Monroe hands Snohomish first loss

Published 10:59 pm Monday, October 25, 2010

SNOHOMISH — Monroe translated a “nothing to lose, everything to gain” mentality on the volleyball court into an upset win over previously-undefeated Snohomish on Monday night.

The Bearcats, who are now tied atop the Western Conference North Division standings with Snohomish, earned a 3-0 sweep behind a strong passing and attacking combination at Snohomish High School.

Senior outside hitter Meagan McPhetridge registered 16 kills and 15 digs and junior setter Kendal Munoz dished out 27 assists as Monroe won the league match in straight sets 25-21, 25-20, 25-14 — avenging an earlier straight-sets loss to Snohomish this season.

“We told them there was nothing to lose,” Monroe head coach April Munoz said. “They knew what they were up against. Last time, they panicked and they weren’t prepared for them and now they knew exactly how to prepare and they stayed calm and steady. They worried about themselves and not the other team.”

The Bearcats (8-1 league, 12-1 overall) jumped out to seven-point leads early in all three games, making it difficult for Snohomish (8-1, 12-1) to grab any momentum. Aside from a 19-19 tie late in the first set and a 22-20 Monroe lead late in the second set — Snohomish rarely threatened to win a set.

“Once you’re undefeated for a long enough period of time you get nervous about losing that title, so that played into effect, but I have to give all the credit to Monroe,” Snohomish head coach Kris Jones said. “That was a totally different Monroe team from the last time we played. They were on fire and everything was falling their way.”

Each team has one more league match in the regular season, so although both teams have already clinched district playoff berths, a league champion is yet to be crowned.

If the teams remain tied for the lead, a previously-held draw will determine the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds to the 4A District 1 tournament.

Sophomore outside hitter Melina Seabrook had seven kills and senior libero Nicole Reyling added 13 digs for Monroe.

“We came in very determined with an ‘all-out’ mentality,” Bearcats outside hitter McPhetridge, a recent Hillsdale (Mich.) College commit said.

McPhetridge’s attacking was one element of Monroe’s game that was on-point in sending Snohomish to its first loss of the season.

“Our tri-line passed really well tonight and allowed our setter to put it right where she wanted to and Meagan fired away,” coach Munoz said. “She had a good night.”

Monroe earned nine services aces, including two straight from Kendal Munoz to start the second set.

“As a team we all served really effectively,” McPhetridge said. “A key to a strong defense is a strong serve and we’ve really worked on our serving and our defense and that really showed tonight.”

Shaking off an earlier loss to the Panthers gives Monroe the chance to head into districts on a roll.

“(The win) gives them a lot of incentive,” coach Munoz said. “Districts is going to be a challenge, there are some tough teams there, and to fight our way through is going to be a challenge. This gives us some momentum.”

Senior middle blocker Taylor Richter had eight kills and freshman Lanesha Reagan added 11 kills for the Panthers, who face Stanwood before the district tournament.

“In a way I think (the loss) is almost good,” Jones said. “It’s a bit of a reality check. I think, in a way, this is definitely going to come off as a good thing.”