Monticello makes strides in district

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.
The Mustangs got a program-defining win against Jefferson District power Western Albemarle, taking a 5-4 decision at home. The win came six days after a road loss by the same score and pulls Monticello even with the Warriors at 8-1 atop the district.
“Western has set the bar high, and we’ve talked about playing better tennis each week on the way to our best,” said Monticello coach Mike Mountjoy. “We had to play our best tennis to squeak out a win.”
Mountjoy took over the program this season from outgoing coach Mark Ehlers and inherited a talented roster led by Amanda Wagner, who shared last season’s district player of the year award with Western’s Shannon Bayliss. The junior staked a strong claim to keep the award to herself, outlasting Bayliss 11-10 (11-9) last Wednesday and winning 10-5 on Tuesday.
Wagner went undefeated in district play last season and moved to 9-1 overall on Tuesday, with her only loss coming against Albemarle freshman phenom Megan Napolitano. The level of competition between the three Albemarle County schools has helped Monticello improve quickly in the school’s 10-year history.
“In all likelihood, of the three county schools, one’s going to be undefeated and the other two will only have lost to the others,” Mountjoy said before the two Western Albemarle matches. “I think that’s a statement on the strength of tennis and the quality of the programs in this area.”
In recent years, Wagner’s older sister Emily, one of only two seniors on the team, pushed her younger sibling for the team’s top singles spot. This season, more competition came in the form of freshman transfer Lizzie Gaffney, who played on the St. Anne’s-Belfield varsity as an eighth grader and is 10-0 this season.
Gaffney - whose mother, Mo, is Mountjoy’s assistant - is one of several freshmen that have energized the Monticello program this season. All 13 players on the roster have played a competitive match this season, and 11 have recorded victories.
“We’ve got a real good mix of experience and inexperience, a lot of talented and athletic freshmen,” Mountjoy said. “…It’s always a challenge to integrate freshmen into an already-established program. Certainly, the freshmen bring a unique perspective. Some are very new to the game, are familiar with other sports and were willing to come out and give tennis a try.”
The Wagner sisters and Gaffney defeated their Western opposition on Tuesday to remain undefeated in district play this season.
The Mustangs could get another shot at Western in the district tournament. Mountjoy would love for his team to win a rubber match against the district’s dominant force, but he knows he has the pieces in place to keep his team playing at a high level for years to come.
“We’ve tried to establish a culture where we’re competing, where we’re having fun, where we’re setting high goals and achieving,” he said. “We talk about how we get the process right and the results and will take care of themselves.”