Thrice is nice: Panthers clinch share of North title

   Three in a row.

   With a decisive home victory over the Maquoketa Cardinals Sept. 29, the Monticello High School volleyball team clinched at least a share of the River Valley Conference North Division championship.

   Monticello, which is now ranked 14^th in the state in Class 3A, won 25-14, 25-11, 25-16 over Maquoketa.

   The Panthers (6-0 division, 19-9 overall) need only to win Oct. 6 at Northeast of Goose Lake to wrap up the outright title.

   Monticello coach Stacie Breitbach said there have been a lot of factors that have led to the program’s success over the past three years, and the leadership of the players has been one of the biggest.

   “I think our success and the success of the last couple of years is the seniors taking ownership of their legacy and being leaders for our team,” Breitbach said.

   There was plenty of leadership on display Thursday night. Senior Mia Jaeger put up 28 assists, contributing greatly to the team’s 34 kills.

   Sophomore Jayden Kuper had another stellar performance, with 16 kills and seven digs.

   The Panthers had balanced contributions on defense, as six of them had at least five of the team’s 44 digs. Those included Keziah McQuillen with eight, Lanie Luensman and Kuper with seven apiece, Jaelyn Aitchison and Jaeger with six apiece, and Jordan Fangmann with five.

   Fangmann also led the team in aces with four, while Aitchison had three and Jaeger had two.

   Breitbach said the pressure of playing for a share of the division title didn’t affect the Panthers, largely because they had played – and beaten – Maquoketa twice in the Monticello Invitational Sept. 24.

   “I think the girls stayed loose, believing in themselves and their ability to compete,” the coach said.

   None of the three sets were particularly close. Maquoketa led briefly in the first set, 6-5, but the Panthers outscored the Cardinals 20-8 the rest of the way. Then, a 10-3 run gave Monti an 18-7 lead in the second set.

   And in the third set, a gradual run to a 19-10 lead lifted the Panthers to victory.

   “We had some unforced errors to start the night, but once we settled down we were confident and took care of the ball,” Breitbach said.

   It was also Senior Night for the Panthers.

   “I thought everyone that came into the match played hard,” the coach said. “It was great to see the seniors play and have fun. They contribute so much to the team that isn’t always noticed.”

Sept. 29

(at Monticello)

Monticello 3, Maquoketa 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl    Bl   Dg   Ac

Mia Jaeger                                   2      0     6      2

Jayden Kuper                             16      4     7      1

Keziah McQuillen                         4      0     8      0

Lanie Luensman                          0      0     7      1

Abby Sharlow                              3      2      0      0

Jordan Fangmann                       0      0     5      4

Jaelyn Aitchison                          0      0     6      3

Lacie Koppes                              5      1      2      0

Madison Butterworth                   2      2      0      0

Reagan Schneiter                       0      0      0      0

Bella Mullen                                2      0      0      0

Olivia Zimmerman                       0      0      1      0

Aleasha Schilling                         0      0      2      1

Madilynn Kromminga                   0      0      0      0

Totals                                          34     9    44    12

Assists – Jaeger 28, Kuper 1, Aitchison 1,

Fangmann 1.

Serving leaders – Jaeger 9-9, Kuper 6-6,

Aitchison 15-16.

Set scores

Maquoketa                  14   11   16

Monticello                   25   25   25