No. 1 Mount Vernon sweeps Williamsburg for state berth

VAN HORNE - Sometimes all it takes is a shot to the nose to break you out of a funk.

Top-ranked Mount Vernon cruised through the first two games, then launched a comeback after an injury timeout to win Game 3 and advanced to the Class 3A state tournament by defeating Williamsburg, 25-19, 25-9, 25-20, Tuesday night in a regional final at Benton Community.

'I think we relaxed a little bit too much there at the beginning of Game 3,” Mount Vernon Coach Maggie Willems said. 'At the same time, it presented us with an opportunity to have to fight back and to have to deal with a little bit of adversity.”

It's the seventh trip to state in eight years for Mount Vernon (31-7), which opens state play Tuesday at 6 p.m. against No. 11 Union Community (24-11) at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Mount Vernon scored 10 of the last 14 points to break a 15-15 tie and claim Game 1, 25-19. Game 2 was a rout. The Mustangs jumped out 9-1 and closed with 14 of the last 18 points for a comfortable 25-9 victory.

A game from elimination, Williamsburg showed plenty of fight in the third game, leading throughout until a collision between Mount Vernon teammates Morgan Melchert and Grace Pettinger left Melchert clutching her nose.

'I was hurting a little bit and we were down,” Melchert said. 'So I think we were kind of in a lower state.”

Play stoppage gave the Mustangs time to regroup while trailing 13-8, and Melchert charged back onto the floor with her teammates in tow without so much as missing a play.

'To come back and get the team going and make them realize this isn't over,” said Melchert, who led MV with 36 assists. 'This team isn't just going to hand it to us. We've got to fight. I think everyone came out with just a little more intensity.”

A kill by sophomore Kaitlyn Volesky pulled the Mustangs within a point at 16-15, and from there it was another stampede as Mount Vernon clinched the state berth with a 10-4 surge, capped by Volesky's 10th kill at the net.

'We kept playing our game,” Volesky said. 'Do what we've got to do.”

Alli Platte led Mount Vernon with 12 kills, and Wynne Vandersall added 20 digs.

Williamsburg ends at 16-19.

'The girls played hard,” Williamsburg Coach Rachel Berkland-Head said. 'We knew it was going to be tough. Mount Vernon has a great program.”

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com