MONTICELLO - Marissa Berg remembers how Argyle cost the Monticello volleyball team a chance at the Six Rivers East Conference championship last year.
Monticello knocked off Barneveld and then lost to Argyle at home and Barneveld went on to win the conference. Fast forward a year and the Ponies were coming off a five-set win over Barneveld. This time, behind senior middle hitter Berg and junior Alyssah Kubly, the Ponies swept Argyle in three sets knocking them off 25-14, 25-18, 25-22.
"They (Argyle) were the team that upset us last year," said Berg who had a match-high 15 kills. "It feels really good to keep on winning. You don't want to go all that way and beat Barneveld and then come home and lose."
The Ponies had to survive comebacks by the Orioles in the second and third sets.
"You can't get complacent when you are playing Argyle," Monticello coach Scott Smice said. "You have to finish games no matter what the score is. If you give teams like that points they will believe they can come back and win."
Monticello (8-2, 5-0 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set. Kubly had two aces and Berg had a pair of kills to spark the Ponies. The Ponies extended their lead to 19-8 after a kill by Berg and after the Orioles committed an unforced error hitting it into the net. Argyle junior Kylie Johnson had a key kill to cut the Ponies' lead to 20-11, but that is as close as they would get.
Argyle (X-X, 3-2 Six Rivers East) started strong jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the second set behind five straight service points by freshman Kayla Butler-Paulson including an ace. It didn't take long for the Ponies to answer. Monticello senior Jade Green had nine straight service points to help the Ponies rebound to take an 11-6 lead. Argyle senior Rachel Saalsaa had a kill to cut the Ponies' lead to 11-7.
The Ponies responded with kills by Berg and Kubly late in the game to take a 16-7 lead. The Orioles didn't go away quietly behind senior Jessica Treuthardt who had a key block. Johnson had back-to-back aces to cut the Ponies' lead to 19-14. The Orioles sliced the Ponies' lead to 20-16 on Saalsaa's kill, but that is as close as they would get.
The final set was a lot like the second set. The Ponies rolled to a 17-8 lead, but couldn't close out the Orioles like they wanted. Treuthardt had a big block to spark the Orioles. The Ponies had three straight unforced hitting errors into the net that cut the lead to 17-13. When it looked like the Ponies would run away after Berg's kill gave them a 21-15 lead, the Orioles clawed their way back. Treuthardt had a block to cut the Ponies' lead to 24-22. Kubly hit a spike to the back row and Butler-Paulson couldn't handle it and the Ponies survived.
"I have called our team a two-headed monster," Smice said. "Our two-headed monster at hitter is Marissa and Alyssah. If we get a good pass a lot of times our middle hitters will put it away. The key for us was getting our hot hitters the ball."
Controlling emotions during a momentum shift is part of the game.
"You get nervous," Berg said. "You just have to trust in your team and believe you will get a sideout. Our passing was a lot better than it has been. When you are passing good you can attack."
Monticello senior Claire Bruns had 22 assists and senior Clare Geitzel had a team-high three aces. Kubly had four kills and two aces.
The Ponies remain unbeaten in the conference, but Smice said there is still a lot of volleyball to be played with matches against Black Hawk and a rematch against Barneveld in Monticello.
"If we would have lost it would have been a three-way tie," Smice said. "By no means is the conference close to being done."
Monticello knocked off Barneveld and then lost to Argyle at home and Barneveld went on to win the conference. Fast forward a year and the Ponies were coming off a five-set win over Barneveld. This time, behind senior middle hitter Berg and junior Alyssah Kubly, the Ponies swept Argyle in three sets knocking them off 25-14, 25-18, 25-22.
"They (Argyle) were the team that upset us last year," said Berg who had a match-high 15 kills. "It feels really good to keep on winning. You don't want to go all that way and beat Barneveld and then come home and lose."
The Ponies had to survive comebacks by the Orioles in the second and third sets.
"You can't get complacent when you are playing Argyle," Monticello coach Scott Smice said. "You have to finish games no matter what the score is. If you give teams like that points they will believe they can come back and win."
Monticello (8-2, 5-0 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set. Kubly had two aces and Berg had a pair of kills to spark the Ponies. The Ponies extended their lead to 19-8 after a kill by Berg and after the Orioles committed an unforced error hitting it into the net. Argyle junior Kylie Johnson had a key kill to cut the Ponies' lead to 20-11, but that is as close as they would get.
Argyle (X-X, 3-2 Six Rivers East) started strong jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the second set behind five straight service points by freshman Kayla Butler-Paulson including an ace. It didn't take long for the Ponies to answer. Monticello senior Jade Green had nine straight service points to help the Ponies rebound to take an 11-6 lead. Argyle senior Rachel Saalsaa had a kill to cut the Ponies' lead to 11-7.
The Ponies responded with kills by Berg and Kubly late in the game to take a 16-7 lead. The Orioles didn't go away quietly behind senior Jessica Treuthardt who had a key block. Johnson had back-to-back aces to cut the Ponies' lead to 19-14. The Orioles sliced the Ponies' lead to 20-16 on Saalsaa's kill, but that is as close as they would get.
The final set was a lot like the second set. The Ponies rolled to a 17-8 lead, but couldn't close out the Orioles like they wanted. Treuthardt had a big block to spark the Orioles. The Ponies had three straight unforced hitting errors into the net that cut the lead to 17-13. When it looked like the Ponies would run away after Berg's kill gave them a 21-15 lead, the Orioles clawed their way back. Treuthardt had a block to cut the Ponies' lead to 24-22. Kubly hit a spike to the back row and Butler-Paulson couldn't handle it and the Ponies survived.
"I have called our team a two-headed monster," Smice said. "Our two-headed monster at hitter is Marissa and Alyssah. If we get a good pass a lot of times our middle hitters will put it away. The key for us was getting our hot hitters the ball."
Controlling emotions during a momentum shift is part of the game.
"You get nervous," Berg said. "You just have to trust in your team and believe you will get a sideout. Our passing was a lot better than it has been. When you are passing good you can attack."
Monticello senior Claire Bruns had 22 assists and senior Clare Geitzel had a team-high three aces. Kubly had four kills and two aces.
The Ponies remain unbeaten in the conference, but Smice said there is still a lot of volleyball to be played with matches against Black Hawk and a rematch against Barneveld in Monticello.
"If we would have lost it would have been a three-way tie," Smice said. "By no means is the conference close to being done."
