MONTICELLO - Every win is enjoyed, but surrounding circumstance can make one all the more enjoyable.
Playing at home on parents night, and just before facing four consecutive road contests, the Monticello volleyball team more than enjoyed their 3-0 win over Juda Thursday.
"They were pretty excited," Monticello coach Scott Smice said. "It was parents night ... so they had a little extra (motivation) in them."
After a back-and-forth battle in the first game, the Ponies powered to a 25-20 win. The second game was also closely contested, with Monticello taking the game 25-23. The third game was all Monticello, with the Ponies winning 25-11.
Smice said the key to the victory was team-wide contributions.
"It was most definitely a team effort all the way," Smice said. "Towards the end, we had some good serves to pull away. It was a lot of serving and killing on our part."
Monticello (5-2 Six Rivers East) featured three players with seven or more kills: junior Marissa Berg had 12, senior Jordyn Kubly put away nine and sophomore Paige Dilley had seven. Junior Clare Bruns led the team in assists with 26, senior Amy Silver notched six blocks, and sophomores Alyssah Kubly and Jordan Garrison each had 14 digs.
"Everybody played their part tonight," Smice said. "Everybody did their job, and we came out big tonight. Every starter and the bench did a great job. That said, we had a few girls out, so some people had to play some roles they weren't used to."
The Vikings (3-4 Six Rivers East) were led by senior Lizzy Britt who had seven kills to go along with 26 digs. Michelle Francois led the team with 14 assists.
The win over Pecatonica makes three strong three-game victories in a row for Monticello.
Smice says much of the recent hot streak can be attributed to the team being more aggressive.
"We have gotten more aggressive with our serving ... and how we approach our hits," he said. "We preach that every day in practice. You can't change your habits; you gotta stay aggressive and work through it."
Now, the Ponies face a long stretch of road games.
The team will travel to Cassville for a tournament Saturday, and then they hit the road again on Tuesday to take on Juda. After that, they're at Barneveld on Sept. 27 followed by a match at Argyle on Oct. 2.
However, Monticello's recent wins have built momentum and confidence, and Smice hopes to see more of the same in the upcoming matches.
"We have some momentum," Smice said. "So hopefully we can take that with us on the road."
Playing at home on parents night, and just before facing four consecutive road contests, the Monticello volleyball team more than enjoyed their 3-0 win over Juda Thursday.
"They were pretty excited," Monticello coach Scott Smice said. "It was parents night ... so they had a little extra (motivation) in them."
After a back-and-forth battle in the first game, the Ponies powered to a 25-20 win. The second game was also closely contested, with Monticello taking the game 25-23. The third game was all Monticello, with the Ponies winning 25-11.
Smice said the key to the victory was team-wide contributions.
"It was most definitely a team effort all the way," Smice said. "Towards the end, we had some good serves to pull away. It was a lot of serving and killing on our part."
Monticello (5-2 Six Rivers East) featured three players with seven or more kills: junior Marissa Berg had 12, senior Jordyn Kubly put away nine and sophomore Paige Dilley had seven. Junior Clare Bruns led the team in assists with 26, senior Amy Silver notched six blocks, and sophomores Alyssah Kubly and Jordan Garrison each had 14 digs.
"Everybody played their part tonight," Smice said. "Everybody did their job, and we came out big tonight. Every starter and the bench did a great job. That said, we had a few girls out, so some people had to play some roles they weren't used to."
The Vikings (3-4 Six Rivers East) were led by senior Lizzy Britt who had seven kills to go along with 26 digs. Michelle Francois led the team with 14 assists.
The win over Pecatonica makes three strong three-game victories in a row for Monticello.
Smice says much of the recent hot streak can be attributed to the team being more aggressive.
"We have gotten more aggressive with our serving ... and how we approach our hits," he said. "We preach that every day in practice. You can't change your habits; you gotta stay aggressive and work through it."
Now, the Ponies face a long stretch of road games.
The team will travel to Cassville for a tournament Saturday, and then they hit the road again on Tuesday to take on Juda. After that, they're at Barneveld on Sept. 27 followed by a match at Argyle on Oct. 2.
However, Monticello's recent wins have built momentum and confidence, and Smice hopes to see more of the same in the upcoming matches.
"We have some momentum," Smice said. "So hopefully we can take that with us on the road."
