MONROE - In stretches of a Badger South Conference match, a young Monroe volleyball team showed flashes of what they are capable of when their back is against the wall.
After Monona Grove cruised to a 25-15 win in the first set, the Cheesemakers had stretches where they were aggressive digging and keeping the ball alive before the Silver Eagles pulled out the final two sets 25-13, 25-22 for the sweep Thursday.
"The scoreboard didn't reflect it, but they fought hard," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "When a mistake happened, they didn't dwell on it. It seemed like the games were closer than what they were in the end."
The Silver Eagles jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first set before the Cheesemakers rallied. Monroe junior Hannah Vetterli came through with a kill to cut the Silver Eagles' lead to 10-7. The Cheesemakers (4-14, 0-3 Badger South) had just two serving errors and both came in the first set. Monona Grove senior Natallie Mikalsen had a serve late in the first set and the Silver Eagles cruised from there.
Monroe junior Paige Murphy had an ace and sophomore Alicia Kuester had five straight service points, including one ace to help the Cheesemakers roll to a 10-6 lead at the start of the second set. Kuester had a team-high five kills and five aces. Murphy racked up a team-high 11 assists.
"We have practiced hard on our serving," Kuester said. "We have to take our time and focus because serving is what determines the match. I think we played a lot better as a team. We didn't get down on ourselves. We picked each other up better."
The tide turned in the second set when Monona Grove senior Samantha Kinsler stepped to the service line. Kinsler scored 11 straight points and had four aces during the run. Witt took two timeouts during the spurt.
"They knew passing was probably our weak point," Witt said. "They knew she was a good server. They wanted to break her serve. I just told them they really had to get back to the basics and pass the ball up."
Before the Cheesemakers could force a sideout, they trailed 24-11. The final set started eerily similar to the second set. The Cheesemakers jumped out to a 12-6 lead after five service points from Kuester and a service error by the Silver Eagles. Kinsler scored six straight service points to help the Silver Eagles storm back to take an 18-13 lead. The Cheesemakers didn't go quietly. Kuester came through with two kills to tie the set at 19 before the Silver Eagles pulled out the win.
Vetterli and senior Maggy Johnson each had five kills. Monroe senior Lauren Curtis had a team-high six digs and sophomore Chloe Schroeder had one block. Fellow sophomore Hannah Neuenschwander added eight assists.
"I think we need to work on our passing, keep picking each other up and not get down on ourselves," Kuester said. "It's a little bit of a challenge because there are a lot of teams more experienced and play a lot more outside the school season."
After Monona Grove cruised to a 25-15 win in the first set, the Cheesemakers had stretches where they were aggressive digging and keeping the ball alive before the Silver Eagles pulled out the final two sets 25-13, 25-22 for the sweep Thursday.
"The scoreboard didn't reflect it, but they fought hard," Monroe coach Heidi Witt said. "When a mistake happened, they didn't dwell on it. It seemed like the games were closer than what they were in the end."
The Silver Eagles jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first set before the Cheesemakers rallied. Monroe junior Hannah Vetterli came through with a kill to cut the Silver Eagles' lead to 10-7. The Cheesemakers (4-14, 0-3 Badger South) had just two serving errors and both came in the first set. Monona Grove senior Natallie Mikalsen had a serve late in the first set and the Silver Eagles cruised from there.
Monroe junior Paige Murphy had an ace and sophomore Alicia Kuester had five straight service points, including one ace to help the Cheesemakers roll to a 10-6 lead at the start of the second set. Kuester had a team-high five kills and five aces. Murphy racked up a team-high 11 assists.
"We have practiced hard on our serving," Kuester said. "We have to take our time and focus because serving is what determines the match. I think we played a lot better as a team. We didn't get down on ourselves. We picked each other up better."
The tide turned in the second set when Monona Grove senior Samantha Kinsler stepped to the service line. Kinsler scored 11 straight points and had four aces during the run. Witt took two timeouts during the spurt.
"They knew passing was probably our weak point," Witt said. "They knew she was a good server. They wanted to break her serve. I just told them they really had to get back to the basics and pass the ball up."
Before the Cheesemakers could force a sideout, they trailed 24-11. The final set started eerily similar to the second set. The Cheesemakers jumped out to a 12-6 lead after five service points from Kuester and a service error by the Silver Eagles. Kinsler scored six straight service points to help the Silver Eagles storm back to take an 18-13 lead. The Cheesemakers didn't go quietly. Kuester came through with two kills to tie the set at 19 before the Silver Eagles pulled out the win.
Vetterli and senior Maggy Johnson each had five kills. Monroe senior Lauren Curtis had a team-high six digs and sophomore Chloe Schroeder had one block. Fellow sophomore Hannah Neuenschwander added eight assists.
"I think we need to work on our passing, keep picking each other up and not get down on ourselves," Kuester said. "It's a little bit of a challenge because there are a lot of teams more experienced and play a lot more outside the school season."
