Bishop Ireton’s Lauren Monroe wants to attend the University of Tennessee and one day become a teacher.
On Saturday, the senior schooled St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes.
Monroe tallied 14 kills and four aces during the consolation match of the Alexandria City Volleyball Tournament. The Cardinals swept the host Saints, 25-16, 25-22, 25-16.
St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes fired up its home crowd with several runs, but each time Bishop Ireton would survive the push and take care of business. After a 6-1 run put the Saints ahead, 15-14, in game three, the Cardinals responded with an 11-1 run to close the match. Monroe had four kills during the final Cardinal surge, and seven for the game.
"We played really well as a team," Monroe said. "We definitely worked well together."
Monroe tallied three consecutive aces in game one, giving the Cardinals a 15-6 lead, and sparked a 6-1 run with a kill in game two.
"When Lauren’s on, Lauren’s really tough to defend," Bishop Ireton coach Kathy Gutmann said. "Lauren can come at you from the outside, from the middle and off of a slide."
Gutmann said Monroe and senior Courtney Connaughton form the Cardinals’ one-two offensive punch this season. Connaughton, who Gutmann called the team’s most proficient server, finished with two kills and two aces.
Emmeline Ha tallied four kills for the Cardinals and D’Elia Chandler had three. Katherine Boyd recorded two aces.
The Saints posed their biggest threat of the match in game two, taking an 18-15 lead after an 11-2 run. St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes led 19-17 and later battled back to tie the score at 21, but each time the Saints made a move, the Cardinals, seemingly unaffected by crowd noise, buckled down and took care of business.
"We’re not one of those big rah-rah [teams]," Gutmann said. "They know what they need to do. We know that we work best when our defense is set up and is passing [well]. We know that the setter and the offense will take care of the rest."
Kameryn Gambrell led the Saints with four kills. Mya Reid had three kills and Sarah Prowitt had two.
Bishop Ireton lost to Episcopal during the tournament’s first around, and St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes lost to T.C. Williams.