FORT ATKINSON — The Cheesemakers appear to be right on the edge of turning the corner on the volleyball court. Monroe lost to Fort Atkinson in five sets Sept. 12. It was the third five-set match of the season for Monroe, and second in a row. The Cheesemakers fall to 1-2 in 5-set matches and 0-3 overall in the Badger South.
“What an incredible night of play on both sides of the net,” Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. “If there is one thing I know for sure, Cheesemaker fans are certainly getting their money’s worth when they come to watch the Monroe volleyball team play.”
The Cheesemakers lost the first set 18-25 but rallied to take back-to-back sets in Games 2 and 3 by a score of 26-24.
“In both sets 2 and 3 we came from behind and held Fort Atkinson at 24 points while Bri Seagreaves took to the serving line and delivered some key serves. It was like deja vu in both sets,” Witt said.
Fort Atkinson took the fourth set 25-12 and then finished off Monroe 15-10 in the tie-breaking fifth set.
“We are so proud of the hard work and perseverance this team is putting forth and we are just so close to getting our first conference win of the season,” Witt said. “It is so hard to lose matches like this. The girls just have to remember to continue to fight and never, ever give up.”
Cassie Gersbach and Katie Hayes each had 10 kills for Monroe, while Alyse Maurer showed off her hustle by recording 30 digs. Lily Frehner had 12 digs and 28 assists for the Cheesemakers.
“We are definitely playing at a more competitive level and teams are taking notice. Serving, defense and scrappy play were definitely the highlights of our play,” Witt said.
Chloe Bunker finished with four blocks for Monroe, while Gersbach had three. Bri Seagreaves finished with five aces.
Black Hawk wins Lancaster Tournament
LANCASTER — The Warriors went unbeaten at the Lancaster Tournament Sept. 14, knocking off Fennimore, Viroqua, Potosi, Lancaster and Kickapoo.
Bailey Butler finished with 50 kills on the day, while sister Hannah Butler had 47 kills for Black Hawk. Maddy Huschitt had 51 assists in the tournament.
Black Hawk opened the day with a 25-7, 25-20 win over Fennimore and then beat Viroqua 25-12, 25-17. The Warriors had a tight match with Potosi, but came out ahead 27-25, 25-20. The toughest set of the day came against Lancaster, with Black Hawk taking the first set 30-28. The Warriors bounced back with a 25-9 dominating victory in the second set. Against Kickapoo, Black Hawk won 25-15, 25-9.
Monticello 3, Pecatonica 0
BLANCHARDVILLE — The Ponies prevailed in a back-and-forth Six Rivers East battle 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 Sept. 12.
Ellie Gustafson had four aces and four kills to lead Monticello. Teammate Maggie Bak finished with four blocks and Alexa Siegenthaler led the Ponies with 16 assists.
Sydney Eaton led Pecatonica with seven assists and seven kills. Tessa Green had six assists, while Lexi Peterson had five blocks, Lily Busser six kills and eight digs and Niveah Gross five digs.
“Serving killed us again tonight,” Pecatonica coach Lizzy McGowan said. “We need to have confidence when we step up to the serving line and the girls need to believe in themselves. Outside of all of our missed serves, the girls played really well working together, talking, and making smart plays on the ball.”
Argyle 3, Juda 1
ARGYLE — Maggie Godfrey’s hustle went a long way for the Orioles in a 25-15, 25-27, 25-19, 25-18 win over Juda Sept. 12. Godfrey finished with 16 digs, seven kills and five blocks.
Argyle also got 15 digs and five aces from Tori Lantz, while Megan Johnson dished out 23 assists, Grace Ganshert smacked down eight kills and Claudia Miller notched three aces.
Jocelyn Rufer had four kills and three blocks for Juda, while Montana Steinmann had four kills, two aces, 18 assists and 29 digs. Maddie Smith also had 22 digs for Juda, and Taylor Golackson finished with four kills.
