Loboes Work Fast to Defeat Luling
                 By Chris Gove, Staff Writer ~ Odessa American ~ November 19, 2006

SAN MARCOS   Monahans High School's volleyball team did its part Friday to get the UIL State Volleyball Tournament back on schedule. 

Monahans Swept past Luling 25-18, 25-17, 25-15 in a Class 3A semifinal match at Texas State University's Straham Coliseum, taking just an hour to play their way into the state championship match for the third consecutive season.

Because of two five-game matches during the Class 1A semifinals earlier in the day, the Monahans - Luling match started about 30 minutes late, but it didn't take long for it to become apparent which team is the defending 3A state champion and which one was making its first appearance.

Monahans (42-3) advances to face Bellville (34-6) at 1 p.m. in the Class 3A championship, while Luling (35-8) saw its Cinderella season come to an end.

"I think experience has a lot to do with it," Monahans senior blocker Brittany Hughes said.  "You're calm and you just try to keep you team calm, and I just think it helps us a lot, especially considering this was their first trip."

Of course, Hughes was a calming factor in her own right by recording 28 kills -- just one less than the 29 Luling had as a team.

Catherine Cutbirth has 11 kills and nine digs and Ali Miller had nine kills for Monahans, which had 52 kills and a high 333 team attacking percentage.  Hughes attacked at a .426 percentage by recording her 28 kills and just eight errors on 47 attacks, while Cutbirth hit at .417 clip with 11 kills and just one error on 24 attacks.

"In the past two (matches) or so, I had a couple of mishits," Cutbirth said, "so I knew this game I had to come through and really put it on the floor because that's what the team needed.  I had to put the ball on the floor."

Monahans, which got a match-high 14 digs from Dina Ortiz, set a program record for victories with 42 -- it had 41 two seasons ago -- and will be the first Permian Basin team to play in three consecutive state volleyball finals since it pulled the trick during the 1974, spring 1975, and fall 1975 tournaments.

Even though its victory was a sweep, Monahans did have to pull away from tight situations during Game 1 and 2.

Luling was within 16-14 and 18-16 in Game 1 before Monahans scored seven of the last nine points behind five kills by Hughes and one by sophomore Bailey Marcum.

In Game 2, Luling had its only lead of the match at 1-0 and 2-1 and trailed only 12-11 before Monahans went on a 9-2 lead to take control.  Miller had three kills and Cutbirth had one kill and an ace during that stretch to help the Lady Loboes take 21-13 lead.

"Our team, it takes a lot to shake us," said Monahans senior setter Candace Swarb, who had 40 assist.  "We're not going to fall apart just because we lose a few points.  We've been in games where we won't get the first three points or whatever and we don't let it bother us.  I think it's experience and our attitude that we have.

Middle blocker Adrienne Taylor had 11 kills and 2 1/2 blocks for Luling, while Edie Weise had seven kills and setter Chelsea Rollert had 21 assist.

Those three players helped lead a 13-member senior class on Luling's 16-player roster who helped build the program over the last four years to earn its first trip to state.

"I think we could've done more, but this was our first time and it was a big experience for us," Rollert said.  "It was very memorable, I wasn't nervous -- it was real exciting -- but we just didn't play."

Even though Luling didn't use experience as an excuse or reason for the loss, the coach on the other bench knows all about the feelings.

Ninth-year Monahans head coach Patty Dominguez made her state debut in 2002, and it was the program's first state trip in six years.  The result was a predictable loss in the semifinal round.

"it's intimidating when you walk through that tunnel and you step on the court and you see the whole stage of Straham and everyone watching you," Dominguez said.  "It's intimidating and if you haven't been here, it can shake you."

But Monahans is doing the shaking these days and today will try to bring home gold for the second consecutive season.

Monahans def Luling
15-18   25-17   25-15