Panthers trip No. 3 Tipton to reach RVC semifinals
The Panther volleyball team celebrates a point scored during the upset of third-ranked Tipton in the River Valley Conference Tournament Oct. 17 in Cascade. Clockwise from far left are Jordan Kuper, Bronwyn Hodge, Tori McDonald, Sophie Hodge, DeLainy Fellinger and Gabrielle Steiner. (Photo by Pete Temple)
Compiling a winning record is one thing. Beating a ranked opponent is quite another.
The Monticello High School volleyball team (19-13) can now make both of those claims, after toppling Tipton, the third-ranked team in Class 3A, during the River Valley Conference Tournament.
It happened during the quarterfinal round of bracket play on Thursday, Oct. 17 in Cascade. Two days earlier, the Panthers had split two matches in pool play at Wilton, earning a spot in the eight-team Thursday bracket by finishing second in their pool.
That put them up against Tipton, and the Panthers bounced back from a first set loss to win 13-21, 21-14, 15-9. Monticello then faced Wilton – ranked fourth in 2A – and lost 16-25, 16-25 in the semifinals.
Against Tipton, the teams were tied 9-9 in that opening set before the Tigers outscored Monticello 12-4 the rest of the way.
“The girls remained composed and played with a we-got-this attitude,” Monticello coach Stacie Breitbach said.
The Panthers certainly “had this” in the second set, jumping to a 9-0 lead, increasing it to 14-4 and going on to win by seven.
“We did not let the ball hit the floor,” Breitbach said. “I think that energy fueled our offense. We also defended the net better, which kept them out of their system and allowed our defense to set up our offense.”
In the deciding set, played up to 15 by rule, the Panthers again took charge early, going on a 6-1 run to take a 9-3 lead and then splitting points the rest of the way.
“We just played as a team and trusted each other,” Breitbach said. “I think everyone played their role, and this enabled us to be successful. The girls now believe in themselves and each other, that anything is possible.”
The Panther tandem of setter Tori McDonald and middle hitter Jordan Kuper played their roles extremely well against Tipton; McDonald had 16 assists and Kuper had 14 kills, to go along with five blocks. Leah Holub had six of the team’s 31 digs, while DeLainy Fellinger, McDonald and Kuper had five apiece. McDonald also served 19-for-19 with three aces.
Wilton’s balanced attack proved too strong for the Panthers in the semifinal round, however, as the Beavers scored a pair of nine-point wins. Wilton eventually lost to West Liberty for the conference tourney championship.
“Wilton has a solid offense that is fairly unpredictable, and they were digging everything we threw at them,” the coach said. “We played them much more competitively than earlier in the week. I was super proud of the girls and their efforts.”
In Tuesday’s pool play, the Panthers swept Camanche 21-13, 21-19; before losing to Wilton 10-21, 7-21.
In the Camanche match, Kuper had nine kills and Emma Hynick had seven, while McDonald made 17 assists. Holub had six digs, and Fellinger had five. Bronwyn Hodge had three blocks. McDonald (10-for-10) and Fellinger (7-for-7) were both perfect in serving.
“We came out serving and hitting well,” Breitbach said. “Our serve receive was really strong, and we were able to control the ball on our side, which helped our offense take off.”
Then came the Wilton match, and the Beavers held Monticello to just eight kills.
“Wilton played us really tough; they have a solid, well-balanced offense and a scrappy defense,” Breitbach said. “We got away from the things that make us competitive – serve receiving well, swinging aggressively, and communicating. Our communication level decreased, and unfortunately, Wilton was able to capitalize on our mistakes.”
Fellinger had seven digs in the match.
To face Anamosa
in regionals
The Panthers will open Class 3A, Region 6 tournament play with a match at neighboring rival Anamosa (16-12) Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. at Anamosa.
The winner will face either Independence or Vinton-Shellsburg in the semifinals Oct. 29 at Independence.
Oct. 15
River Valley Conf.
Tournament
Pool Play
(at Wilton)
Monticello 2, Camanche 0
MONTICELLO Kl Bl Dg Ac
DeLainy Fellinger 0 0 5 0
Tori McDonald 1 0 0 1
Jordan Kuper 9 2 2 0
Emma Hynick 7 0 2 0
Carly Hayen 1 0 1 0
Sophie Hodge 0 0 1 0
Gabrielle Steiner 2 1 1 0
Leah Holub 0 0 6 2
Bronwyn Hodge 2 3 0 0
Jaelyn Aitchison 0 0 1 0
Piper Hansen 0 0 0 0
Totals 22 6 19 3
Assists – McDonald 17, Hayen 1, Kuper 1,
S. Hodge 1.
Serving leaders – McDonald 10-10,
Fellinger 7-7.
Set scores
Monticello 21 21
Camanche 13 19
Wilton 2, Monticello 0
MONTICELLO Kl Bl Dg Ac
DeLainy Fellinger 0 0 7 0
Tori McDonald 1 0 2 0
Jordan Kuper 4 0 1 0
Emma Hynick 2 0 1 1
Carly Hayen 0 0 0 0
Sophie Hodge 0 0 2 0
Gabrielle Steiner 1 0 1 0
Leah Holub 0 0 2 0
Bronwyn Hodge 0 0 0 0
Jaelyn Aitchison 0 0 1 0
Madison Butterworth 0 0 0 0
Totals 8 0 17 1
Assists – McDonald 5, Holub 1, Kuper 1.
Serving leaders – Aitchison 5-5,
McDonald 4-4.
Set scores
Monticello 10 7
Wilton 21 21
Oct. 17
River Valley Conf.
Tournament
Bracket play
Quarterfinals
(at Cascade)
Monticello 2, Tipton 1
MONTICELLO Kl Bl Dg Ac
DeLainy Fellinger 0 0 5 0
Tori McDonald 2 1 5 3
Jordan Kuper 14 5 5 0
Emma Hynick 2 0 4 0
Carly Hayen 2 0 0 0
Sophie Hodge 0 0 0 0
Gabrielle Steiner 0 0 1 0
Leah Holub 0 0 6 0
Bronwyn Hodge 0 3 1 0
Jaelyn Aitchison 0 0 4 0
Totals 20 9 31 3
Assists – McDonald 16, Holub 1, Kuper 1.
Serving leaders – McDonald 19-19,
Fellinger 8-8.
Set scores
Monticello 13 21 15
Tipton 21 14 9
Wilton 2, Monticello 0
MONTICELLO Kl Bl Dg Ac
DeLainy Fellinger 0 0 8 0
Tori McDonald 2 0 2 0
Jordan Kuper 10 1 2 0
Emma Hynick 4 0 3 0
Carly Hayen 1 0 0 0
Gabrielle Steiner 0 0 2 0
Leah Holub 0 0 5 0
Bronwyn Hodge 0 1 1 0
Jaelyn Aitchison 0 0 3 0
Piper Hansen 0 0 0 0
Totals 17 2 26 0
Assists – McDonald 14, Holub 2, Steiner 1.
Serving leaders – Fellinger 5-5.
Set scores
Monticello 16 16
Wilton 25 25
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