'Teau digs playoff berth
CHERRY TWP — The players had an idea of how long it had been.
They just didn't realize it had been that long.
With a 25-22, 25-27, 25-13, 25-21 win over rival Karns City Oct. 15, the Moniteau volleyball team ended a long playoff drought.
A 13-year absence from the postseason.
Junior setter Logan Barnhart hadn't even started kindergarten yet. Neither had the rest of her teammates the last time Moniteau was in the District 9 playoffs.
“It's probably one of my favorite volleyball moments when we beat Karns City and knew we were going to the playoffs,” Barnhart said. “We were aware it was quite a while, but we really didn't know it had been that long.”
The program has come a long way since Barnhart and a majority of her teammates were in junior high.
“We were just trying to hit the ball over the net to score a point,” Barnhart said. “We didn't set the ball. In ninth grade, we got a new coach and things changed.”
That coach was Ashley Rumbaugh, who played at A-C Valley and had a deep knowledge of the sport.
Rumbaugh made the most this season out of a thin roster.
“We only had seven players,” she said, “but those seven did very well.”
Moniteau was blessed with height and was strong offensively.
Junior Aslyn Pry led the team with 143 kills. Barnhart had 236 assists.
Pry said making the playoffs meant even more because of how close the team was to qualifying the last two seasons under Rumbaugh.
“It meant a lot to me because we were just one or two games away before,” Pry said. “We worked very hard and we played to our strengths this year. Our coach really helped us. We had better drills and we prepared better in practice. We're just a better team.”
And the foundation is set for the future.
The team loses two starters — seniors Samantha Broerman and Abby Regal — but has five varsity players back for next season — Pry, Barnhart, Ivie Scott, Emily Zang and Taylor Thomas.
“I think next year we can be even better,” Barnhart said. “I think we can go even farther.”
Moniteau lost 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs to Brookville, which went on to win the District 9 2A title and lost to Freeport in the first round of the state playoffs.
“I think we need to improve on defense,” Pry said. “That hurt us in the playoffs.”
Now that the Warriors have gotten a taste of the postseason, they want to make it an annual trip.
No more decade-long droughts.
“We have four returning starters and some strong people coming up,” Pry said. “I think we have the talent now to keep doing the job and go to the playoffs every year.”
