MONROE - Junior Alicia Kuester and the rest of the Monroe High School volleyball team looked to build momentum going into the WIAA Division 2 tournament.
The Cheesemakers did just that Thursday, hanging tough against Portage before dropping a nail-biter in four sets in the regular-season finale.
Portage defeated Monroe 25-15, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20.
Kuester had a team-high 11 kills and six blocks.
"This match showed how we can play as a team and get some wins against a good team," Kuester said. "Hopefully, we will keep this momentum going and get a win on Tuesday."
In a regional quarterfinal Tuesday, Monroe, the fifth seed, travels to Walworth to face fourth-seeded Big Foot.
After losing the first set Thursday, Monroe (6-24, 0-6 Badger South) dominated the second.
Monroe senior Paige Murphy set the tone for the second set with five straight service points and three aces to help the Cheesemakers jump out to a 5-0 lead. The Warriors rallied to tie the game at 8, but the Cheesemakers responded. Monroe sophomore Sydney Mathiason had a block and senior Hannah Vetterli had an ace to give the Cheesemakers a 10-8 lead. The Warriors were later called for an illegal hit, and Kuester delivered two kills to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 14-10. Monroe junior Lexus Trickel and junior Whitney Wells each had kills to close out the set.
Vetterli finished with nine kills, and Trickel, Wells and Mathiason each had eight kills. Junior setter Hannah Neuenschwander had a team-best 24 assists.
"We are super proud of the girls," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "They dug themselves out of holes quickly and fought for every single point. If this is going to be how they play going into regionals we will have a chance to beat Big Foot. The energy in the gym was just incredible, and they fed off of that. We usually don't have that. We definitely have to thank the fans for coming out to support us."
Kuester said it was probably the best hitting match the Cheesemakers have played this season.
"We worked as a team passing the ball up so we got a lot of net plays," Kuester said. "We definitely figured out how to get it around the blockers and get the ball where they weren't."
The Cheesemakers got off to a hot start in the third game. Kuester powered down a kill and Vetterli scored on a tip. Mathiason delivered a kill and junior Lexi Hilliard had an ace to extend the Cheesemakers' early lead to 11-7. Portage stormed back to tie it at 12. Portage's Caitlyn Hibner, who had a match-high 16 kills, came through with a spike late in the game. Portage's Brittany Lochner had a kill and Melissa Bublitz had a block to extend the Warriors' lead to 19-13, and they never relinquished the lead.
With a boisterous crowd, the final game was a seesaw affair. Kuester came through with an ace and Trickel's kill gave the Cheesemakers an
8-6 lead. The Warriors battled back to tie the final set at 12 after Lori Sanders' block. Hilliard answered with four straight service points to give the Cheesemakers a short-lived 13-12 lead. Trickel later in the set had two kills to spark the Cheesemakers and tie the game at 15. The Warriors found some success late in the set hitting driving shots deep to the back row.
Hilliard racked up 13 digs, and Murphy had five aces and 11 assists. Wells had three blocks, and Mathiason added two blocks.
"We went into each set after that second set thinking we could win," Witt said. "We were playing well together, communicating and passing the ball. We were controlling everything we could control. They have to have that belief in themselves. Tonight was another stepping stone that they can beat a decent team."
The Cheesemakers did just that Thursday, hanging tough against Portage before dropping a nail-biter in four sets in the regular-season finale.
Portage defeated Monroe 25-15, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20.
Kuester had a team-high 11 kills and six blocks.
"This match showed how we can play as a team and get some wins against a good team," Kuester said. "Hopefully, we will keep this momentum going and get a win on Tuesday."
In a regional quarterfinal Tuesday, Monroe, the fifth seed, travels to Walworth to face fourth-seeded Big Foot.
After losing the first set Thursday, Monroe (6-24, 0-6 Badger South) dominated the second.
Monroe senior Paige Murphy set the tone for the second set with five straight service points and three aces to help the Cheesemakers jump out to a 5-0 lead. The Warriors rallied to tie the game at 8, but the Cheesemakers responded. Monroe sophomore Sydney Mathiason had a block and senior Hannah Vetterli had an ace to give the Cheesemakers a 10-8 lead. The Warriors were later called for an illegal hit, and Kuester delivered two kills to extend the Cheesemakers' lead to 14-10. Monroe junior Lexus Trickel and junior Whitney Wells each had kills to close out the set.
Vetterli finished with nine kills, and Trickel, Wells and Mathiason each had eight kills. Junior setter Hannah Neuenschwander had a team-best 24 assists.
"We are super proud of the girls," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "They dug themselves out of holes quickly and fought for every single point. If this is going to be how they play going into regionals we will have a chance to beat Big Foot. The energy in the gym was just incredible, and they fed off of that. We usually don't have that. We definitely have to thank the fans for coming out to support us."
Kuester said it was probably the best hitting match the Cheesemakers have played this season.
"We worked as a team passing the ball up so we got a lot of net plays," Kuester said. "We definitely figured out how to get it around the blockers and get the ball where they weren't."
The Cheesemakers got off to a hot start in the third game. Kuester powered down a kill and Vetterli scored on a tip. Mathiason delivered a kill and junior Lexi Hilliard had an ace to extend the Cheesemakers' early lead to 11-7. Portage stormed back to tie it at 12. Portage's Caitlyn Hibner, who had a match-high 16 kills, came through with a spike late in the game. Portage's Brittany Lochner had a kill and Melissa Bublitz had a block to extend the Warriors' lead to 19-13, and they never relinquished the lead.
With a boisterous crowd, the final game was a seesaw affair. Kuester came through with an ace and Trickel's kill gave the Cheesemakers an
8-6 lead. The Warriors battled back to tie the final set at 12 after Lori Sanders' block. Hilliard answered with four straight service points to give the Cheesemakers a short-lived 13-12 lead. Trickel later in the set had two kills to spark the Cheesemakers and tie the game at 15. The Warriors found some success late in the set hitting driving shots deep to the back row.
Hilliard racked up 13 digs, and Murphy had five aces and 11 assists. Wells had three blocks, and Mathiason added two blocks.
"We went into each set after that second set thinking we could win," Witt said. "We were playing well together, communicating and passing the ball. We were controlling everything we could control. They have to have that belief in themselves. Tonight was another stepping stone that they can beat a decent team."
