WALWORTH - The Monroe volleyball team's season came to an end Thursday night, on a three-game loss to Big Foot in the second round of the Division 2 playoffs.
The 9th-seeded Cheesemakers fell to the top-seeded Chiefs 25-21, 25-15, 25-11.
Riding the high from beating Delavan-Darien in four games Tuesday, Monroe coach Danya Ward said her team came out strong in the first game Thursday, passing and communicating.
"Our first game went well," Ward said. "They struggled on serve receive, but we made up for it on defense."
The momentum briefly carried over to the second game for the Cheesemakers, but Ward said the Chiefs, who went undefeated in the Rock Valley South en route to winning the conference title, hit their stride and could not be matched.
"We started strongly, but I think Big Foot found their groove in the second game," Ward said. "Kinda hard (for us) to come back, but they did what they could. They were moving the ball around and knew where our weak spots were. (Big Foot) played a smart game, but we couldn't keep up."
The loss finishes Monroe's season record at 11-22. It was a season which saw the Cheesemakers start strong at their early season invitational, struggle in a tough conference but then surge at the end. The Cheesemakers snapped a 27-match conference losing streak before winning their first round game against Delavan-Darien.
However, a season at an end is a disappointment nonetheless.
"I think that they were obviously disappointed," Ward said "but they gave it their all.
"We came around at the end of this season. We came out with a vengeance in the first game (tonight), and once (Big Foot) fell into their groove it was hard to keep up. It was a decent end. We knew that Big Foot was going to be tough."
The Cheesemakers will lose a number of seniors to graduation, including Becca Armstrong, Heather Barta and Ashley Curtis.
Armstrong tied junior Savannah Koester for the team lead in kills Thursday night with five. She also led the team in aces with two.
Barta, the team's main setter, led the team in assists with nine, and Curtis led the team in digs with nine.
Despite the senior losses, Monroe will have their end-of-the-season successes to build on, as well as a number of young players.
"I think that next year we have a couple of good sophomores coming up," Ward said. "We're definitely looking forward to it. They're a good group of girls, and I'm looking forward to the juniors ... coming back as seniors."
The 9th-seeded Cheesemakers fell to the top-seeded Chiefs 25-21, 25-15, 25-11.
Riding the high from beating Delavan-Darien in four games Tuesday, Monroe coach Danya Ward said her team came out strong in the first game Thursday, passing and communicating.
"Our first game went well," Ward said. "They struggled on serve receive, but we made up for it on defense."
The momentum briefly carried over to the second game for the Cheesemakers, but Ward said the Chiefs, who went undefeated in the Rock Valley South en route to winning the conference title, hit their stride and could not be matched.
"We started strongly, but I think Big Foot found their groove in the second game," Ward said. "Kinda hard (for us) to come back, but they did what they could. They were moving the ball around and knew where our weak spots were. (Big Foot) played a smart game, but we couldn't keep up."
The loss finishes Monroe's season record at 11-22. It was a season which saw the Cheesemakers start strong at their early season invitational, struggle in a tough conference but then surge at the end. The Cheesemakers snapped a 27-match conference losing streak before winning their first round game against Delavan-Darien.
However, a season at an end is a disappointment nonetheless.
"I think that they were obviously disappointed," Ward said "but they gave it their all.
"We came around at the end of this season. We came out with a vengeance in the first game (tonight), and once (Big Foot) fell into their groove it was hard to keep up. It was a decent end. We knew that Big Foot was going to be tough."
The Cheesemakers will lose a number of seniors to graduation, including Becca Armstrong, Heather Barta and Ashley Curtis.
Armstrong tied junior Savannah Koester for the team lead in kills Thursday night with five. She also led the team in aces with two.
Barta, the team's main setter, led the team in assists with nine, and Curtis led the team in digs with nine.
Despite the senior losses, Monroe will have their end-of-the-season successes to build on, as well as a number of young players.
"I think that next year we have a couple of good sophomores coming up," Ward said. "We're definitely looking forward to it. They're a good group of girls, and I'm looking forward to the juniors ... coming back as seniors."
