JV Panthers beat two RVC foes

     Monticello won a pair of junior varsity volleyball matches, against River Valley Conference opponents, last week.

     The Panthers (3-3) played at Northeast of Goose Lake Sept. 29, and won 25-16, 25-23. Emma Porter had a big night, with 17 assists, five digs, and three aces while serving 12-for-13. Kendra Mescher had seven kills and six digs. Jordan Fangmann had seven digs, and Jaelyn Aitchison had five. Madison Butterworth had six kills and two blocks. Piper Hansen had seven digs and four kills, and served 9-for-9. Lacie Koppes had two kills and one block.

     On Oct. 1, the Panthers had a home match against North Cedar, and won 25-23, 25-10. Aitchison had eight kills and six digs. Koppes had six kills and four digs. Mescher had five kills. Porter had 16 assists and three digs. Fangmann had eight digs, and served 13-for-13 with five aces. Hansen had eight digs and three kills, and served 8-for-8. Emma Sperfslage had four digs.

     “This was a great week for our team,” Monticello coach Kylie Nagel said. “We had a few close sets where we finished strong and stayed aggressive with our hitting.

     “Lacie and Emma are starting to run a faster offense, which is helping the speed of our team. Our serving has improved, and we are serving over 90 percent, which is always a goal.”