CLINTON - A short-handed Monroe volleyball team battled, but lost in four sets to Clinton 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21 in a WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Monroe (9-19) played without senior middle hitter Taylor Barrett, who has a torn meniscus. The Cheesemakers won a tight first set, but then dropped three close sets.
"There were a lot of them not ready to be done and they wanted the win," Monroe coach Danya Ward said. "They have to keep their heads up. They played good all the way around tonight. They were hustling to every ball and passing. They ended their season on a positive note."
Without Barrett blocking in the middle, it was a big loss for the Cheesemakers.
"I think having her (Barrett) would have taken up more room on the block and she is one of our kill leaders," Ward said. "It's hard to tell if the outcome would have changed. We could have used her."
Monroe senior Whitney Disch and junior Kari Jordan each had eight kills. Sophomore Paige Murphy racked up 16 assists and senior Savannah Koester added 10 assists. Koester also notched two blocks and two aces. Senior Katie Holmes had 14 digs, while Jordan added two aces and senior Kirsten Vetterli had two blocks.
Monroe will be searching for a new volleyball coach next year. Ward is expecting a baby in February and said she won't coach next year. There are still high expectations for the program.
"I won't be there, but someone else will have to do it," she said of coaching. "It's very easy to say we are in a tough conference. We don't want to use that as an excuse. We want to come back and try our best. We want to be a contender in the conference."
Monroe (9-19) played without senior middle hitter Taylor Barrett, who has a torn meniscus. The Cheesemakers won a tight first set, but then dropped three close sets.
"There were a lot of them not ready to be done and they wanted the win," Monroe coach Danya Ward said. "They have to keep their heads up. They played good all the way around tonight. They were hustling to every ball and passing. They ended their season on a positive note."
Without Barrett blocking in the middle, it was a big loss for the Cheesemakers.
"I think having her (Barrett) would have taken up more room on the block and she is one of our kill leaders," Ward said. "It's hard to tell if the outcome would have changed. We could have used her."
Monroe senior Whitney Disch and junior Kari Jordan each had eight kills. Sophomore Paige Murphy racked up 16 assists and senior Savannah Koester added 10 assists. Koester also notched two blocks and two aces. Senior Katie Holmes had 14 digs, while Jordan added two aces and senior Kirsten Vetterli had two blocks.
Monroe will be searching for a new volleyball coach next year. Ward is expecting a baby in February and said she won't coach next year. There are still high expectations for the program.
"I won't be there, but someone else will have to do it," she said of coaching. "It's very easy to say we are in a tough conference. We don't want to use that as an excuse. We want to come back and try our best. We want to be a contender in the conference."
