Three strong matches boost Monti's week

     When a high school volleyball team looks back on a successful season, it can usually point to a particular match as its most significant.

     Last week, the Monticello Panthers had three candidates for that designation.

     While winning four of six matches, including a spot in the semifinals of the Monticello Invitational, the Panthers did the following:

     • Defeated rival Cascade in four sets.

     • Rallied from two sets down on the road to push sixth-ranked Tipton to a fifth set.

     • Knocked off fourth-ranked Davenport Assumption during pool play at the Monti invite.

     Monticello came out of the week with records of 3-2 in the River Valley Conference, 18-7 overall.

     “The girls are really coming together,” Monticello coach Stacie Breitbach said. “They are trusting one another more, and it shows in their play. I think lately we have been serving and attacking more aggressively, and that has been the difference.”

     Much of that showed up in the home match against Cascade Sept. 19. Down a set after falling 21-25, the Panthers rallied to win three straight, 25-23, 25-20, 25-26.

     Monticello led 24-20 in the second set, but the Cougars came back to make it 24-23 before a kill by the Panthers’ Rileigh Lambert ended it.

     In the third set, the Panthers broke away from a 20-19 lead, scoring five of the final six points. And in the fourth, Monticello made an 18-10 lead stand, not allowing the Cougars to get closer than seven points behind the rest of the way.

     Jordan Kuper had 17 kills and Lauren Ries had 14 in the match. Maddie Lambert made 35 assists. Savanah Kremer and Ries each had 14 digs. Corinne Gadient served three aces.

     Although the match at Tipton turned into a loss, coach Breitbach said she was pleased with the team’s comeback. Down two sets after falling 20-25, 23-25; the Panthers won 26-24, 25-21 before losing 6-15 in the deciding set.

     “Playing hard to get to game five was really impressive and showed great determination,” Breitbach said. “Our front row did a good job of blocking and getting touches on the ball so that Tipton had to change its attack. Our back row defense did not give up on the ball and kept the momentum on our side.

     “It truly was a battle against a very good team, ranked sixth, and although we came up short, we showed great character to battle back.”

     Kuper had 22 kills in that match, as Maddie Lambert made 36 assists. Ries had 10 digs and nine kills. Maddie Lambert had eight digs, while Caitlyn Cruise and Savanah Kremer had seven apiece; Jaelynn Kraus and Kuper has six each.

     Then came the Monticello Invitational, played Saturday, Sept. 23. The Panthers swept through pool play, beating Maquoketa 21-6, 21-6; topping DeWitt Central 21-17, 21-8; and then defeating Assumption 21-13, 22-20.

     Those wins put Monticello in the semifinals, where it lost to Linn-Mar, the eventual champion, by scores of 22-25, 9-25. Linn-Mar went on to beat Cedar Rapids Jefferson, ranked second in 5A, in the finals.

     “We had a great day,” Breitbach said. “Beating Assumption was probably the best match. We played Linn-Mar super tough in the first game. The positive in the loss was that we stayed aggressive and kept attacking the ball.”

     Kuper totaled 27 kills for the tournament, and Ries had 23. Maddie Lambert had 54 total assists. Kremer served 40-for-41 in the tournament, with six aces, including five against Maquoketa.

     A match at Anamosa Sept. 25 was the only one scheduled this week for the Panthers, who will have two home matches next week, Oct. 3 against Bellevue and Oct. 5 against Camanche.

Sept. 19

Monticello 3, Cascade 1

MONTICELLO                            Kl     Bl    Dg   Ac

Caitlyn Cruise                               1      0      4      1

Corinne Gadient                           1      4      1      3

Savanah Kremer                          0      0    14      2

Jordan Kuper                              17     1      6      0

Maddie Lambert                           2      0      3      0

Rileigh Lambert                            7      1      0      0

Macy McDonough                        0      0      6      0

Lauren Ries                                 14     0    14      2

Jaelynn Kraus                               4      0      0      0

Totals                                          46     6     48     8

Assists – M. Lambert 35, Ries 4, Kremer 1,

R. Lambert 1.

Serving leaders – Kuper 21-22, Kremer

17-17, M. Lambert 12-12, Ries 15-16.

Set scores

Cascade                         25   23   20   16 

Monticello                       21   25   25   25

Sept. 21

Tipton 3, Monticello 2

MONTICELLO                            Kl     Bl    Dg   Ac

Caitlyn Cruise                               0      0      7      1

Corinne Gadient                           3      3      4      1

Jaelynn Kraus                              3      0      6      0

Savanah Kremer                          0      0      7      4

Jordan Kuper                              22      1      6      0

Maddie Lambert                           5      2      8      2

Rileigh Lambert                            5      3      1      0

Macy McDonough                        0      0      2      0

Lauren Ries                                  9      0    10      0

Totals                                          47     9    51      8

Assists – M. Lambert 36, Ries 2, Kraus 1,

Gadient 1, R. Lambert 1, McDonough 1.

Serving leaders – M. Lambert 19-19,

Kremer 21-22, Ries 15-16.

Set scores

Monticello                     20   23   26   25     6 

Tipton                           25   25   24   21   15

Sept. 23

Monticello Tournament

Pool play

Monticello 2, Maquoketa 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl     Bl    Dg   Ac

Shalay Bronemann                       2      0      0      0

Caitlyn Cruise                               0      0      3      0

Corinne Gadient                           0      0      1      1

Jaelynn Kraus                               0      0      0      0

Savanah Kremer                           0      0      3      5

Jordan Kuper                                4      0      1      2

Maddie Lambert                            2      0      4      0

Rileigh Lambert                             2      0      0      0

Macy McDonough                         0      0      3      0

Lauren Ries                                   8      0      2      0

Beka Prull                                      1      0      0      0

Maria Recker                                 0      0      0      0

Totals                                           19     0     17     8

Assists – M. Lambert 13, Bronemann 1,

Cruise 1, Kuper 1, Ries 1.

Serving leaders – Kremer 13-13,

M. Lambert 8-8, Gadient 7-7,

Cruise 6-6, Kuper 6-6.

Set scores

Maquoketa                   6      6

Monticello                   21   21

Monticello 2, D. Assumption 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl     Bl    Dg   Ac

Caitlyn Cruise                               0      0      3      0

Corinne Gadient                           0      2      0      2

Jaelynn Kraus                              3      0      2      0

Savanah Kremer                          0      0      5      1

Jordan Kuper                                4      1      3      0

Maddie Lambert                            0      0    10      0

Rileigh Lambert                             1      1      0      0

Lauren Ries                                   6      0      6      1

Totals                                           14     4     23     4

Assists – M. Lambert 10, Gadient 1,

Kraus 1, Kremer 1, R. Lambert 1.

Serving leaders – Kremer 11-11,

M. Lambert 6-6, Ries 5-5.

Set scores

Dav. Assumption        13   20

Monticello                   21   22

Monticello 2, DeWitt Central 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl     Bl    Dg   Ac

Shalay Bronemann                       0      0      1      0

Caitlyn Cruise                               0      0      0      1

Corinne Gadient                           0      2      1      1

Jaelynn Kraus                              3      0      0      0

Savanah Kremer                          0      0      2      0

Jordan Kuper                              10      2      1      1

Maddie Lambert                           4      2      0      0

Rileigh Lambert                            2      2      0      0

Macy McDonough                        0      0      0      0

Lauren Ries                                 3      0      3      0

Beka Prull                                    0      0      0      0

Maria Recker                               0      0      0      0

Totals                                         22     8      8      3

Assists – M. Lambert 15, Kremer 2,

Kuper 1, McDonough 1.

Serving leaders – Cruise 9-9, Kremer 9-10,

M. Lambert 6-6.

Set scores

DeWitt Central            17     8

Monticello                   21   21

Semifinal

Linn-Mar 2, Monticello 0

MONTICELLO                            Kl     Bl    Dg   Ac

Caitlyn Cruise                               0      0      2      0

Corinne Gadient                           1      0      3      0

Jaelynn Kraus                               0      0      1      0

Savanah Kremer                           0      0      5      0

Jordan Kuper                                9      1      5      0

Maddie Lambert                            1      1      1      0

Rileigh Lambert                            1      1      0      0

Lauren Ries                                  6      0      5      0

Totals                                          18      3    22     0

Assists – M. Lambert 16, Kuper 1, Ries 1.

Serving leaders – Kremer 7-7, Gadient 6-6,

Cruise 5-5, M. Lambert 5-5.

Set scores

Linn-Mar                       25   25

Monticello                      22     9