It would seem impossible for a local sports team to be considered a juggernaut and still fly under the radar when it comes to public recognition. But somehow the Southern Middle School Volleyball Team has seemed to do exactly that.

When the reins of the team were handed to Maria Monge in 2004, the Lady Warriors put their fate in the hands of a competitor with an impressive international pedigree. As a former member of El Salvador’s National Volleyball Team, Monge learned techniques and coaching methods that have transformed Southern Middle School into a pipeline of volleyball talent for Southwestern High School’s two-time defending 12th Region champion program.

“I believe the greatest strength of this program is the great attention to the basics that Maria instills in her players,” said Assistant Coach Skip Cottrell, who is also a member of Head Coach James Cox’ Southwestern High School Staff. “And these kids have high expectations for themselves, and want to do what it takes to achieve their goals.”

How successful has the program, which consists of three separate teams for grades 6, 7, and 8, been over the past six seasons under Monge? Well, it’s hard to get an exact figure, though it’s surely floating around out there somewhere. Each of the three teams has been undefeated for the past two seasons, and the consensus is that the total losses over six season, for all three teams combined, could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand.

“I’m not sure exactly how many we’ve lost,” said Cottrell, “but I would say our winning percen-tage since Maria started coaching would be around 98 %.”

Tuesday night in Monticello, Monge kicked off her 7th season at the helm of the Southern Lady Warrior Volleyball Team, and the results were predictable, but not without a fierce struggle from Wayne’s 8th graders.

The 6th graders, who often play an extra game for added experience, swept the Lady Cardinals 15-9, 15-4, and 15-6. After a methodical effort in Game 1, SMS opened up a big early lead in Game 2, scoring seven straight points on the serve of Emilee Hoard. Samantha Fitzgerald sealed the win with back-to-back aces to end the game. In Game 3 Hoard and Audrey Halcomb each racked up a pair of aces before Fitzgerald recorded a kill to finish the match with a 3-0 sweep by the Lady Warriors.

The 7th graders also swept 2-0. In Game 1, it was tight early before Brooklyn Ricks broke a tie with four straight aces. SMS held the lead until Madison Roberts recorded four aces of her own to put it out of reach in a 21-12 win. In Game 2 it was the Chelsey Mitchell show. When Mitchell began her serve SMS led only 2-1. When her serve was over the team could have used another warm-up period. Mitchell served 13 straight points, including an incredible 11 aces, to push the lead to 15-2. Julia Wilson almost took it the rest of the way, scoring a kill to end Wayne County’s serve, and then serving four straight aces to make it 20-4. But Wayne broke her serve, and simply delayed the inevitable as SMS won 21-5.

The 8th graders came into the night having never lost a game as 6th or 7th graders. But the Lady Cardinals did not just roll over for them. Instead they pushed the SMS 8th grade team to the limit before finally falling in two straight—25-23 and 25-19.

“Wayne County is hugely improved from last year,” said Cottrell. “There were several times where they just out hustled us though, and hopefully this will be a bit of a wake up call to our 8th grade girls.”

Game 1 was tight early until Breanna Russell served for four straight points to open up a little breathing room for Southern. But instead of fading, Wayne County just kept fighting to bring the score within one point, 24-23. But Madison Goodman came in and served for the winning point to end the rally. In Game 2, the Lady Cardinals actually took a lead at 12-11 before the 6th grader Fitzgerald scored a kill to tie it and end Wayne’s serve. Breanna Russell once again served well, recording three aces out of a seven point run that put the Lady Warriors comfortably in front, as they cruised to a 25-19 win.

But the closeness of the 8th grade match was somewhat unexpected. Monge was smiling after the matches, but was frustrated by the play of her older girls.

“Our 6th and 7th graders played very well tonight,” said Monge. “I was happy that we got the victories, but there were times when we didn’t play well as a team—especially the 8th graders. We have to play as a single unit—not individuals. But it’s just our first match. They are just learning this early in the season. They will be okay.”