MONROE - Coming into a Badger South Conference match against Milton, Monroe volleyball coach Heidi Witt hoped the Cheesemakers would find a way to shut down Milton senior outside hitter Rachel Butterfield.
However, Butterfield had a match-high 12 kills and Monroe was plagued by 13 service errors as the Red Hawks rolled to a 25-15, 25-19, 25-7 win over the Cheesemakers Thursday night.
"This is a mental game," Witt said. "They played so well against Madison Edgewood last week. The girls have to figure out how to flip their switch. I don't see why we can't come out and play like that every match. To me it's mental. They really need to believe in themselves that they can do it. They didn't play tonight like they practice."
Monroe junior Chloe Schroeder had a key tip kill in the first set to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 12-9. Monroe senior Hannah Vetterli, who had a team-high seven kills, delivered a spike to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 12-10. The Red Hawks responded by winning 10 straight points to seal the first-set victory.
Monroe (5-13, 0-5 Badger South) got out to a slow start in the second set. Milton jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second set. Witt took a timeout and gave her team a simple message.
"I just told them to fire up and play the game we know they can play," she said. "They really needed to go out there to win it. Their (Milton's) outside hitter was very strong. I thought we would be able to shut her down better than we did."
The Cheesemakers rallied, sparked by an Alicia Kuester's kill. Vetterli and Schroeder each had kills late in the set to slice the Red Hawks' lead to 15-11. The Cheesemakers were haunted by five service errors in the second set and couldn't dig out of the big early hole.
The start of the final set was almost identical to the second set. The Red Hawks jumped out to an 8-2 lead before the Cheesemakers mounted a comeback. Vetterli forced a sideout with a kill to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 10-5. Milton sophomore Emma Martin's ace gave the Red Hawks a 14-5 lead.
Milton junior libero Maddie Scalissi reeled off nine straight service points, including an ace, to give the Red Hawks a commanding 24-6 lead.
In the match, Monroe sophomore Sydney Mathiason had six kills. Schroeder and Kuester each added five kills and one block. Monroe senior Paige Murphy had a team-high 13 assists. Junior teammate Hannah Neuenschwander had seven assists and junior Lexi Hilliard had seven digs.
Monroe will play a Badger Conference crossover match at Reedsburg on Tuesday and will play in the Wisconsin Heights Invitational Oct. 3. The Cheesemakers' last Badger South match is set for Oct. 8 against Oregon, which will be Senior Night. The Badger Conference tournament is slated for Oct. 10 in Monona Grove.
"I think the girls can finish strong," Witt said. "Anything can happen at the conference tournament. I think to win a few matches they will have to step out on the court and do that."
However, Butterfield had a match-high 12 kills and Monroe was plagued by 13 service errors as the Red Hawks rolled to a 25-15, 25-19, 25-7 win over the Cheesemakers Thursday night.
"This is a mental game," Witt said. "They played so well against Madison Edgewood last week. The girls have to figure out how to flip their switch. I don't see why we can't come out and play like that every match. To me it's mental. They really need to believe in themselves that they can do it. They didn't play tonight like they practice."
Monroe junior Chloe Schroeder had a key tip kill in the first set to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 12-9. Monroe senior Hannah Vetterli, who had a team-high seven kills, delivered a spike to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 12-10. The Red Hawks responded by winning 10 straight points to seal the first-set victory.
Monroe (5-13, 0-5 Badger South) got out to a slow start in the second set. Milton jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second set. Witt took a timeout and gave her team a simple message.
"I just told them to fire up and play the game we know they can play," she said. "They really needed to go out there to win it. Their (Milton's) outside hitter was very strong. I thought we would be able to shut her down better than we did."
The Cheesemakers rallied, sparked by an Alicia Kuester's kill. Vetterli and Schroeder each had kills late in the set to slice the Red Hawks' lead to 15-11. The Cheesemakers were haunted by five service errors in the second set and couldn't dig out of the big early hole.
The start of the final set was almost identical to the second set. The Red Hawks jumped out to an 8-2 lead before the Cheesemakers mounted a comeback. Vetterli forced a sideout with a kill to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 10-5. Milton sophomore Emma Martin's ace gave the Red Hawks a 14-5 lead.
Milton junior libero Maddie Scalissi reeled off nine straight service points, including an ace, to give the Red Hawks a commanding 24-6 lead.
In the match, Monroe sophomore Sydney Mathiason had six kills. Schroeder and Kuester each added five kills and one block. Monroe senior Paige Murphy had a team-high 13 assists. Junior teammate Hannah Neuenschwander had seven assists and junior Lexi Hilliard had seven digs.
Monroe will play a Badger Conference crossover match at Reedsburg on Tuesday and will play in the Wisconsin Heights Invitational Oct. 3. The Cheesemakers' last Badger South match is set for Oct. 8 against Oregon, which will be Senior Night. The Badger Conference tournament is slated for Oct. 10 in Monona Grove.
"I think the girls can finish strong," Witt said. "Anything can happen at the conference tournament. I think to win a few matches they will have to step out on the court and do that."
