MONROE - When Monroe senior Heather Barta made a diving save and scored a critical point in the fourth game, it look liked her intensity would catapult the Cheesemakers to a decisive Game 5 against Fort Atkinson Tuesday night.
Instead, the Blackhawks fought off a Monroe comeback and handed the Cheesemakers a 25-20, 19-25, 25-9, 26-24 loss. With the loss, Monroe (6-16, 0-6 Badger South) has now lost 24 straight conference matches.
"We just need to bring the intensity throughout," said Barta, who had 24 assists and four aces. "For some reason we get in our heads and we can't get out. We put ourselves in a big hole. We have to dig deep and not do that."
Barta's save in the final game is the intensity the Cheesemakers are striving for each time out.
"I didn't want the ball to hit the floor," Barta said. "Someone needs to lift up the team and be excited. We have to do everything going for the block. I didn't know how it went in."
The Blackhawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game before Monroe junior Taylor Barrett came through with a kill. The Cheesemakers trailed 10-5 before mounting a comeback. Barrett tipped a ball over the net and senior Becca Armstrong had a kill to give the Cheesemakers a 14-13 lead, but the Blackhawks were able to pull it out with solid serving.
"I feel like it took us a while to get started," Monroe coach Danya Ward said. "If we had the momentum going in the middle of the first game, I think we could have taken that game."
Barta got off to a hot start serving in the second game sparking the Cheesemakers to a 4-1 lead. Late in the match, Barta scored seven straight service points and had back-to-back aces to give the a 21-17 lead. Barrett had three kills during the surge.
"In that second game, we were communicating and talking like what we practice," Ward said. "That second game was the epitome of how we practice."
Monroe junior outside hitter Whitney Disch had a team-high nine kills. Juniors Savannah Koester and Barrett as well as Armstrong had eight kills each. Senior Ashley Curtis had nine digs and Barrett had two blocks.
Any momentum the Cheesemakers had was wiped away by the Blackhawks fast start in the third game. Fort Atkinson junior Kylie Coleman had eight straight service points including three aces to help the Blackhawks build an insurmountable 13-1 lead.
"In that third game, it was like everything we talked about went in one ear and out the other," Ward said. "We are not mentally tough right now. When a girl goes on a six-point run, we don't have it in us to pull out of it."
The fourth game was tight and both teams made some clutch plays. Armstrong delivered a kill late to give the Cheesemakers a 15-12 lead. The Blackhawks forced a sideout, and Koester came through with a kill. Fort Atkinson junior Hannah Weismann, who had three aces, came through with an ace late to spark the Blackhawks to a 24-20 lead.
"Defensively, I thought we were pretty good," Ward said. "They were hitting the ball deep to the back corners. They took advantage of that at times. It was the service receive that was the difference."
Instead, the Blackhawks fought off a Monroe comeback and handed the Cheesemakers a 25-20, 19-25, 25-9, 26-24 loss. With the loss, Monroe (6-16, 0-6 Badger South) has now lost 24 straight conference matches.
"We just need to bring the intensity throughout," said Barta, who had 24 assists and four aces. "For some reason we get in our heads and we can't get out. We put ourselves in a big hole. We have to dig deep and not do that."
Barta's save in the final game is the intensity the Cheesemakers are striving for each time out.
"I didn't want the ball to hit the floor," Barta said. "Someone needs to lift up the team and be excited. We have to do everything going for the block. I didn't know how it went in."
The Blackhawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game before Monroe junior Taylor Barrett came through with a kill. The Cheesemakers trailed 10-5 before mounting a comeback. Barrett tipped a ball over the net and senior Becca Armstrong had a kill to give the Cheesemakers a 14-13 lead, but the Blackhawks were able to pull it out with solid serving.
"I feel like it took us a while to get started," Monroe coach Danya Ward said. "If we had the momentum going in the middle of the first game, I think we could have taken that game."
Barta got off to a hot start serving in the second game sparking the Cheesemakers to a 4-1 lead. Late in the match, Barta scored seven straight service points and had back-to-back aces to give the a 21-17 lead. Barrett had three kills during the surge.
"In that second game, we were communicating and talking like what we practice," Ward said. "That second game was the epitome of how we practice."
Monroe junior outside hitter Whitney Disch had a team-high nine kills. Juniors Savannah Koester and Barrett as well as Armstrong had eight kills each. Senior Ashley Curtis had nine digs and Barrett had two blocks.
Any momentum the Cheesemakers had was wiped away by the Blackhawks fast start in the third game. Fort Atkinson junior Kylie Coleman had eight straight service points including three aces to help the Blackhawks build an insurmountable 13-1 lead.
"In that third game, it was like everything we talked about went in one ear and out the other," Ward said. "We are not mentally tough right now. When a girl goes on a six-point run, we don't have it in us to pull out of it."
The fourth game was tight and both teams made some clutch plays. Armstrong delivered a kill late to give the Cheesemakers a 15-12 lead. The Blackhawks forced a sideout, and Koester came through with a kill. Fort Atkinson junior Hannah Weismann, who had three aces, came through with an ace late to spark the Blackhawks to a 24-20 lead.
"Defensively, I thought we were pretty good," Ward said. "They were hitting the ball deep to the back corners. They took advantage of that at times. It was the service receive that was the difference."
