MONROE — If nothing else, the Monroe Bearcats volleyball team proved that they don’t have any quit.
But they almost certainly proved much more than that.
The Bearcats rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat the Snohomish Panthers 3-2 on Monday night. Set scores were 19-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-22 and 15-12.
“They wanted it, their hearts were in it and they didn’t let down,” Bearcats coach April Munoz said. “They came out a little bit flat, but they fought through it and came out on top, it was great.”
“It was the biggest win I have had in all four years,” Bearcats senior setter Kendal Munoz said. “It was amazing. It felt so good.”
With the win, Monroe (7-2 league, 10-3 overall) moved into a first-place tie in the Wesco North with Snohomish (7-2, 9-4) and Lake Stevens (7-2, 9-4). Snohomish plays Stanwood and Monroe plays Lake Stevens on Wednesday, the final day of the regular season.
“I think just half way through, we pumped ourselves up,” Kendal Munoz said. “We realized how big of a match this was and we just got the energy flowing and we just pumped ourselves up and we were able to pull it out. It was great.”
It would have been easy for the Bearcats to fold in the third set, they were never really close in the first two sets and they led for a total of just three of the points in those sets.
The match played out in a similar fashion to the first time the teams squared off this season. In that match, Snohomish took a 2-0 lead before Monroe got it going, but the Panthers were able to close out the Bearcats in four sets.
This time, Monroe’s coach said things were different.
“I would say the first time we played them we came out fearful,” April Munoz said. “This time we weren’t fearful — we were almost over-mindful. We were thinking too much. The first time we played them we were scared, some players were literally scared. So that says a lot for Snohomish, they are a good team.”
Initially in the third set, the Panthers looked like they were headed for the sweep, taking a 9-6 lead. But the Bearcats responded behind Kendal Munoz and junior outside hitter Melina Seabrook. Monroe took control of the third set and earned the win.
Seabrook took over with powerful kills, while Kendal Munoz mixed in very carefully placed finesse shots with her forceful kills.
“You’ve just got to look for their weak points,” Kendal Munoz said. “You have to look for the holes and where the block is and just see what’s empty on the court and go for it, take every shot you can.”
The fourth set came down to the wire, but again it was Seabrook who carried her team and helped force a decisive fifth set.
“She lit it up,” April Munoz said. “She’s a smart hitter and she is coming back from almost a debilitating injury and she’s not skipping a beat. She’s very smart, she’s got all the shot options and the reality is probably at the next level she won’t be a hitter, but she’s amazing.”
Seabrook finished the match with 27 kills and 18 digs. Kendal Munoz added 14 kills and 33 assists.
The match almost wouldn’t be complete without one more comeback. In the fifth set, the Bearcats fell behind 9-6, but closed the match on a 9-3 run, capped off by a deciding kill by none other than Seabrook.
The Panthers suffered another blow besides just losing the match. Senior outside hitter Cierra Short went down in the third set with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Short was helped off the court and after disappearing to the locker room for some time, returned to the sidelines with her ankle wrapped and using crutches.
The extent of her injury was not known after the match, but Snohomish head coach Alex Tarin did say, “It’s not looking good.”
Short managed eight kills before she was injured. Lanesha Reagan had 23 kills and five aces and Hannah Mantei had 32 assists for the Panthers.
Aside from Seabrook and Kendal Munoz, Taylor Latimore had 25 assists and Kaitlin Lebon had 25 digs for the Bearcats.
Kendal Munoz said she has been a part of other comebacks before, but nothing as sweet Monday’s victory.
“I have before,” Kendal Munoz said. “I don’t think anything felt as good as that one did. That was a great accomplishment and I know we are all so very happy.”
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Read his live blogs at www.heraldnet.com/prepzone, follow him on twitter @aaronlommers and contact him at aaronlommers@gmail.com.
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