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Tracy-Milroy-Balaton's Monica Przybilla was chosen by her teammates as this year's team captain - and the senior has stepped up to the challenge and led the Panthers on the court.

Przybilla, a 5-foot-9 middle hitter, leads TMB with an average 6.6 kills per match and total of 32 ace blocks.

"Overall, Monica's our team leader," said TMB head coach Katie Gervais. "She was unanimously voted team captain so the girls have a lot of faith in her as a leader. She's our most consistent player and her work ethic is wonderful. She works really hard during practice."

The Panthers finished the regular season with a 13-10 overall record after defeating Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in three straight games. Przybilla had nine kills and three ace blocks in the contest.

"I think we've gotten a lot better and worked hard as a team," said Przybilla. "We've bonded and have really grown as a team. Our record has improved immensely from last year. We now have confidence to beat teams that last year we didn't think we could. Now we can just play instead of worrying about other things."

TMB compiled a 5-5 record in the Camden Conference.

"Monica doesn't let anything get to her and she gets along with everyone," said Gervais. "She's a quiet leader and leads by example. The girls made a good decision in choosing her. She's a good kid and we'll miss her leadership capabilities next year."

In its first game of the season, TMB downed Westbrook-Walnut Grove 3-0. Przybilla had a solid all-around game with eight kills, seven digs, three ace blocks and she was 12-for-13 with three aces behind the serving line.

"Monica is very level-headed," Gervais said. "She doesn't make a lot of errors. She doesn't always put the ball away, but she puts a good swing on the ball."

Przybilla's best performance came in a five-set victory over Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg September 17. The Panthers won 15-13 in the fifth set. Przybilla contributed 18 kills and four ace blocks in the win.

"I feel that my role is to create energy and to get everyone going," Przybilla said. "I try to help dig ourselves out when we get down and let everyone know we can do it. I feel pretty comfortable up at the net, but I wish I had more years to get better."

Przybilla has started on varsity since her sophomore season and is one of three seniors on the team. Seniors Adria Dolan and Shea Lanoue also play front row for the Panthers.

"It was a nice honor to be chosen as captain, but we have two other seniors that help lead too," said Przybilla. "There are also younger girls that also try to take charge."

Against Renville County West on Oct. 1, Przybilla had eight kills, two ace blocks and was 17-for-17 with one ace behind the serving line as the Panthers won in three straight sets.

At times, TMB has shown great perseverance on the court. Down 2-0 against Worthington, the Panthers won the next three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-19, 15-10 to take the match. Przybilla tallied 10 kills and three ace blocks for her team.

"We've had a much better season than last year," Gervais said. "We have more confidence and having more experience helps with confidence. We've had a few ups and downs, but we've put together a string of wins toward the end of the season. Our knowledge has improved and we need to continue our winning ways."

The highlight of TMB's season came at the Subway Classic tournament in Marshall. After the first day of competition, the Panthers finished second in their pool after losing to New London-Spicer 25-16, 27-25 and then defeating Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 20-25, 25-17, 15-4.

On Day 2, TMB opened with undefeated Canby and handed them their only loss of the season in a 22-25, 25-21, 17-15 victory. After taking care of MACCRAY 25-23, 25-20, the Panthers found themselves in the championship game in the Gold Division against NLS. But the Wildcats proved to be too much for TMB and downed them for the second time in the tournament.

"The Subway tournament was an unexpected highlight," Gervais said. "We were hoping to play well and I've been saying all year that we can play with teams. We played well enough to beat Canby and we were still a little dazed in our win against MACCRAY. It was a huge confidence booster for the girls."

With the regular season in the books, TMB opened the Section 3A North playoffs against Dawson-Boyd. Although it wasn't always pretty, the No. 5 seeded Panthers ended the 12th seeded Blackjack's season in three straight sets Monday.

"Our goal was to make it past the first round of playoffs," said Przybilla. "Now we want to keep improving and try our hardest in the next round. Our back row and front row are working together more and we're getting better on defense. There were balls that we couldn't get up last year that we are now and we're able to finish more plays."

Now TMB will face No. 4 MACCRAY at SMSU's R/A Facility Friday after the 6:00 p.m. match between Canby and RTR. The Panthers split with the Wolverines during the year.

"The No. 3-8 seeds have all beaten each other," said Gervais. "We'll need to keep track of MACCRAY's hitters. We've been consistent passing and serving this year and we'll have to continue doing that. Finishing our plays will be our biggest thing. Hopefully we can put that all together Friday."

If the Panthers get past the Wolverines on Friday, they would face No. 1 seed Canby, who is currently 28-1, or the ninth-seeded RTR Knights.

"We know that if we play well as a team, we can beat MACCRAY," Przybilla said. "But if we don't pull together, we'll lose. We've been working hard at practice to get our flow back. It would be exciting to make it to the third round."