MONROE - Having a short memory and staying positive during difficult situations are two mindsets Monroe senior outside hitter Alicia Kuester wants to see the Monroe High School volleyball team adopt after a four-set season-opening loss to Badger South rival Stoughton on Thursday.
Stoughton knocked off the Cheesemakers 25-17, 25-13, 19-25, 25-10.
"I think when we lose a point we have to work on bringing each other back up," said Kuester, who had nine kills in the match. "We have to forget about it. We have to work on getting past it and move on to the next point. We definitely became more of a team. We just need to work on learning that lesson and take what we need to work on to practice."
The Vikings built a 20-8 lead in the first set. The Cheesemakers rallied with a kill by Kuester and an ace from senior Lexi Hilliard to cut the Vikings' lead to 22-13. The Vikings then hit a kill attempt out. Monroe junior Sydney Mathiason and Kuester combined on a block to cut the Vikings' lead to 24-17 but the Cheesemakers weren't able to score again.
"I think a little bit of it was first-game jitters," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "I think sometimes you get inside your head because you want it so bad. I think they got their first-game jitters out of the way."
Senior Whitney Wells helped the Cheesemakers get off to a good start in the second set with a kill to give them a 2-0 lead. The Vikings answered with sophomore lefty Hannah Wirag serving for six straight points, which included three kills by Stoughton senior outside hitter Rachel Hedman, and gaining a 7-2 advantage. Monroe senior Lexus Trickel delivered a kill moments later to slice the Vikings' lead to 10-5. Hedman and Stoughton senior Emma Holtan smashed kills to extend the Vikings' lead to 14-6. Wells delivered a kill moments later to cut the Vikings' lead to 14-9, but that was as close as the Cheesemakers would get.
"She (Hedman) is a great all-around player," Witt said. "They knew she was a great player and had to move the ball around on her. We started to block some back on her. They started to shut her down, and Stoughton had to go somewhere else."
After dropping the first two sets, Monroe senior Brenna Doherty gave Monroe a spark with seven straight service points and three aces in a third-set run that gave the Cheesemakers a 15-9 lead. During the run, senior Chloe Schroeder and Kuester were aggressive blocking at the net.
Schroeder finished with nine kills and a team-high five blocks in the match.
"I thought our passers and setters did a pretty good job of getting the ball up to our hitters," Witt said. "We just couldn't terminate the hits. It's just a mental game with us."
After a sideout kill by Hedman to start the fourth set, Stoughton junior Tessa Berry scored five consecutive points serving to help the Vikings race out to a 6-0 lead. The lead ballooned to 16-3. The Cheesemakers struggled passing in the final set. The Cheesemakers were called for two illegal hits, had two calls go against them for making contact with the net and had one service error in the Vikings' big surge early in the final set.
"There were a lot of points where Stoughton didn't really have to earn them in that last set," Witt said. "That definitely wears on you when the same call starts going against you. We can't control what the official calls. What we can control is how we play on the court."
It's just the first match of the season, but the Cheesemakers are searching for consistency after contending with the Vikings for stretches.
"I'm glad we could play with Stoughton for the most part and be competitive in the conference," Witt said. "I think the girls played a great match. They played the match they had in them. I think we are a different team than we were last year."
Hilliard had 12 digs and three aces, and Monroe senior Hannah Neuenschwander racked up a team-high 16 assists in the match.
Monroe hosts five other teams - Mount Horeb, New Glarus, Richland Center, Watertown Luther Prep and Wisconsin Heights - for a tournament that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Kuester is looking forward to developing a rhythm by playing more matches.
"We just have to keep the energy up every game of the tournament," Kuester said. "I think we can win some of those games against those smaller schools."
Stoughton knocked off the Cheesemakers 25-17, 25-13, 19-25, 25-10.
"I think when we lose a point we have to work on bringing each other back up," said Kuester, who had nine kills in the match. "We have to forget about it. We have to work on getting past it and move on to the next point. We definitely became more of a team. We just need to work on learning that lesson and take what we need to work on to practice."
The Vikings built a 20-8 lead in the first set. The Cheesemakers rallied with a kill by Kuester and an ace from senior Lexi Hilliard to cut the Vikings' lead to 22-13. The Vikings then hit a kill attempt out. Monroe junior Sydney Mathiason and Kuester combined on a block to cut the Vikings' lead to 24-17 but the Cheesemakers weren't able to score again.
"I think a little bit of it was first-game jitters," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "I think sometimes you get inside your head because you want it so bad. I think they got their first-game jitters out of the way."
Senior Whitney Wells helped the Cheesemakers get off to a good start in the second set with a kill to give them a 2-0 lead. The Vikings answered with sophomore lefty Hannah Wirag serving for six straight points, which included three kills by Stoughton senior outside hitter Rachel Hedman, and gaining a 7-2 advantage. Monroe senior Lexus Trickel delivered a kill moments later to slice the Vikings' lead to 10-5. Hedman and Stoughton senior Emma Holtan smashed kills to extend the Vikings' lead to 14-6. Wells delivered a kill moments later to cut the Vikings' lead to 14-9, but that was as close as the Cheesemakers would get.
"She (Hedman) is a great all-around player," Witt said. "They knew she was a great player and had to move the ball around on her. We started to block some back on her. They started to shut her down, and Stoughton had to go somewhere else."
After dropping the first two sets, Monroe senior Brenna Doherty gave Monroe a spark with seven straight service points and three aces in a third-set run that gave the Cheesemakers a 15-9 lead. During the run, senior Chloe Schroeder and Kuester were aggressive blocking at the net.
Schroeder finished with nine kills and a team-high five blocks in the match.
"I thought our passers and setters did a pretty good job of getting the ball up to our hitters," Witt said. "We just couldn't terminate the hits. It's just a mental game with us."
After a sideout kill by Hedman to start the fourth set, Stoughton junior Tessa Berry scored five consecutive points serving to help the Vikings race out to a 6-0 lead. The lead ballooned to 16-3. The Cheesemakers struggled passing in the final set. The Cheesemakers were called for two illegal hits, had two calls go against them for making contact with the net and had one service error in the Vikings' big surge early in the final set.
"There were a lot of points where Stoughton didn't really have to earn them in that last set," Witt said. "That definitely wears on you when the same call starts going against you. We can't control what the official calls. What we can control is how we play on the court."
It's just the first match of the season, but the Cheesemakers are searching for consistency after contending with the Vikings for stretches.
"I'm glad we could play with Stoughton for the most part and be competitive in the conference," Witt said. "I think the girls played a great match. They played the match they had in them. I think we are a different team than we were last year."
Hilliard had 12 digs and three aces, and Monroe senior Hannah Neuenschwander racked up a team-high 16 assists in the match.
Monroe hosts five other teams - Mount Horeb, New Glarus, Richland Center, Watertown Luther Prep and Wisconsin Heights - for a tournament that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Kuester is looking forward to developing a rhythm by playing more matches.
"We just have to keep the energy up every game of the tournament," Kuester said. "I think we can win some of those games against those smaller schools."
