High school volleyball: Monticello captures 1A championship

OREM — Their near-flawless records bore close resemblance.

They both enjoyed a No. 1 seed ranking in their respective regions. One team was the favorite and the other was deemed the one team capable of proving everyone wrong.

Monticello was that team, and it did just that. The Buckaroos earned the big upset (3-0) over the mighty Rich Rebels and hoisted the trophy Saturday in the 1A state championship game at Utah Valley University.

The decisive contest marked the first time the two teams were able to play each other, and the matchup was highly anticipated.

"They hadn't seen us and we hadn't seen them," coach Tony Esplin said. "We didn't know what to expect. They're a great team."

Monticello was the No. 1 seed in Region 19 with an undefeated region record (9-0), and Rich was the No. 1 seed in Region 21 with a perfect region record (8-0) as well.

To say the teams were evenly matched would be an understatement. However, the Buckaroos emerged victorious in just three sets, displaying a near-perfect performance.

"I thought we played the best game we've ever played," senior Martha Beh said. "We came in so confident. We knew that if we played our game, we would win."

Sticking to their game would prove to be the crucial difference and the reason Monticello wound up on top.

"Coming in, my girls were asking what we needed to do to stop them," Esplin said. "I said, 'what do you mean stop them? We'll play our game and they'll have to stop us.' "

From the moment the match began, the Buckaroos took control and played their game. They exemplified their coaches' philosophy as they forced the Rebels back onto their heels.

Rich head coach Cindy Stuart recognized a shift in her team's mental game.

"Instead of playing to win, we played not to lose,"Stuart said. "We got down and panicked. They didn't do anything wrong, and we couldn't do anything right. We never got into our rhythm."

In preparation for the game, Esplin encouraged his team to forget about the pressure.

"I told the girls that the pressure was on them (the Rebels) and to stay relaxed and have fun."