Stories

Monticello volleyball surges past Fluvanna County

Photo by Bart Isley

Monticello’s volleyball team didn’t win game one against Fluvanna County, but Amaya Gibson steadied the Mustangs from the service line during a stretch of game one and that set the stage for a surge. Gibson, a three-year captain, could sense the Mustangs needed something to get on track.

 

“Especially looking toward my other captains on the court, it was a really positive energy,” Gibson said. “Being able to slow down, serve and get a ball in really helped us come together.”

 

Monticello bounced back from that game one to win 3-1 over the Flucos, shaking off that 24-19 misstep and reeling off wins of 25-22, 26-24 and 25-23 to pick up a big win.

 

The Mustangs got a lift at the end of game two when a series of procedural errors by Fluvanna closed out the 25-22 victory, but they’d gotten into a major groove at that point offensively, with Makysha Brock finishing with 15 kills (plus seven digs three aces) to lead the way.

 

“I’m so beyond proud of Makysha, I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Gibson said. “She keeps the fire going.”

 

After the Mustangs survived a tight game three and took the lead in the match, they continued battling to try and close it out. Brock had a crucial kill late in game four that put the Mustangs up 23-21.

 

The Mustangs have several key pieces back in the mix, with junior Jewell Pugh back at setter along with Gibson back at libero and Brock back as an outside hitter. That gives them a strong core to build around in the young season, and some young players has joined the mix to give them an injection of energy and talent.

 

“They’re really working as a unit,” said Monticello coach Meg Carpenter. “They have a great attitude with how they treat their teammates just as peers, as equals and as friends whether it’s on or off the court. That’s really reflecting in the game, it’s making them trust each other a lot more knowing that person has their back both vocally and physically on the court.”

 

Gibson anchored the Mustangs defensively with 16 digs while Pugh was solid all around with 33 assists and 11 digs. Piper Goodman bolstered a strong defensive effort on the backline with 10 digs. Allie Cognata chipped in 10 kills while Ellie Quick had five kills, two blocks and six digs on the night.

 

Fluvanna started off strong with Christina Walker putting together a solid service run in game one to counter Gibson’s 6-0 run that got the Mustangs back into it after Fluvanna built a 17-7 lead, but the Flucos couldn’t solve the Mustangs’ defense throughout the next three games.

 

“They played smart, they hit the ball smart,” said Fluvanna coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett. “Their serve-receive was amazing, it was good competition and we did not necessarily rise to the occasion.”

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