CORALVILLE — Reminiscent of last season's Class 3A state title match, Western Christian stood in the way of Mount Vernon's path to state title immortality at Xtream Arena on Thursday.
In 2023, the Mustangs fell to the Wolfpack in four sets (23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 18-25) in the Class 3A state championship.
Mount Vernon didn't allow history to repeat itself Thursday, defeating Western Christian in straight sets (25-17, 25-17, 25-18) to clinch its first state title since 2019.
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"Last year we were runners-up and this year we were like,' It sucks and we're not coming back again and we're not losing again' so we gave it our all on the court," Mount Vernon senior Chloe Meester said. "We wanted revenge on them from last year; we weren't ready for what a state championship would feel like and this year we were, and we showed it off really well."
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It was a back-and-forth opening set until the Mustangs relied on efficient offense to separate themselves. Mount Vernon totaled 15 kills and posted a .542 hitting percentage in the opening frame. Meester led the way with five kills and a .667 hitting percentage. Sydney Huber racked up 13 assists to open the match.
"We were fearless and joyful - mindset-wise - from the front end," said Mount Vernon coach Maggie Willems. "Usually, matches are won by the serving and pass game, and I think we won that serving and passing game today."
Up as many as nine in the second set, the Mustangs continued to be the aggressors near the net. Along with their offensive success, Mount Vernon capitalized on shooting woes by Western Christian, which posted a .156 hitting percentage with nine totaled errors. It was enough to help the Mustangs clinch the second set, 25-17.
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The Wolfpack tried to claw back in the final frame, but the Mustangs' firepower was too much to match. Mount Vernon snatched the final set, 25-18, to clinch the 3A state championship.
Meester and Sydney Maue combined for 30 kills in favor of the Mustangs. Huber posted 38 assists while Eryn Jackson led the team with 15 digs.
Maue, Huber and Meester were named to the 3A all-tournament team. Meester - a Louisville commit - earned team-captain honors.
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"We trained in the gym every single day ... This is what we wanted, and this is what we got," Meester said. "We put all our effort in, and we held everybody accountable. If someone wasn't doing their best (in practice), we made sure they were at least trying."
Despite falling short in their quest for three straight state titles, the Wolfpack have solidified themselves as a volleyball powerhouse. The 2022 and 2023 state champions returned just three starters from last season's team and still reached the 3A state title game with wins over Sioux Center and West Delaware.
Juniors Scarlett Winterfeld and Maggie Van Schepen represented Western Christian on the 3A all-tournament squad. The Wolfpack finished their season with a 33-14 record.
"We were one of the youngest teams here; we went in the locker rooms and said our goodbyes to our seniors (and) thanked them," said Western Christian coach Tammi Veerbeek. "I know I'll have a motivated team next year. Today Mount Vernon was the better team for sure, they're dynamic (and) explosive, but we'll get back to work; you'll see us back here again next year."
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.