MONROE - Cruise control is a luxury most teams can't afford in the postseason.
On Tuesday, Monroe's volleyball team had to fight the urge to coast after cruising through the first two games of its first-round Division 2 regional matchup against Mount Horeb.
"I think we just put it on cruise control for a little while and let the game come to us instead of take control," Monroe head coach Dave Gersbach said.
It took four games instead of three, but Monroe finally prevailed, 25-10, 25-15, 28-30, 25-16. Monroe, the third seed in the Evansville Regional, now travels to No. 2 Brodhead for a Friday night semifinal. The Cardinals swept through Evansville in three games Tuesday.
The Cheesemakers dominated in their first game Tuesday, leading 9-3 before spiking their way to an 11-1 run for a 20-4 advantage.
"It's tough for an opposing team to come in and see size like that," Gersbach said of his players at the net, Jamie Armstrong (6 feet, 1 inches), Jaclyn Ditter (5-11), and Chelsea (5-10). "I don't know as if they have seen that this year. You could tell they were taken back, and once they started rolling with the punches, they did better."
Sixth-seeded Mount Horeb took six of the next nine points to close the enormous gap to 13 points before giving the game away.
In the second game, Monroe pushed to a 7-1 advantage. Mount Horeb muddled around and kept pace, bringing the score to 15-11 and 18-13. From there, it was all about the Cheese, with Chrissy Marti and Armstrong delivering strong spike kills before Brianna Zimmerman flipped a well-placed ball into open territory for the final score.
In game three, things got interesting.
"They changed some personnel. They put in a scrappier, quicker lineup," Gersbach said. "Compliments to their coach (Matt Statz) for that move. He did a good job."
The Vikings never let Monroe get off to a strong lead, and eventually held their first advantage at 9-8. Mount Horeb's personnel adjustments appeared to be working, and Monroe seemed to be reeling in cruise control. Not long after, the Cheesemakers trailed by five at 16-11 and then 19-14.
Needing a spark, the Cheese looked to Zimmerman to serve up an ace after a side out. Zimmerman gained two more service points before Vikings head coach Matt Statz called timeout to slow the momentum.
That strategy worked briefly, as Mount Horeb took two points before Monroe evened the score at 22-22. Statz called another timeout, which again was followed by two points. However, the Cheesemakers stormed back at game-point and took a 25-24 advantage. Mount Horeb countered, and the two teams duked it out until the Vikings prevailed at 30-28.
"Going into cruise control, that will bite you. And we've seen that a few times from this team. I'm proud of the way these girls fought out of it," Gersbach said.
In the fourth game, Monroe's early 3-1 advantage fell by the wayside as cruise control failed again. The Vikings led 7-5 until the Cheesemakers regained form, going on a 10-3 run to take a 13-8 lead.
"Once we started getting back on the attack, we played much better. We have to stay on the attack," Gersbach said.
Monroe's new motor continued revving all the way to the end, finishing the match on a 12-8 run.
Armstrong had 19 kills, nine aces and five blocks in front of hundreds of fans and a handful of scouts. Kayla Streff dished out 19 assists, with Zimmerman tossing 11 of her own. Emily Rufenacht had 18 digs, Marissa Ubert added six digs, Jaclyn Ditter chimed in five blocks and Chelsea Wyss added a pair of aces and plenty of kills.
Monroe now travels to Brodhead, where Gersbach feels his team will definitely make it interesting.
"We played them earlier in the season (a 25-8, 17-25, 15-13 Monroe win in the Brodhead Tournament) and we're putting together a different package. I think we've got the right personnel, where we can set up strong against them," Gersbach said. "We'll be ready to play."
Gersbach hopes the large Monroe crowds his team has seen as of late will make the short drive to Brodhead.
"The crowd really helps us. They really pump us up. I hope we can draw a lot of people and make some noise," he said.
On Tuesday, Monroe's volleyball team had to fight the urge to coast after cruising through the first two games of its first-round Division 2 regional matchup against Mount Horeb.
"I think we just put it on cruise control for a little while and let the game come to us instead of take control," Monroe head coach Dave Gersbach said.
It took four games instead of three, but Monroe finally prevailed, 25-10, 25-15, 28-30, 25-16. Monroe, the third seed in the Evansville Regional, now travels to No. 2 Brodhead for a Friday night semifinal. The Cardinals swept through Evansville in three games Tuesday.
The Cheesemakers dominated in their first game Tuesday, leading 9-3 before spiking their way to an 11-1 run for a 20-4 advantage.
"It's tough for an opposing team to come in and see size like that," Gersbach said of his players at the net, Jamie Armstrong (6 feet, 1 inches), Jaclyn Ditter (5-11), and Chelsea (5-10). "I don't know as if they have seen that this year. You could tell they were taken back, and once they started rolling with the punches, they did better."
Sixth-seeded Mount Horeb took six of the next nine points to close the enormous gap to 13 points before giving the game away.
In the second game, Monroe pushed to a 7-1 advantage. Mount Horeb muddled around and kept pace, bringing the score to 15-11 and 18-13. From there, it was all about the Cheese, with Chrissy Marti and Armstrong delivering strong spike kills before Brianna Zimmerman flipped a well-placed ball into open territory for the final score.
In game three, things got interesting.
"They changed some personnel. They put in a scrappier, quicker lineup," Gersbach said. "Compliments to their coach (Matt Statz) for that move. He did a good job."
The Vikings never let Monroe get off to a strong lead, and eventually held their first advantage at 9-8. Mount Horeb's personnel adjustments appeared to be working, and Monroe seemed to be reeling in cruise control. Not long after, the Cheesemakers trailed by five at 16-11 and then 19-14.
Needing a spark, the Cheese looked to Zimmerman to serve up an ace after a side out. Zimmerman gained two more service points before Vikings head coach Matt Statz called timeout to slow the momentum.
That strategy worked briefly, as Mount Horeb took two points before Monroe evened the score at 22-22. Statz called another timeout, which again was followed by two points. However, the Cheesemakers stormed back at game-point and took a 25-24 advantage. Mount Horeb countered, and the two teams duked it out until the Vikings prevailed at 30-28.
"Going into cruise control, that will bite you. And we've seen that a few times from this team. I'm proud of the way these girls fought out of it," Gersbach said.
In the fourth game, Monroe's early 3-1 advantage fell by the wayside as cruise control failed again. The Vikings led 7-5 until the Cheesemakers regained form, going on a 10-3 run to take a 13-8 lead.
"Once we started getting back on the attack, we played much better. We have to stay on the attack," Gersbach said.
Monroe's new motor continued revving all the way to the end, finishing the match on a 12-8 run.
Armstrong had 19 kills, nine aces and five blocks in front of hundreds of fans and a handful of scouts. Kayla Streff dished out 19 assists, with Zimmerman tossing 11 of her own. Emily Rufenacht had 18 digs, Marissa Ubert added six digs, Jaclyn Ditter chimed in five blocks and Chelsea Wyss added a pair of aces and plenty of kills.
Monroe now travels to Brodhead, where Gersbach feels his team will definitely make it interesting.
"We played them earlier in the season (a 25-8, 17-25, 15-13 Monroe win in the Brodhead Tournament) and we're putting together a different package. I think we've got the right personnel, where we can set up strong against them," Gersbach said. "We'll be ready to play."
Gersbach hopes the large Monroe crowds his team has seen as of late will make the short drive to Brodhead.
"The crowd really helps us. They really pump us up. I hope we can draw a lot of people and make some noise," he said.
