MONROE — With a five-set victory over the Eagles on Thursday, Oct. 5, Monroe overcame a 3-1 loss to Jefferson on Sept. 19. With the win, Monroe earned its second conference victory for the first time since 2009.
“This is a complete shift of mindset,” Monroe head coach Cassie Wittman said. “We’ve been working so hard to get to this point. These girls have never really won in their high school and middle school careers. This program hasn’t had two conference wins in a long time. To be the start of a different type of team for this program is huge.”
Monroe and Jefferson tied the first set up six times before the Cheesemakers went on a five-point run. Courtney Hartwig sparked the run with a kill, while a net violation on the Eagles tied the set at 9. Back-to-back service aces from Addison Bartholf gave Monroe an 11-9 lead.
“It’s really important because it keeps the energy up and we have the motivation on our side,” Bartholf said of a strong serve.
Jefferson came back to tie the set at 16, though, with a series of Cheesemaker errors and tip kill from Ashlyn Enke. The two teams exchanged four points before Wittman called Monroe’s first timeout, leading 21-19.
The regroup benefited the Cheesemakers, as Laurel Sheaffer smashed a kill. The Eagles followed with an error. Although a kill from Ella Fetherston and service ace — landing in front of the back row — from Jaden Sikora put Jefferson within two, Monroe won the next two points at the service line to take the first set 25-21. Sikora’s second serve went into the net and Hartwig’s served landed on the back line, untouched.
Despite a lead, Monroe came out flat in the second set, trailing 6-1 early. Wittman’s timeout briefly helped, but Jefferson pulled away, 12-4, with a four-point run. In that span, Monroe committed three errors — one on a freeball — and Enke tallied another ace.
With two kills from Fetherston and an ace from Sikora, Wittman called her second timeout, trailing 16-8. The pause iced Sikora, whose next serve went deep. Hartwig followed with a kill, and two Eagle errors later, Monroe was back in the set 16-12.
Down the stretch, Jefferson outscored Monroe 9-4 to take the second set 25-16.
In the pivotal third set, the Eagles and Cheesemakers were tied up seven different times with five different lead changes before a five-point run gave Monroe a decisive 18-13 lead.
A service error by Sikora gave the Cheesemakers the 14-13 edge, and Bartholf added on with an ace. Following a Jefferson timeout, the Eagles were unable to return another Bartholf serve, and Hartwig delivered another kill.
Monroe extended its lead to 23-18 with a kill from Mya Wild and block from Sophie Golembiewski, prompting Jefferson’s second timeout. The pause did little to slow the Cheesemakers as Sheaffer put the set away, 25-20, with a kill.
With the momentum in their favor, the Cheesemakers jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth set. Chloe Fry’s attack ricocheted off an Eagle block and out of bounds, and Sheaffer served up an ace.
Jefferson worked its way back into the set with a Fetherston kill and Cheesemaker error. Sensing a shift in momentum, Wittman called her first timeout. The tactic proved unsuccessful, as the Eagles closed out the set on a 9-1 run. On set point, Monroe was called for a lift, giving Jefferson the 25-20 win.
With their game on the line, the Cheesemakers took an early 5-0 lead with Bartholf at the service line. Monroe maintained a five-point lead through most of the fifth set. Jefferson got within two at 13-11, but Wittman’s timeout shifted the tides back to her team’s side.
After the timeout, the Eagles committed an error. Then on set point — just as she did to end the first — Hartwig served up an ace that snagged the back line, giving Monroe the 15-11 set and 3-2 game win.
“We’ve been working really hard on the little things,” Wittman said. “Tonight, they came out and competed for 25 points for four sets and 15 points for one set. That’s what we’ve asked of them.”
Hartwig paced the Cheesemakers with 12 kills on 40 attacks. Fry chipped in five kills and Golembiewski four. Although she tallied just three kills, Wild stepped into a larger role, taking 29 swings.
“Mya has been stepping up,” Wittman said. “I haven’t seen her swing that hard this week. That was impressive to see a sophomore step up like that like, ‘Hey this is the role I’ve been given and it’s what I’m going to do.’”
The Cheesemakers tallied 11 aces, led by Bartholf with five. Hartwig tallied three aces, followed by Sheaffer with two. Wild had the remaining ace.
The victory marked Monroe’s second conference victory. The last time the Cheesemakers accomplished this feat was in 2009, when the team was 6-6 in the Badger Large and 12-8 overall. Bartholf is confident that this win will propel her team to a strong regular-season finish against Clinton and into the playoffs, which begin Oct. 17.
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence because we really struggled at the beginning of the season,” Bartholf said. “We’ve grown to trust each other more and have confidence in ourselves that we can play as a team.”
