Top-ranked Mount Vernon is still undefeated in Iowa, but got clipped twice at the prestigious two-day Bellevue West Tournament on Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31, in Nebraska.
On Friday, the Mustangs beat Mil- lard West 26-24, 18-25, 25-20, Elkhorn North 24-26, 25-17, 25-22, and Gretna 25-12, 25-21. On Saturday, they beat Mil- lard South, 25-22, 25-14, before falling to Omaha Skutt Catholic 25-17, 27-25. In the third-place match, they lost to Omaha Westside, 15-25, 25-22, 25-22.
“Going to the Bellevue West Tournament is like going to the Class 5A/4A state tournament over Labor Day weekend,” Mount Vernon coach Maggie Willems said. “The teams we played are perennial powers and already playing at a high level this early in the season.”
The weekend matches also came after the Mustangs opened play Thursday, Aug. 29, with three matches in Pella.
“What was really tested was our grit,” Willems said. “We played nine games in three days, and none of the matches were against an opponent that we outmatched. It was a grind.”
The Mustangs probably won’t lose too many matches this fall, so losing twice in an afternoon could’ve been a shock.
“They totally understand the purpose of this tournament and that it’s a pro- cess for continued growth,” Willems said. “We got exposed, which is exactly what you want. We can figure out in all phases of the game (both physical and mental) what we need to focus on in training.”
Senior setter Sydney Huber was busy, handing out 139 assists over the six matches. Returning Class 3A Player of the Year Chloe Meester had 79 kills.
The other top attackers included Paige Schurbon (20 kills), Sophia Meester (26 kills), Sydney Maue (23 kills) and Cali- Ana Whitaker (14 kills). Eryn Jackson led the defense with 57 digs. At the Pella Quadrangular, the Mus- tangs beat No. 11 (4A) Pella 25-20, 25-19, beat No. 6 (3A) Mid-Prairie 25-11, 25-21, and topped Bondurant-Farrar 25-11, 25-17. Huber had 73 assists over six sets.
Chloe Meester led the attack with 31 kills, but against the Bluejays, did not lead the team in kills. Schurbon topped her 7 to 6.
“That shows that we will be hard to defend,” Willems said. “We’re pretty ter- minal at every position on the court this year.”
Schurbon had 15 kills overall. Sophia Meester had 15 kills and Maue had 18 kills. Sophia Meester, a sophomore, has developed into another strong frontline attacker.
“She moved from the right side to the left side, which is her strong position,” Willems said. “She will make significant contributions this season.”
Mount Vernon gets a week to recover from its big road trip before hosting a 15-team tournament on Saturday,