MOUNT HOREB — The volleyball season came to an end in the regional semifinal for the Cheesemakers April 10 at Mount Horeb High School, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort.

Monroe lost to Oregon in five sets, 25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 12-15.

“They just played with heart today,” said Heidi Witt, Cheesemakers coach. “They just played really, really well. It was fun to watch, and I hope everybody enjoyed the match. I just wish it would have paid off for them and let us play one more.”

The loss in the tiebreaker set marked the second time this spring Monroe lost to the Panthers in five sets. In fact, this season was bookended with 5-set losses to Oregon, with the other loss coming in the season opener in early March.

“This one I felt we played a lot better than the first one,” Witt said.

Monroe led the first set 7-6, but a 7-0 run put the Panthers up 13-7. The Cheesemakers swung the momentum pendulum with an 8-2 run to tie it at 15, but the Panthers scored the next four points, and Witt called a well-timed timeout to her get squad back on track. The Cheesemakers responded by closing the set on a 10-4 run to go up 1-0 in games.

That momentum seemed to carry over into the second set as Monroe quickly jumped out to a 6-3 advantage, and later held steady to 17-14. That’s when Oregon made its move, ringing off a 9-2 run to go up 23-19, and evened the match at 1-game apiece four serves later.

Oregon used a 14-4 run in the third set to go up early on Monroe, but the Cheesemakers put their heads down and went to work, eventually tying the score at 17. However, the Panthers closed on an 8-2 run to put Monroe in a make-or-break situation headed into Game 4.

“We told them that we were here to play our best and to not see our season end. They didn’t want to see it go and they just put it all out there. I think the biggest thing was their communication — they made the little adjustments we needed to make,” Witt said.

Defense was the name of the game for Monroe in that fourth set, with blocks from Elly Wild, Kyla Ziolkowski, Lydia Butler and Taylor Jacobson setting the tone. Monroe played the set with its head up, while the Panthers appeared flustered. 

“It was a great feeling to come back on a team that had beaten us early on in the season, especially after a pretty rocky third set,” Monroe senior Zoee Pond said. 

A 5-2 start to the tiebreaking fifth set had Monroe in the early lead, and after a series of back-and-forth sideouts, the Cheesemakers led 12-10 in the first-to-15-win-by-two set. Unfortunately for Monroe, Oregon closed the set on a 5-0 run thanks to two kills at the end of long volleys, and three straight possessions with the Cheesemakers unable to return volleys.

Oregon would go on to be swept in the regional championship by host Mount Horeb 25-21, 25-15, 25-16.

“It’s weird,” Pond said of knowing she’ll never wear the Monroe uniform again. “I’ve been playing in that jersey since my freshman year. It’s been a crazy ride, and a lot of development as a player. I came in pretty raw as a freshman.”

Pond finished the match with 18 kills and 6 digs, while fellow senior Katie Hayes had 10 digs, 31 assists, two aces and a block. Butler had 18 sigs and 7 kills; Jacobson finished the night with 16 digs, 2 blocks and 6 kills; and senior Alyse Maurer tallied 19 digs.

“We’re going to miss these seniors, for sure. These seniors worked very hard this season, especially Katie stepping into that setter’s spot. She was constantly coming in early to work on her setting,” Witt said. “We’re going to miss Zoee incredibly, we’ve had her since her freshman year. She was just a great leader on the court as well in practice. I wish her well when she goes off to Waldorf. I hope I can see some of her matches.”

Megan Bloyer had 14 kills to lead Oregon, with Makayla Vondra adding 12 kills and 2 blocks. Lizzie Konop dished out 37 assists and Maddie Malcook had 3 aces.

The season was a gift

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed Monroe’s volleyball season from the fall to the spring, meaning nearly 18 months went by between seasons. 

“We’re just thankful that we even got to play and be on the court,” Witt said. “I think they realized that, too. I’m just glad we were able to make it through (the season). It wasn’t the amount of wins we’d have like to see on the board, but you know, it’s not always about the wins — it’s about the relationships you build with the kids and that kind of stuff. This is a great group of girls.”

For Pond, it was even longer. The Monroe senior injured her knee before the 2019 season could get underway. She continued to work out and played some club ball in the meantime, but used the truncated spring season as a sort of redemption tour, which culminated in her 18-kill performance in the regional round.

“It was really, really awesome” to be back, Pond said. “This break was probably more beneficial to me, in that I got two years to recover from my surgery. I was excited to have a senior season. I think the girls really made it (worthwhile). It was a lot of fun to get back together with everyone. Any court time is awesome.”

Throughout the season, Pond showed her leadership in a variety of ways — be it in communication, or by making whatever play needed to be made, whether it was a timely kill, a pass, dig or big serve. Sometimes, however, the big play was for naught.

“Sometimes it can get frustrating when a point doesn’t go your way — even after a great long rally,” Pond said. “It’s just important to remember all those little things and how grateful we can be to have a season, because not everyone got to have a season, and how meaningful it is to get to play this game, which I think is the most beautiful game in the world.”

Pond will continue her playing career at Waldorf University in Iowa — a benefit of years of training.

“It means everything. I started playing volleyball when I was 9 on the 13s team, because it was the youngest team they had. They just let me practice with them. It just means so much to keep playing and to do something so fantastic and to know that all that hard work wasn’t just for four years,” Pond said. “Not that four years is nothing, but I get four more; I get to do it again.”