sophomore Ashley Bruehlman had 15 kills, 19 aces, 33 digs and four blocks for the tournament. Teammate Morgan Godfrey had 15 kills and junior Kayla Butler-Paulson added 54 assists.
Monroe will host Madison Edgewood Tuesday.
"This is something we needed to get us ready for Edgewood," Witt said.
The Cardinals withstood the comeback and held on to win the second set to sweep the Trojans 25-14, 25-23 en route to capturing the championship of the Brodhead Invitational for the third straight year.
"One of our goals was going for the three-peat," Moe said. "That match was important for us because that will be a big conference game for us. We wanted to make a statement."
The Cardinals did just that - earning a 25-12, 25-22 win over Evansville in the championship match.
Monroe (6-13) went 3-2 to win the silver bracket and finished fifth place overall. Argyle knocked off Whitewater 25-8, 25-20 to win the bronze bracket for seventh place out of 12 teams. The Cheesemakers went 2-2 in four sets in pool play before Lake Mills beat them in a nail-biter 26-24, 25-19. Monroe rebounded to win the silver bracket, rolling past Whitewater 25-19, 25-8 and dispatching New Glarus in a fifth-place match 25-21, 25-22.
"We played some really great volleyball," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "As the day went on, we progressively got better. Our serving was amazing today as we racked up 34 aces, as well as our hitting as we pounded down 79 kills. We were communicating well and moving the ball around to utilize our hitters."
Brodhead (6-4, 2-0 Rock Valley South), the defending conference champions, were battle-tested early on after opening with the Janesville Craig tournament where they played several Division 1 schools.
"It was good to see some bigger schools that play a faster pace than what we usually see in the Rock Valley," Moe said.
The experience of being in big moments paid off on the Cardinals. After going 4-0 in four pool-play sets, the Cardinals beat New Glarus 25-14, 25-17 to reach the gold bracket division. Brodhead knocked off Monroe 25-13, 25-20 and defeated Monticello 25-20, 25-11 in pool play.
The Cardinals were tested the most in a second set against Beloit Turner. After rushing out to a 10-2 lead in the second set, the Trojans stormed back to tie the set at 23. The Cardinals forced a sideout and the Trojans hit a spike out to close out the win.
"It was a good situation for us to be in to close out and finish the game," Brodhead coach Erin Kammerer said. "By being able to win that, it's a confidence builder. We had to go out and earn it. Turner didn't hand it to us. It's always one of our goals to win our home tournament and protect our own floor."
Moe and Blake Boegli both had a team-high 31 kills for the tournament. Brodhead senior Amber Pickel had 23 kills and eight aces.
Freshman teammate Abbey Johnson racked up a team-best 90 assists and notched nine aces. Johnson has thrived as a freshman setter; she served as the manager for the high school volleyball team for the last several years and now is making her mark on the court.
"Abbey Johnson changing the tempo setting makes a big difference for us," Kammerer said. "She has played enough volleyball," Kammerer said. "I haven't seen any freshman jitters yet. She's comfortable on the floor. She fits right in."
The biggest challenge for Monroe in a silver bracket match against Whitewater was trying to contain their 6 foot, 2 inch junior Myriama Smith-Traore.
"We just had to shut down No. 13," Witt said of Traore. "This was an awesome match. They knew they had to shut down No. 13 and they did."
New Glarus finished sixth as a team and Argyle took eighth. Juda captured 10th followed by Monticello (11th) and Albany (12th).
Monroe junior Lexi Hilliard had a big run from the service line including seven aces. Hilliard finished the tournament with seven aces and a team-high 17 digs. Monroe senior Hannah Vetterli had a team-high 23 kills and junior Alicia Kuester had 19 kills and sophomore Sydney Mathiason added 17 kills. Senior teammate Paige Murphy racked up 41 assists and sophomore Alysha Witt had 19 assists, followed by junior Hannah Neuenschwander with 17 assists.
Argyle lost all four games they played in pool play. The Orioles finished the tournament 1-2. Argyle (6-2) then dropped a match to Beloit Turner 25-16, 25-21 and New Glarus outlasted the Orioles 25-22, 25-14. The Orioles defeated Whitewater in a seventh-place match 25-8, 25-20.
Argyle sophomore Ashley Bruehlman had 15 kills, 19 aces, 33 digs and four blocks for the tournament. Teammate Morgan Godfrey had 15 kills and junior Kayla Butler-Paulson added 54 assists.
Monroe will host Madison Edgewood Tuesday.
"This is something we needed to get us ready for Edgewood," Witt said.
