It has been an eventful summer for Mount Vernon seniors Chloe Meester and Sydney Maue.
The future Division I volleyball players won a national volleyball title with their club team, Adrenaline 17 Ben, on July 6 in Las Vegas.
Then they participated in the NTDP (National Team Development Program) Summer Training Series with USA Volleyball last week in Anaheim, Calif.
“It has been really fun,” Meester said. “I get to meet a lot of my friends and it’s fun to build relationships.
“(In Vegas) we started off a little rough, but got out of it quickly. That last game, we didn’t give up; we kept pushing. We wanted to keep playing and end it on a good note.”
The event was the USAV Girls Junior National Championships, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. There were many ages and skill levels. Adrenaline 17 Ben competed in the 17 National class.
“It is a big deal,” Adrenaline director Marty Smith said. “We’re not the first team from Iowa to win it … but it is impressive, high-level volleyball.”
And it did not come easy.
Adrenaline 17 Ben (the many Adrenaline teams are named after the coach of the team, in this case, Ben Bahr) went 4-1 in pool play July 3 and July 4 to advance. They went 1-1 on Friday, finished second, then won a challenge match against Minnesota Select to earn a spot in the Gold bracket.
On Saturday, Adrenaline 17 Ben beat Premier Nebraska 17 Gold 25-19, 24-26, 19-17, in the quarterfinals and Mintonette Sports 25-15, 25-15 in the semifinals.
In the championship, they beat AVC CLE 17 Red (a Cleveland-based club) 25-27, 34-32, 15-8.
That second set in the championship was a doozy.
“They fought off five match points to get that done,” Smith said. “For a good chunk of time I wasn’t sure that was going to happen. That final was one of best matches you could watch.”
“Winning that second set was a breath of fresh air,” Maue said. “Everyone was freaked out. It was super fun. Then we dominated the third set.
“They had more chances to win than we did, but we pulled through when it counted.”
Both Meester and Maue earned all-tournament honors, with Meester being named the captain of the all-tournament team.
“There were some matches (Chloe) just took over,” Smith said. “Everything was clicking. Every time she touched the ball, it was a kill. That doesn’t happen at this level very often.”
Smith said that Maue, who transferred to Mount Vernon from Center Point-Urbana midway through her junior year, was scary good, too.
“Her being left-handed helps a ton, and her jumping ability is amazing,” Smith said. Maue won a state title in the high jump as a sophomore with CPU. “She’s coming into her own. No one could stop her.”
For those who follow area volleyball, the rest of the Adreniline 17 Ben roster included: Dakota Mitchell, Mid-Prairie; Carley Jonker, Xavier; Addie Bomelyn, Rock Island, Ill.; Kate Passmore, Linn-Mar; Kate Shafer, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont; Molly Shafer, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont; Taylor Rexroth, Xavier; and Jenna Younge, C.R. Kennedy.
Meester and Maue were then invited to the NTDP Summer Training Series, which includes current and future Division I players from around the country (Meester is committed to Louisville, and Maue to Arkansas). Some will be chosen for the national team. The program develops future Olympians.
Both Meester and Maue took part last year, as well.
Back home, there will not be much time to relax before high school volleyball practice begins Monday, Aug. 12.
Mount Vernon, the runner-up in Class 3A a year ago, will be a heavy favorite to return to state, and win it all, especially after adding Maue.
“You rarely see two Division I players on the same team,” Smith said. “They are going to be pretty tough.”
“I’m looking forward to that a ton,” Meester said. “The dynamic duo. One of us will be in the front row at all times.”
The Mustangs open the season Thursday, Aug. 29, in Pella.