MONROE - The dynamics of the Monroe volleyball team are such that coach Danya Ward has opted to ask a great deal of Ashley Curtis early in the season. Maybe a little too much.
At least that's what Ward thought prior to Saturday's Cheesemakers Invitational.
Then Ward watched Curtis open her senior season with 6 1/2 hours of stellar play that suggested no task is too big for the 5-foot-2 senior libero.
"Ashley had a ridiculous day. She was ridiculous," Ward said minutes after the co-captain was named Monroe's lone representative on the six-player all-tournament team.
"She was passing well and she was all over the place. I'm really glad the other coaches took notice of that because she definitely, definitely deserved that today."
It was impossible not to notice Curtis' spirited defensive play in the five-team round-robin event dominated by Richland Center, which posted an 8-0 record.
Monroe went 3-5 against a field that also included New Glarus, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Heights, and both Ward and Curtis saw some encouraging signs as the Cheesemakers look to improve on a difficult 2011 season that included a 0-12 mark in Badger South Conference play.
"We haven't played this well in this tournament since I've been on the team," said Curtis, a third-year varsity member. "It's really good to see that we can pull together like that. I'm excited.
"I definitely want to win more conference matches - at least three or four is my goal - and this tournament kind of showed that's possible."
The Cheesemakers didn't keep full statistics, but Curtis' dig numbers certainly were impressive. It's imperative that she plays well early in the season as Monroe works on strengthening its defensive play at the net.
"We're not too confident in our block yet, so we had to be ready defensively to get the ball up," said Ward, who has changed the team's defense to combat the blocking issues.
The change greatly increased Curtis' responsibilities.
"She's got her hands full with her court coverage, for sure," Ward said. "She's got tips, she's got hits, she's everywhere. She had a great year last year, but I think she's even more confident and feeling better in her play this year. She's just all over the place."
Once the Cheesemakers get the block shored up, they could become a formidable squad behind more plentiful offensive options available this season. Senior outside hitter Becca Armstrong leads an improving group up front that includes juniors Taylor Barrett, Whitney Disch and Savannah Koester.
All four had their moments Saturday. The 5-9 Koester, who recently moved to Monroe from Michigan, is a nice addition to the lineup, Curtis said.
"She's been doing really well and she's good at picking everybody up, too. She just has a go-getter attitude," Curtis said.
Said Ward: "We need to work on getting (Koester) the ball a little bit more because when she's on, she can definitely put the ball down."
New Glarus went 0-4 at the tournament. Monroe defeated New Glarus 25-14, 25-13. Reedsburg knocked off the Knights 25-21, 25-14. Wisconsin Heights beat New Glarus 25-18, 25-12 and the Knights lost to Richland Center 25-16, 25-15.
"It's a tough tournament for us to start the year," New Glarus coach Casey Boatman said. "Some of the other bigger schools like Monroe and Reedsburg were a lot bigger than we were."
Boatman said the big thing for the Knights was just to get experience.
"I think going up against bigger teams and competing with them will help our confidence and show us what we need to work on offensively. We just need to work on consistency and attacking."
Monroe jumps into Badger South play on Thursday, when it travels to Fort Atkinson. Curtis said practices are sure to be lively this week after the solid effort on Saturday.
"We're just getting started," Curtis said. "We're so ready to go out there and show them how different this (team) is from the past years."
At least that's what Ward thought prior to Saturday's Cheesemakers Invitational.
Then Ward watched Curtis open her senior season with 6 1/2 hours of stellar play that suggested no task is too big for the 5-foot-2 senior libero.
"Ashley had a ridiculous day. She was ridiculous," Ward said minutes after the co-captain was named Monroe's lone representative on the six-player all-tournament team.
"She was passing well and she was all over the place. I'm really glad the other coaches took notice of that because she definitely, definitely deserved that today."
It was impossible not to notice Curtis' spirited defensive play in the five-team round-robin event dominated by Richland Center, which posted an 8-0 record.
Monroe went 3-5 against a field that also included New Glarus, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Heights, and both Ward and Curtis saw some encouraging signs as the Cheesemakers look to improve on a difficult 2011 season that included a 0-12 mark in Badger South Conference play.
"We haven't played this well in this tournament since I've been on the team," said Curtis, a third-year varsity member. "It's really good to see that we can pull together like that. I'm excited.
"I definitely want to win more conference matches - at least three or four is my goal - and this tournament kind of showed that's possible."
The Cheesemakers didn't keep full statistics, but Curtis' dig numbers certainly were impressive. It's imperative that she plays well early in the season as Monroe works on strengthening its defensive play at the net.
"We're not too confident in our block yet, so we had to be ready defensively to get the ball up," said Ward, who has changed the team's defense to combat the blocking issues.
The change greatly increased Curtis' responsibilities.
"She's got her hands full with her court coverage, for sure," Ward said. "She's got tips, she's got hits, she's everywhere. She had a great year last year, but I think she's even more confident and feeling better in her play this year. She's just all over the place."
Once the Cheesemakers get the block shored up, they could become a formidable squad behind more plentiful offensive options available this season. Senior outside hitter Becca Armstrong leads an improving group up front that includes juniors Taylor Barrett, Whitney Disch and Savannah Koester.
All four had their moments Saturday. The 5-9 Koester, who recently moved to Monroe from Michigan, is a nice addition to the lineup, Curtis said.
"She's been doing really well and she's good at picking everybody up, too. She just has a go-getter attitude," Curtis said.
Said Ward: "We need to work on getting (Koester) the ball a little bit more because when she's on, she can definitely put the ball down."
New Glarus went 0-4 at the tournament. Monroe defeated New Glarus 25-14, 25-13. Reedsburg knocked off the Knights 25-21, 25-14. Wisconsin Heights beat New Glarus 25-18, 25-12 and the Knights lost to Richland Center 25-16, 25-15.
"It's a tough tournament for us to start the year," New Glarus coach Casey Boatman said. "Some of the other bigger schools like Monroe and Reedsburg were a lot bigger than we were."
Boatman said the big thing for the Knights was just to get experience.
"I think going up against bigger teams and competing with them will help our confidence and show us what we need to work on offensively. We just need to work on consistency and attacking."
Monroe jumps into Badger South play on Thursday, when it travels to Fort Atkinson. Curtis said practices are sure to be lively this week after the solid effort on Saturday.
"We're just getting started," Curtis said. "We're so ready to go out there and show them how different this (team) is from the past years."
