MONTICELLO - Some volleyball fans may not have expected Monticello junior Mackenzie Zanow to serve in a pivotal match after she broke her wrist riding a four-wheeler earlier this year.
With a fourth set against Barneveld tied, Monticello coach Scott Smice put Zanow in to serve and she delivered with an ace. Monticello senior Marissa Berg then closed out the set with a kill to help the Ponies clinch the Six Rivers East Conference championship with a four-set win over the Golden Eagles 25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 27-25.
"It feels amazing especially being my senior year," said Berg who had 13 kills and seven blocks. "Barneveld and us have been really close in every sport. It feels amazing to beat them in any sport."
Smice's decision to substitute Zanow in to serve paid off. Smice went with a gut feeling.
"I had a feeling," he said. "She has been one of our best servers in practice. She wanted to go in and get the opportunity. She pulled through like the champ she is. I know the kids are fired up. They wanted to end it tonight. I'm ecstatic."
With the win, Monticello (13-2, 10-0 Six Rivers East) not only won the conference title outright, but they swept the Eagles (7-3) and have even bigger goals in front of them.
Berg said it's important to finish the conference season unbeaten.
"It's everyone's main goal for the season," she said. "We expect nothing less."
Both the Ponies and Eagles had players returning from injuries. Monticello junior Alyssah Kubly, who finished with eight kills and seven aces, returned from a sprained ankle injury that cost her three matches. Barneveld had top hitter Rachel Slaney back from an injury.
Berg and Kubly helped set the tone early on for the Ponies with kills to give the Ponies a 13-11 lead. Berg had six straight service points and senior Clare Gietzel had a kill to give the Ponies an insurmountable 21-13 lead.
The Eagles jumped out to a 17-9 lead in the second set before the Ponies rallied. Berg had a block and kill and Kubly came through with a kill to slice the Eagles' lead to 19-16. Berg and Kubly both scored on kills late in the set to cut the Eagles' lead to 201-8, but that is as close as they would get. Slaney answered with a kill to give the Eagles a 24-20 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The third set started out a lot like the second. However, the Ponies rallied from a 10-3 deficit and came back to win. Kubly scored on a tip and she had two aces to cut the Eagles' lead to 13-11. Berg scored on a tip to tie the set at 15. The turning point came when Monticello senior Jade Green had three kills late in the match and Kubly came through with a kill to put the Eagles away.
"She got kill after kill when we needed it," Smice said of Green. "She played an exceptional game. Jade has done her part all year. She's not one that always gets her name in the paper."
Monticello senior Claire Bruns had 30 assists and Green added six kills. Smice indicated that it took a team effort to beat the Eagles. He referenced the Ponies' big hits and the key tips that won points in long volleys.
"Everyone wants to go out with a bang," he said. "If you get a tip on the court that counts like a kill too. I thought Barneveld served more aggressively than we did. I think the girls are learning not to panic in certain situations. If you can play under control that makes you stronger as a team."
The Eagles had several hitting errors late in the final set that the Ponies capitalized on. Kubly had two straight aces to give the Ponies a 23-20 lead including one that just skimmed over the net. Just when it looked like the Ponies would close out the match, the Eagles responded with three straight aces by sophomore Mattie Schave to give the Eagles a 24-23 lead. Berg delivered a kill to tie the set at 25 and that set the stages for Smice's decision to bring in Zanow to serve.
Green was excited to contribute to a team that won the conference title. As a senior, she looks forward to closing the season strong.
"It means a lot," Green said of winning the conference championship. "I'm happy our team is behind each other and we all have the same goal."
With a fourth set against Barneveld tied, Monticello coach Scott Smice put Zanow in to serve and she delivered with an ace. Monticello senior Marissa Berg then closed out the set with a kill to help the Ponies clinch the Six Rivers East Conference championship with a four-set win over the Golden Eagles 25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 27-25.
"It feels amazing especially being my senior year," said Berg who had 13 kills and seven blocks. "Barneveld and us have been really close in every sport. It feels amazing to beat them in any sport."
Smice's decision to substitute Zanow in to serve paid off. Smice went with a gut feeling.
"I had a feeling," he said. "She has been one of our best servers in practice. She wanted to go in and get the opportunity. She pulled through like the champ she is. I know the kids are fired up. They wanted to end it tonight. I'm ecstatic."
With the win, Monticello (13-2, 10-0 Six Rivers East) not only won the conference title outright, but they swept the Eagles (7-3) and have even bigger goals in front of them.
Berg said it's important to finish the conference season unbeaten.
"It's everyone's main goal for the season," she said. "We expect nothing less."
Both the Ponies and Eagles had players returning from injuries. Monticello junior Alyssah Kubly, who finished with eight kills and seven aces, returned from a sprained ankle injury that cost her three matches. Barneveld had top hitter Rachel Slaney back from an injury.
Berg and Kubly helped set the tone early on for the Ponies with kills to give the Ponies a 13-11 lead. Berg had six straight service points and senior Clare Gietzel had a kill to give the Ponies an insurmountable 21-13 lead.
The Eagles jumped out to a 17-9 lead in the second set before the Ponies rallied. Berg had a block and kill and Kubly came through with a kill to slice the Eagles' lead to 19-16. Berg and Kubly both scored on kills late in the set to cut the Eagles' lead to 201-8, but that is as close as they would get. Slaney answered with a kill to give the Eagles a 24-20 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The third set started out a lot like the second. However, the Ponies rallied from a 10-3 deficit and came back to win. Kubly scored on a tip and she had two aces to cut the Eagles' lead to 13-11. Berg scored on a tip to tie the set at 15. The turning point came when Monticello senior Jade Green had three kills late in the match and Kubly came through with a kill to put the Eagles away.
"She got kill after kill when we needed it," Smice said of Green. "She played an exceptional game. Jade has done her part all year. She's not one that always gets her name in the paper."
Monticello senior Claire Bruns had 30 assists and Green added six kills. Smice indicated that it took a team effort to beat the Eagles. He referenced the Ponies' big hits and the key tips that won points in long volleys.
"Everyone wants to go out with a bang," he said. "If you get a tip on the court that counts like a kill too. I thought Barneveld served more aggressively than we did. I think the girls are learning not to panic in certain situations. If you can play under control that makes you stronger as a team."
The Eagles had several hitting errors late in the final set that the Ponies capitalized on. Kubly had two straight aces to give the Ponies a 23-20 lead including one that just skimmed over the net. Just when it looked like the Ponies would close out the match, the Eagles responded with three straight aces by sophomore Mattie Schave to give the Eagles a 24-23 lead. Berg delivered a kill to tie the set at 25 and that set the stages for Smice's decision to bring in Zanow to serve.
Green was excited to contribute to a team that won the conference title. As a senior, she looks forward to closing the season strong.
"It means a lot," Green said of winning the conference championship. "I'm happy our team is behind each other and we all have the same goal."
