St. Anne’s-Belfield’s volleyball team has seven seniors on the squad, so expectations were high coming into this season because of the Saints’ veteran leadership. But then the Saints stumbled a little out of the gate, struggling with a tough schedule. That’s part of the past now.

Monticello has settled on a replacement for departed girls basketball coach Melvin Ely — and athletic director Fitzgerald Barnes didn’t have to look far.

Western Albemarle and Monticello squared off in a do-or-die tiebreaker match to decide who would secure the top seed in Monday’s Jefferson District tournament on Saturday. After splitting the season series the teams were tied, but in the rubber match, Western prevailed, 6-1.

It’s frustrating to be the new kid on the block and equally galling to be overshadowed in your own county. But the Monticello girls tennis team is quietly building a tradition and took a big step into the limelight on Tuesday.