Monticello High volleyball team wins three of five in busy two weeks

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
In the past two weeks since the Monticello High School volleyball team suffered a straight-sets loss to rival San Juan on August 27 the Lady Buckaroos have won three of their last five matches.
They bounced back from the San Juan loss with a sweep of the Pinnacle Lady Panthers in a Region 19 showdown on August 29. It was never in doubt with MHS outscoring Pinnacle 25-11, 25-13, and 25-14.
The Lady Bucks suffered a straight-sets loss to local rival Grand County at home on September 3. They battled hard but fell in the first set 25-23, 25-17 in the second, and 25-22 in the third.
Two nights later Monticello traveled to Dove Creek, CO where they lost in straight sets to another local rival. They fell to the Lady Bulldogs 25-12, 25-23, and 25-17.
Monticello bounced back for two big wins this past week. On Tuesday, September 10 they had no problem with Region 19 foe Green River, sweeping the Lady Pirates 25-13, 25-14, and 25-10.
On Friday, September 13 the Lady Bucks got a nice 1A crossover win over the Region 20 Piute Lady Thunderbirds. Monticello didn’t make it easy on themselves after winning the first two sets 25-18 and 25-16.
Piute stormed back to win the next two sets 25-21 and 25-18, forcing a match-deciding fifth set. The Lady Buckaroos rallied to take the set 16-14, securing their fifth win of the season.
Monticello was 5-3 overall and 2-0 in Region 19 play heading into this week. They were sixth in the initial 1A RPI standings behind Milford, Panguitch, Valley, Whitehorse, and Monument Valley.
They’ll have a chance to move up in the standings with games against two of those opponents in the coming days. On Tuesday, September 17 they visited #5 Monument Valley in a game that was played too late for the San Juan Record press deadline.
They’ll mix in a non-region rivalry match with Grand County in Moab this Thursday, September 19 before facing #4 Whitehorse on the road next Tuesday, September 24.
Monticello Head Coach Shiela Wells recently fielded several early-season questions posed by the San Juan Record. Here are her comments:
San Juan Record: You’re coming off a very solid fifth-place finish in the 1A state tournament last year. Tell me about this year’s team.
Shiela Wells: Although we have already seen just how tough our competition is, we are really excited about this season as well as the growth we have seen, and will continue to see, in our players as the season progresses.
SJR: Though you only lost one senior to graduation, you’ve lost some other key pieces to the team you had last year.
SW: We are very fortunate to have several key players returning this season. Our juniors and seniors have stepped up as leaders and have become great mentors and instructors to the younger players. We also have some exciting new talent that has joined us this season. They’ve been working hard and have made a positive impact on our team spirit.
Losing some of our key players last year has given us some challenges, particularly in running our offense, but the whole team has stepped up and players are taking on new responsibilities, new positions, and have been willing to change positions mid-set which is a whole other level of difficulty.
Overall, the team is adjusting well to the changes and we value what every one of our players brings to the team – far beyond their athletic skills. We value the effort they put in every day at practice and in games as well as their feedback as players on the court.
We are grateful for their willingness to work hard, their good attitudes, their courage to try new things, and the examples they are to younger players. We have not only an incredible group of players (and potential coaches) but also individuals who are truly outstanding. The parents, school, and community can be proud of each one.
SJR: What are your expectations and goals for the season?
SW: Ultimately our goal is to push ourselves and see how far we can go. We are really focusing on fundamentals, improving our defense, and rebuilding our offense.
We are also taking it one game at a time, trying to stay focused on the game at hand, and giving it our all. We are analyzing our wins and losses to determine what needs to be worked on, but also what we did right. If we can lock in on all these areas, we will have a solid season.