Thole returns; Hawks sweep Mustangs

MANCHESTER - Emily Thole tugged at a cumbersome-looking wrap job that started at the top of her left thigh and continued to her knee.

She grinned, but she ached.

'I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I'm a little sore,” she said. 'I knew my team could do it without me tonight, but I really wanted to be a part of it.”

Part of a championship.

Class 4A second-ranked West Delaware rallied from a nine-point deficit in the first set and swept 3A No. 2 Mount Vernon, 26-24. 25-18, 25-22, in a Wamac Conference East Division volleyball match in front of more than 1,000 Tuesday night at Seedorff Gymnasium.

The triumph gave the Hawks (35-2 overall, 7-0 division) sole possession of the East title.

A multi-sport senior standout and the Hawks' libero, Thole sprained her left hamstring during practice Friday. She missed Saturday's Westside Invitational tournament at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and the Hawks absorbed their only two losses of the season there.

She underwent physical therapy Monday, but didn't practice. Tuesday, she was wrapped and ready.

'By 6 o'clock, I had a really good sweat going and I knew I was going to be able to play,” she said.

It took a while to get going. Not just for Thole, for all the Hawks.

Mount Vernon (25-5, 5-2), which was pushing to force a three-way tie for the East title (Solon also would have been involved), scored the first six points, then led 9-1, then 15-6.

'They really exploited our block early,” said Hawks Coach Brett Mather. 'But as the match progressed, we found some shots we could hit. We got more one-on-ones.”

The Mustangs still led 19-12 before the Hawks surged back. A 7-1 spurt made it 20-19. Mount Vernon answered with three straight and looked safe at 23-19.

But, as Mount Vernon Coach Maggie Willems said, 'You're never safe against West Delaware.”

A couple of kills by Haley Morrison ignited a five-point run that gave the Hawks their first lead at 24-23. After the teams traded points, Addison Brooks put away set point.

'When you let a lead like that go, it's hard to recover from,” Willems said. 'We were less aggressive with our offense and with our serves.”

Kristen Wegmann collected eight of her match-high 15 kills in the second set, and the Hawks led it throughout.

'We were mentally strong tonight,” Wegmann said. 'We got behind in that first set, and we didn't lose our heads. We were able to battle back.

'Having Emily back, that helped a lot with communication. She's a big part of it.”

A four-point run gave West Delaware the lead for good, 11-7, in the third set. Another four-pointer made it 19-14, and the Hawks ultimately won it on a kill by Brooks.

Wegmann led an offensive attack that posted a 51-33 advantage in kills. Brooks and Morrison added eight kills apiece, Bridget Hoffmann and setter Carlee Ketchum seven each. Ketchum distributed 39 assists.

Emma Cochrane finished with 11 kills for the Mustangs. Kaitlyn Volesky added 10.

Both teams will compete in Wamac tournament pool play Thursday. Bracket play is Tuesday at Mount Vernon.

WEST DELAWARE 3, MOUNT VERNON 0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-22)

At Manchester

Serving: Mount Vernon 63-65 (.969), West Delaware 68-75 (.907); Aces: Mount Vernon 2 (two with 1), West Delaware 4 (four with 1); Kills: Mount Vernon 33 (Emma Cochrane 11), West Delaware 51 (Kristen Wegmann 15); Assists: Mount Vernon 32 (Morgan Melchert 29), West Delaware 49 (Carlee Ketchum 39); Blocks: Mount Vernon 4 (Alli Platte 2), West Delaware 3 (Bridget Hoffmann 2).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net