Another state tournament, another championship for Western Christian.
Western Christian got solid production from its hitters and played excellent defense in beating top-ranked Mount Vernon 3-1 to win the Class 3A title. The Western scores were 25-23, 22-25, 25-22 and 25-18.
It’s the 19th state championship for Western and the 14th for coach Tammi Verbeek, who is the state leader in that category. This was the Wolfpack’s 24th consecutive appearance at state – a record – and they reached at least the semifinals every year during that run.
Shayna Van Dyken led the Wolfpack attack with 20 kills and found plenty of support along the front line. Scarlett Winterfeld and Keana Wynja each logged 13 kills and Bentley Bilek added seven to go with 19 digs.
The Wolfpack (32-13) frustrated the Mount Vernon hitters throughout the match with their blocking and ability to cover the court. They came up with 92 digs in the four games, libero Haley Wielenga leading the way with 37. She made the all-tournament team, along with Van Dyken and Wynja.
Mount Vernon’s Chloe Meester pounded out 25 kills, had 24 digs and was named captain of the all-tournament team. A junior who has committed to Louisville, she finished the tournament with impressive totals of 69 kills and 56 digs.
Paige Schurbon added 10 kills for the Mustangs (35-5), who were seeking their fifth title, and Sydney Huber had 43 assists. It was a young team, with only one senior starter.
Western entered the tournament with more losses than anyone in the 3A field, but played its usual challenging schedule and was ready when the postseason rolled around. The Wolfpack won all three regional matches in straight sets and dropped just two sets at state.