Panthers drop match to Blue Raiders

Anamosa 3, Monticello 0

   Inside the new gymnasium at Anamosa High School on Sept. 11, the Monticello volleyball team fell to the Blue Raiders in three sets, 25-14, 25-11 and 25-16.

   “I think the biggest takeaway is that being competitive against a good team is challenging when we don’t control our own game,” Panther coach Andrea Ellison said. “As a team, we had 44 errors, almost two full games of points we gave up between missed serves and blocking and hitting errors. Even with our normal lineup, there are not many teams we would be able to beat, making that many errors.”

   The sides traded points to start the first set, with a Panther serving error and then a kill from Hannah Butterworth making it 1-1. The Blue Raiders forced a Monticello timeout early in the opening set after a 6-0 scoring run made it 7-1.

   Anamosa’s Johanna Shaffer got a block out of the timeout, 8-1, before Charlett Smith put down a kill and a Blue Raider kill error made it 8-3. A Blue Raider block was countered with another Smith kill, but the home team used a 6-3 run to take a 14-6 lead.

   Addison Norton’s tap over the net ended in a kill and, after a net call on Anamosa, it was 14-8. Three straight Blue Raider points made it 17-8, before a serve error gave it back to the Panthers, 17-9. A kill from Butterworth and an Anamosa error made it 20-11, then a Blue Raider kill and kill error moved the score to 21-12.

   A kill from Brynn Schmit and an ace from Emma Kromminga made it 22-14, but three straight points from Anamosa gave them the set one win.

   Anamosa’s Olivia Miller and Panther freshman Kenya Davis-Robinson traded kills to start set two, but a 6-0 run for the Blue Raiders put them ahead 7-1. A kill from Butterworth ended the run, 7-2, then an Anamosa violation and a kill from Smith made it 9-4. The Panthers recorded three straight points, 11-7, with kills from Smith and Norton and a Blue Raider violation.

   Schmit hammered a kill to make it 14-8, but a four-point spurt for Anamosa put them ahead 18-8 and forced a Panther timeout. Davis-Robinson notched a kill out of the timeout, 19-8, before a kill from Miller sparked a 6-2 Blue Raider run to give them the 25-11 win in set two.

   Anamosa got out to a 3-0 lead in the third set, before a kill from Smith got the Panthers on the board. Davis-Robinson’s kill made it 3-2, then another Smith kill made it a 5-3 Blue Raider lead. A four-hit violation on Anamosa and another kill for Davis-Robinson made it 7-5, then a kill from Anamosa freshman Shaffer moved it to 8-5.

   The Panthers kept it close, but the Blue Raiders were able to pull away for the 25-16 win in set three.

   “As the season continues, we are still working to gain experience and consistency,” Ellison added. “Our underclassmen are still getting used to the speed of a varsity match, as well as getting into their comfort zone with their teammates to communicate and trust. This team has a lot of potential that continues to shine through at some points in our matches. I’m looking forward to when it is shown throughout an entire match.”

at Anamosa

25-14, 25-11, 25-16

MONTICELLO                       Kls    Dg     Ac

Malin Phelps                              0       9       0

Emily Leytem                             0       4       0

Hannah Butterworth                  3       1       0

Brynn Schmit                            2       1       0

Mallory McElmeel                     0       6       1        

Emma Kromminga                    0       2       0

Charlett Smith                           8       3       0

Kenya Davis-Robinson             5       0       0

Alex Shover                              1       0       0

Addison Norton                         2       4       0

Totals                                      21     30       1

Assists – Norton 18, Kromminga 1, Shover 1, Phelps 1