Panthers claim second straight division crown

     For the second consecutive season, the Monticello Panthers are champions of the River Valley Conference, North Division in volleyball.

     Monticello came into the final two division matches last week very much in the drivers’ seat. Maybe it’s a cliché to say the Panthers took care of business, but it’s an apt way to describe the team’s sweeps of Northeast and North Cedar.

     “It was a huge accomplishment to win this back-to-back,” Monticello coach Stacie Breitbach said. “When I met with the seniors before this season, that was the first goal they had, and they have shown great leadership to help the team accomplish this.”

     The Panthers finished 6-0 against division opponents, and came out of the week with a 14-7 overall record.

     “This team has spunk and drive,” the coach added. “They believe in one another and are willing to do what is best for the team. They enjoy playing the game, and it has been really fun to watch them put it all together.”

     There was plenty to enjoy for the Panthers in last week’s matches. Against Northeast, Sept. 28 in Monticello, the Panthers cruised to a 25-15, 25-14, 25-15 victory.

     All three of the sets looked similar, with Monticello jumping out to early leads and either maintaining or increasing them. The Panthers led 11-4 and 17-12 in the first set, before scoring eight of the final 11 points.

     Monticello grabbed a bigger early lead in set two, going up 10-2, and led by as many as 14 before closing out the set on a kill by Keziah McQuillen and a tip by Mallory Steiner.

     The Panthers then grabbed control of the third set with a 17-7 lead before going on to win by 10.

     “We played hard all night, and it was a great team win,” the coach said. “We kept to the game plan of being aggressive at the net, mixing up our serving locations, and passing well off of serve-receive.”

     Individual highlights included a big night for freshman Jayden Kuper, who had volleyball’s version of a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. McQuillen added eight kills and nine digs. Steiner had 25 assists and 10 digs.

     That win clinched at least a tie for the division title, but the Panthers needed a victory at North Cedar Sept. 30 to win the crown outright.

     That they did, with a 25-16, 25-10, 26-24 triumph over the Knights in Clarence.

     “We serve-received well, which enabled us to set up our offense,” Breitbach said. “We also served aggressively.”

     The Panthers had a bit of a tussle in the third set, trailing 23-24 before rallying to win and close out the match.

     “In game three, we got away from swinging aggressively, and this allowed North Cedar to attack the ball at us,” the coach said. “We were able to pull it out by attacking the ball, defending the net and having key serves.”

     Kuper again posted double figures in two categories, with 10 kills and 12 digs. Three other Panthers had double-digit digs: McQuillen with a team-high 13, Steiner with 12, and Emma Hynick with 10. Abby Sharlow came off the bench to record eight kills; Bronwyn Hodge and Hynick had seven apiece. Steiner had 30 assists. McQuillen served 17-for-17.

Sept. 28

(at Monticello)

Monticello 3, Northeast 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl    Bl  Dg  Ac

Emma Hynick                               6      0     4      1

Bronwyn Hodge                           3      4     0      0

Jayden Kuper                              13    2   13     2

Mallory Steiner                             3      0   10     2

Keziah McQuillen                         8      0     9      1

Jordan Fangmann                        0      0     3      1

Piper Hansen                                0      0     3      0

Jaelyn Aitchison                            0      0      3      0

Mia Jaeger                                    0      0      0      1

Mya Hansen                                  0      0      1      0

Emma Sperfslage                         0      0      2      0

Kylee Van Dorn                             1      1      0      0

Abby Sharlow                                3      4      0      0

Lacie Koppes                                1      0      0      0

Totals                                           38    11    48     8

Assists – Steiner 25, Kuper 6, McQuillen 2,

Hynick 1, Aitchison 1.

Serving leaders – Steiner 18-19,

P. Hansen 9-9, Sperfslage 8-8.

Set scores

Northeast                     15   14   15

Monticello                     25   25   25

Sept. 30

Monticello 3, North Cedar 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl    Bl   Dg   Ac

Emma Hynick                               7      1   10     0

Bronwyn Hodge                           7      5     1      0

Jayden Kuper                             10      2   12     0

Mallory Steiner                             3      0   12     2

Keziah McQuillen                         6      2   13     0

Jordan Fangmann                        0      0     4      1

Piper Hansen                                0      0     5      1

Emma Sperfslage                         0      0      2      0

Abby Sharlow                               8      0      1      0

Jaelyn Aitchison                            0      0      2      1

Kylee Van Dorn                             1      0      0      0

Totals                                           42    10    62     5

Assists – Steiner 30, Kuper 5, Hodge 2,

Fangmann 1.

Serving leaders – McQuillen 17-17,

P. Hansen 10-10, Steiner 18-19, 

Fangmann 9-9, Aitchison 8-8.

Set scores

Monticello                    25   25   26

North Cedar                16   10   24