VOLLEYBALL Hubbard wonders: Is this the year?

The undefeated Eagles lostto Mentor Lake Catholicin last year's regional final.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- The only blemish -- if you can call it that -- on Chuck Montgomery's coaching record is that he's never made it to the state tournament at Hubbard.
"Ultimately, that's the goal," Montgomery, Hubbard's coach since 1991, said.
Montgomery is uncomfortable with saying so publicly, but he probably has his best chance this year -- and his best team.
The past two years, Hubbard has won Division II district titles only to lose to Mentor Lake Catholic in the regional tournament.
"You have to play well on that day and we haven't played our top game," Montgomery said. "We've definitely had teams capable of getting [to the state tournament] before, but we've always run up against teams that might have been a little better."
Teams like Hubbard are expected to use the same players they've had since junior high to beat teams that -- to put it diplomatically -- don't always use the same players from junior high.
When they don't, they're criticized.
Newcomer
Which brings us to this year's Eagles volleyball team, and their controversial new addition -- Monika Rajkovicova.
Rajkovicova, a 6-foot, 1-inch senior, is a foreign exchange student who came to Hubbard this summer from Czechoslovakia. She has quickly emerged as one of the area's best players.
"She's a nice addition to our program," Montgomery said in a generous understatement. "She's gotten better from Day 1. It's like night and day since she came here."
Some say the addition of Rajkovicova is more than a coincidence -- "I've heard it 1,000 times," Montgomery said, shaking his head -- but he insists there was nothing improper about her arrival.
"We just so happen to be a high-profile volleyball team, which is why people have noticed" he said. "She's a great person, she's very intelligent and she wanted to explore America.
"And let's face it, she's noticeable."
Rajkovicova is just one of many good players at Hubbard (23-0), which defeated Struthers last night in a sectional semifinal opener at Boardman High School. The most obvious is 6-2 senior Katy Jo Mroski -- who verbally committed to play at Indiana on Sunday. But seniors Nicole Pringle, Kristen McMonagle and Jessica Williams, and junior Traci Hassell are also integral parts of the No. 2 team in Division II.
Chemistry
"We really click perfectly," said Mroski, who will major in pre-med, said. "We all work hard. We all have the same goal in mind."
The Eagles won their 10th straight Trumbull Athletic Conference title this season and have won 150 straight league games.
Montgomery speaks highly of the TAC -- "I think the TAC-8 is the best league around," he said -- but he schedules tough non-league games to prepare for the postseason.
"All year we've been a target for everyone and I think I'd rather be the target than the one who has to hunt," Montgomery, who has more than 500 career victories, said. "Our kids have accepted the challenge. But if we play Mentor Lake Catholic, we'll be the underdog and our kids have never been that [this season]."
Before they can face Lake Catholic, the Eagles must first get past a tough district that includes Salem, this year's Metro Athletic Conference champion.
Getting there is no small task.
"The teams just get tougher and you can't get away with little mistakes that you could during the season," Mroski said. "We want to get to state, but we're just taking this team at a time."
scalzo@vindy.com