STOUGHTON - The Cheesemakers kept things close in its match against Stoughton Thursday, Sept. 5 but couldn't secure its fourth victory of the season after a spirited rally in the fourth set fell short. Monroe lost the match 3 sets to 1, falling to 3-5 on the season and 0-2 in the Badger South conference.

Monroe coach Danya Ward said that despite the loss, she was very encouraged by what she saw on the court.

"(The sets) were all very, very close," Ward said. "And I think that we should come away with some confidence. Despite the fact that we lost, we played as a team. We had our ups and downs, and I think Stoughton capitalized on mistakes we made, and we didn't."

Monroe lost the first set, won the second and fell in the third and fourth sets. Ward singled out a Cheesemakers rally from a large deficit in the final set as a good sign for the remainder of the season.

"As a team we worked together, but we rallied as a team," she said. "In the last game, we were down by a lot and kept ourselves in it.

"So I think that (competitive spirit) is coming back to us. ... This definitely didn't bring us down as a team. I think it just proves that we're a contender in the conference this year."

Going forward, Ward said she's looking for the team's passing to improve, especially the team's serve/receive passing.