MONTICELLO — The Ponies are headed to sectionals for the first time since 2013. Monticello defeated Fall River Oct. 21 in the regional semifinal, then took care of business against Hustisford at home two days later.

Ranked No. 6 in the state with just one loss on the season, the Monticello volleyball program has grown immensely over the past four years, and the hard work and focus by everyone in the program has come to fruition.

“I see how hard these girls work — and you hope you get out of it what you put in,” Monticello coach Rebecca Gustafson said. “A piece of that is mental toughness, and we have some girls that have come a long way. When you are more prepared, it’s easier to be confident and mentally tough — you’re not just hoping you’ll get a side-out, you’re saying ‘serve me the ball because I’ve got this.’ We’ve got kids that want the ball. When I came here four years ago, we went had one or two wins. We had to learn how to win, and it’s not like that anymore.”

In the 25-10, 25-19, 25-14 win over Fall River, the Ponies used a 12-3 run in the first set to let the Pirates know they meant business. After Fall River scored on back-to-back points to make it 16-8, Monticello closed on another long run — 9-2 — to leave the visiting team stunned with the consistent veracity of the offense, and steadiness of the passing game. 

“They are smart girls and know what to do. They are really good at helping each other out and telling each other what’s open,” Gustafson said.

The second set continued that trend, with Monticello getting out head 15-5 and then 17-7. However, the Ponies stalled for a big, and Fall River countered with an 8-3 run to get back to within five points at 20-15, though Monticello was able to close it out.

“A big part of it is just trusting your teammates — it makes everything so much easier,” said senior Hannah Clark. “Before the season started we did a lot of camps, a lot of tournaments with high-intensity competition really helped us a lot.”

In the third set, Fall River led for 14 of the first 23 serves, but the steady Ponies ran off an 8-0 run to go from down 11-12 to up 19-12, all but sealing the contest.

“We had a few miscommunication errors and our passing wasn’t on point, but we pulled it in at the end,” said junior hitter Ellie Gustafson.

Ellie Gustafson had 13 kills and three aces to lead Monticello, while Hannah Clark finished with three blocks and four kills. Fellow senior Katelyn Eyler had four blocks and four kills. Jaden Zuber tallied four digs and two aces. Macey Grant had four kills, and sister Kelsey Grant dished out 23 assists. 

In Monticello’s 25-15, 25-22, 25-19 win over Hustisford, which received an honorable mention nod in the final Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association rankings, Ellie Gustafson slammed home 23 kills to go with eight digs. Zuber had seven digs and three aces. Clark added 10 digs, five kills and seven blocks. 

“I love any amazing play, really,” Clark said of what her favorite thing is about volleyball. “I love chasing down a good ball and getting a good hand on it so my teammates can get it back over the net — that’s one of those adrenaline-pumping things you can do. Or blocks — blocks are pretty great, too.”

Elsewhere in Division 4, Pecatonica took top-seeded Highland to five sets, losing 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 19-25, 13-15. Highland then swept Barneveld 25-12, 25-19, 25-17 and will face Potosi in a sectional semifinal. 

In 2013, Monticello saw it season end in the sectional semifinal to Burlington Catholic Central. The next year it again was BCC that defeated the Ponies, this time on Monticello’s home court in the regional final. Both seasons Hilbert would send BCC packing. 

From 2016-18, Monticello was one-and-done in the postseason. In 2019 and 2020, it was conference rival Black Hawk that ended the Ponies’ season. 

This year Monticello swept the Six Rivers East Conference, are fourth-ranked in the state, and have just one loss in 23 contests. 

“It’s amazing to see a program go from where it was to where it is now, especially knowing coach. She puts in all the work and dedication for this team, and we all know she does for us, and we love her even more for it,” Clark said.

The Ponies will host the sectional semifinal showdown with Central Wisconsin Christian. The winner gets either Sevastopol or Hilbert, with the sectional championship scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at Hilbert. Two more wins and Monticello would be playing in its first-ever state tournament.

“We definitely have to bring the energy,” Ellie Gustafson said of postseason play.