Van Buren County and Davis County volleyball teams traveled to Pella Christian on Thursday for a quadrangular tournament, where they faced tough competition. The host team, Pella Christian, rebounded from a recent loss and dominated the night with a perfect record, sweeping the Warriors, Mustangs, and Pleasantville.
Among the visiting teams, the Van Buren County Warriors had the best performance, beginning with a 21-15 victory over Pleasantville. However, the Trojans responded in the second set, winning 21-11. In the decisive third set, Van Buren trailed 10-8 before turning the game around. A net serve gave the Warriors the ball, and Marlee Mertens delivered six consecutive serves, securing a 15-10 win. Ashlynn Huff contributed three key kills during the comeback.
Van Buren’s momentum didn’t last against Pella Christian. The Eagles, proving their strength, defeated the Warriors in two sets, 21-8 and 21-11.
In their final match of the night, Van Buren took on local rivals Davis County. The Warriors dominated from the start, jumping to a 10-1 lead and finishing the first set 21-7, thanks to strong serves from Sophia Jirak and kills from Huff. In the second set, Huff’s four aces and Wiley’s kills led the Warriors to a 21-6 win, sealing the match.
“We made great progress in a week’s time,” said Van Buren head coach Selena Sayer. “A good week of practice helped greatly. We played better fundamental volleyball with improved court discipline and our serving was much improved.”
The Warriors later advanced to the semifinals at the Burlington-Notre Dame Tournament on Saturday, splitting four matches before falling to 13th-ranked (1A) Notre Dame in the semifinals.
Davis County Struggles in Pella Christian Quad
It was a tough night for the Davis County Mustangs, whose momentum from their South Central Conference win over Chariton two days prior came to a halt. The Mustangs faced Pella Christian in their first match and were handed 21-7 and 21-12 losses.
Davis County’s second match against Pleasantville started similarly with a 21-9 loss in the first set. However, the Mustangs fought back, winning the second set 21-17. Solid serving from Hayden Humphrey and kills by Lydia Barker, Alistyn Lawson, and Noelle Hill helped the team stay competitive. A block by Paylin Lawson and an ace by Hill helped Davis County secure the set.
In the third and deciding set, the Mustangs battled hard but three consecutive errors allowed Pleasantville to edge ahead, winning 15-13.
Their final match against Van Buren proved difficult, as the Mustangs struggled to keep up.
On Saturday, the Mustangs competed in the Shirley Ryan Invitational at Mount Pleasant, where they faced some of the state’s top teams. Davis County was swept in all five matches, including losses to top-ranked (3A) Mount Vernon and 14th-ranked (5A) Ottumwa.
Upcoming Matches
Van Buren County (7-3) will return home on Tuesday to host New London in Southeast Iowa Superconference South Division action. Meanwhile, Davis County (1-10) will host 10th-ranked (4A) Knoxville in South Central Conference play.
