MHS Lady Loboes Hit Stride in Wins Over Lubbock Trinity, Alpine Tuesday
       By Randy Hogan, Staff Writer ~ The Monahans News, September 29, 2006

The Monahans Lady Loboes continued to roll through the non-district portion of their volleyball schedule with a dual match victory over Lubbock Trinity Christian and Alpine Tuesday, at the Jerry Larned Sports Complex.

Monahans (30-3) hosted defending TAPPS State champion Lubbock Trinity in the first match of the night, and the Ladies were all business in running the Lions off the court in straight sets 25-16, 25-18, 25-16.

Bethany Willmon led the Green with 8 kills, 1 block, 4 digs, and 2 key aces from the service line against Trinity.

Catherine Cutbirth blasted 7 kills into the teeth of the Lion front line.  She also accounted for 3 blocks and 9 digs in the match.

Junior setter Kaitlin Mitchell recorded 18 assists on the night, while recording 3 kills, 8 digs, and 1 ace.

Bailey Marcum powered the Ladies winning effort with 3 kills, 3 blocks, 4 digs, and an ace from the service line.

Jordan Latham continued to show her versatility in the MHS lineup, posting 4 kills, 2 blocks, and 5 digs for the night.

Heather Schulz had 1 kill, 1 block, 3 assists, and 3 digs in the Lady Lobo rotation.  Dina Ortiz had 2 digs, while Kim Wilson served an ace against the Lions.

The evening finale matched Monahans with a scrappy Alpine Fightin' Buck team.

The Lady Loboes wasted little time in establishing their dominance as MHS rolled off an 11-0 run on AHS with Bailey Marcum serving.

Marcum blasted 6 aces for the night against Alpine, 3 of which came in her big service performance to start game one.

Alpine would pull no closer than 11-2, before the Lady Loboes' power  game resumed control of the match and shredded the Fightin' Buck defense.

Bethany Willmon and Catherine Cutbirth were too strong up front for AHS, while Kaitlin Mitchell ran the offense in a near perfect game.

Mitchell served five straight points to put the Ladies up 22-3, and Cutbirth served the final two points of the match, one of which was an ace.  This lead MHS to a convincing 25-4 victory.

Alpine regrouped after witnessing the Lady Lobo 'highlight reel' type performance in the opening set, to give a spirited effort in game two of the match.

After falling behind MHS 2-0 early, Alpine fought back to take the lead and went point-for-point with the talent-laden Lady Loboes.

Catherine Cutbirth broke the game open from the service line as she blasted nine consecutive points to put the Green up 15-4 in the set.

Cutbirth's run at the line started with an ace, and she was assisted with big shot kills from Jordan Latham and Marcum to send the Fightin' Bucks reeling.

Alpine started a run of their own and pulled to within 17-10, but Kaitlin Mitchell broke serve with a dink over the net.  On the play, Alpine expected a set to one of the MHS power hitters, but Mitchell dumped it over into the Alpine side quickly for the point.

Bailey Marcum continued to shine from the line as she served an ace and set up monster kills from Willmon and Cutbirth.

Monahans rolled on to a 25-13 victory in game two of the match.

If Alpine was feeling the pressure they didn't appear to show it to start the third set, as the Fightin' Bucks went toe-to-toe with the Lady Loboes.

But experience proved to be the key to victory in game three as Monahans began to flex their muscle and open up the game.

Cutbirth nailed a monster kill that went all the way across court to give MHS a 5-4 lead, and the Lady Loboes never looked back.

Big defensive plays by Marcum and Latham were more than the Alpine front line could handle, and service aces by Mitchell, Marcum and Kim Wilson were the beginning to the end for AHS.

Cutbirth served the final two points of the match, recording her last of five aces in the match on the final swing of the game.

Monahans amassed 16 aces against Alpine and blasted 38 kills for the night.

Catherine Cutbirth paced the Ladies with 9 kills, 2 blocks, and 1 dig to go with her 5 aces in the match.

Juniors Bailey Marcum, Jordan Latham, and Kaitlin Mitchell stepped up big in their contributions to the Lady Loboes route of Alpine.

Marcum posted 4 kills, 2 blocks, 9 digs, and 6 keys aces in the game.

Mitchell continued to gain confidence in leading the Green offense and recorded 30 assists against the Fightin' Bucks.  She also had 3 kills, 2 digs, and 3 aces in the match.

Latham hit the ball hard and notched 11 kills into her season stat total against Alpine.  In addition, she accounted for 8 big digs for the night.

Bethany Willmon resumed her senior leadership role and powered 10 kills into the Alpine front line.  She also had 4 digs and an ace in the match.

Dina Ortiz picked up 3 digs and pushed the Ladies to a higher level of play with her intensity and leadership on the court.

Paige Shaw had 1 dig, while Kim Wilson recorded an ace in the match.

The Ladies host Denver City on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 pm in the final non-district match of the season.

Denver City is coached by former Lady Lobo volleyball standout Megan McGuire David, and as always will bring a talented team into Monahans.

The Mustangs rallied from a two-game deficit Tuesday night to defeat Seminole 24-26, 18-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-4.

The Monahans JV will also host Denver City beginning at 5:30 pm.

Keyed by Abbi Meek, Senior 07