MONROE — The Cheesemakers are coming off one of their toughest campaigns in program history, and in order to improve, the varsity team will need to improve their chemistry on the court and be in constant focus.
Monroe won just one match all year in 2021, going 1-29 overall and 0-10 in the Badger Conference. All-conference hitter Elly Wild graduated, as did four other key pieces to the lineup.
“We lost a large group of seniors who all had significant roles in our starting rotations,” said Cassie Wittmann, now in her second year at the helm in Monroe. “One goal for the team this season is to improve each player’s accuracy and precision with their fundamental volleyball skills. By committing to improving the skills of the game, we can then introduce more strategy and game play, which in turn, leads to a higher level of volleyball.”
Returning are six seniors and a junior, with eight newcomers set to battle for playing time. Corrina Snider, Katie Witt, Sophia Douglas and Madyson Davis all saw significant court time in 2021, and Ariel Gruenberg, Brenna Aebly and Maggie Hawkinson also were letterwinners. Addison Bartholf, Olivia Feller, Sophie Golbembiewski, Brinley Roidt, Parker Lenzendorf, Danica Altmann, and Alyssa and Courtney Hartwig join the fray.
“This group of players is excited for the upcoming season. They are a young group and I am excited to see them work together, get to know each other as players on the court, and develop relationships with their teammates and other players in the program to better this program overall,” Wittman said. “I think one strength this season will be their willingness to learn and put in the work to get better each day. Throughout the summer and during camp, this group has shown great willingness to learn and it excites me to see the potential of what this team can accomplish during the season.”
Wittman has been pleased with the leadership her returning letterwinners have shown this past offseason — not only to the varsity newcomers, but those that will be playing on the JV and JV2 teams.
“They have been willing to step in and teach skills and drills to the younger players, as well as build up their confidence with encouragement and camaraderie,” Wittman said. She added that her players have shown the will to never give up, which will go a long way in both morale and finding success on the court. “This team is determined to be the change for this volleyball program and prove that they can compete with other teams.”
In order to improve the program long-term, Wittman said the team will try to increase its outreach to the youth of the community. “We want to get more involved with the youth in Monroe and those youth interested in playing and learning the sport of volleyball. Our hope is to have more fans and youth in attendance at our home matches,” she said. Youth Nights are already designated for Sept. 8 and Sept. 29.
This is Monroe’s final year in the Badger Conference before the school moves to the Rock Valley. As the smallest public school in the Badger, finding success was already tough. The Cheesemakers haven’t finished .500 or above since going 6-6 in 2009.
Wittman said Madison Edgewood, Sauk Prairie and Reedsburg are the favorites in the Badger West, as each made a strong run in the postseason last year and have been competitive for a while.
“The biggest challenge that this team will face this season is the difficulty of our conference. Our conference is tough all around so it will be great to see how this team can compete each match,” Wittmann said. “The other biggest challenge that this team will face this season is that they have minimal varsity experience. We are a very young team overall and with playing in a tough conference, it will be a challenge to come together in a short period of time as the volleyball season is not overall that long.”
