Monterey Volleyball Loving 2024 Success

Following a winless campaign last season, the 2024 Monterey Wildcats volleyball team have opened a new chapter in program history with a 9-4 start to the regular season.

After a 3-0 win over Red Boiling Springs, the Wildcats advanced to 4-1 in district play this season. First year head coach Todd Daugherty said he stressed the importance of strong district play in the off-season and is pleased with how his team has performed so far.

“Our players have kind of switched a gear when it comes to comparing last year and this year,” Daugherty said. “Last year at this point, I think they were probably 0-6 in the district and to be 4-1 right now it just shows that they’ve gone through a lot of growth and they’ve put in a ton of work to get to where they are.”

The Wildcats have overwhelmed teams with their hitting and aggressive offense, setter Jalee Johnson is top 20 in the state in assists. This weekend, Monterey will travel to Pigeon Forge to participate in the Rocky Top Classic. Over 100 teams are set the play and Daugherty said this is an opportunity to identify and fix defensive errors.

“We’re looking to improve our defense always, our defense needs to come up a little bit, needs to level up,” Daugherty said. “Our serve receive needs to level up a little bit. So, I’m looking forward to that this weekend where they get the opportunity to show us that they can improve in a game-play atmosphere.”

A pillar in Daugherty’s program is for his player’s to love the game of volleyball. And so far this season, Daugherty said his players love playing and love the winning.

“They probably hate my voice a little bit more than they did earlier in the season,” Daugherty said. “Because I’m always on them and they always hear me just talking, but they still love the game obviously. The way they play the game every night, it’s so much fun to watch them, because no matter what they are going all out.”

Daugherty said the rival district teams he has his eyes on are Gordonsville and York Institute. He said Gordonsville’s libero takes charge of the offense and creates one of the cleaner, entertaining offenses to watch.

The Wildcats will play York for the first time this season Monday September 9 at home at 5 P.M.