MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Seneca volleyball has been in the hunt for its first district title in program history for quite some time.
On Tuesday, the second-seeded Indians accomplished that goal after earning a 18-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-16 win over fourth-seeded Mount Vernon (17-14-2) in the Class 3 District 12 title match to earn the right to be called district champions.
“It means a lot to this program,” Seneca coach Rachel Ayo said. “These girls have worked their butts off all season. They knew they were capable of doing great things this year. To see them come out and actually accomplish those things—honestly, it’s every coach’s dream. You want your program to do well and to succeed, and I can’t imagine a better group of girls to lead this program to its first district title for Seneca.”
WHAT’S NEXT
With the district title under their belts, the Indians (17-9-1) now play in the sectional round of the Class 3 state tournament. To make it an even more memorable experience, Seneca is hosting its first ever game in the state tournament. The Indians welcome Mountain Grove (27-7) for a 6:30 p.m. matchup on Thursday at Seneca High School.
“It is just crazy to think about,” Ayo said with a big smile. “I just don’t know. It’s just crazy. It’s crazy.”
GAME ACTION
Seneca jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the opening set after a five-point service run from senior Braxton Raultson—which included an ace, two kills from senior Parker Long and a kill each from Raulston and senior Amber Garrison—but the Mountaineers answered right back with a seven-point run in service from freshman Averee Swillum that was highlighted by an ace and two kills from freshman Hali Stokes to give MVHS a 13-9 advantage. Mount Vernon stayed in front and pushed the lead to 21-14 on a kill from sophomore Cheyenne Bieber, who added two more kills as each team traded sideouts until the Mountaineers closed out the first set.
Despite the opening-set loss, Coach Ayo had full confidence her team would respond because of the experience the Indians have had playing extended matches this season. Four of Seneca’s first five wins came in five sets to start the season, with several four and five-set matches sprinkled in along the way.
“Knowing that our team has the stamina and determination to finish out those long matches—and I may not want to go into those long matches—but I at least know if it comes to that point, we can step up, finish and get the job done instead of rolling over and not finishing the match.”
The second set saw Seneca jump out to a 12-5 lead after a Garrison block, Raulston kill and Long ace but Mount Vernon used several errors on the Indians coupled with kills from senior Jordan Duncan and Stokes and an ace from Swillum to tie the game at 17s. Raulston added three kills and junior Jera Jameson had two more down the stretch to send SHS to the win.
Seneca and Mount Vernon started the third set much like they ended the final set, a back-and-forth contest that saw the Indians holding a 14-12 lead before scoring the next eight out of 11 points to go up 22-15. Jameson had a kill, while senior Brylee Sage added a kill and a block. Jameson finished off the third-set win with a block to give Seneca a 2-1 advantage.
The Indians started fast in the fourth set, building a 6-1 initial lead on a five-point service run from Raulston—with an ace, two kills from Long and a kill from Jameson included—before going up 9-2.
Mount Vernon used a 7-2 run to trim the lead to 11-9, but Seneca didn’t waver—scoring seven of the next nine points to push its lead back up, 17-10. Long had two aces and a kill, while junior Louzella Graham also added an ace to highlight that stretch of play. Jameson and Long added back-to-back kills for a 20-14 lead before two more kills by Long pushed the advantage to 22-16. Seneca clinched the final set on consecutive blocks from Jameson and Garrison.
“It was nice to have a lead because volleyball is such a mental game,” Ayo said about jumping out in front. “If you can start out leading and can hold onto that lead, that is a huge mental advantage to your team. I think that was huge.”
STATS
Sage finished the night with 41 assists and two blocks, while Long closed with 17 kills, 16 digs and three aces. Jameson added 16 kills and two blocks, while Raulston had 20 digs and three aces.
“These girls mean a lot,” Ayo said. “This is my third year here and I have had them since they were sophomores or younger. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to coach. It is going to be sad to see them go whenever the season ends, but I am ready to go out with a bang, though. I think we have a good chance to do some great things.”
