St. Vincent volleyball team edges Valle Catholic in three-set thriller

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- St. Vincent and Valle Catholic converged Monday night in front of a packed gymnasium at St. Vincent High School, and no one left empty handed.

The Indians dropped the first set but rallied to defeat the Warriors 18-25, 25-19, 25-23 in what's evolved into a heated rivalry between the two small private schools, which are located a mere 24 miles apart.

"It's always a barnburner with Valle and St. Vincent. It's a big Catholic rivalry," St. Vincent coach Cindy Cissell said about the two state-ranked teams. "Nancy Fischer does an awesome job with her team always, so you better be ready and expect a good dogfight because that's what it's going to be."

St. Vincent (10-4-3) struck first in the opening set before Valle (4-2) took the lead for good at 5-4. The Warriors extended their lead to 19-11, but a kill by Katie Verseman sparked a 6-0 run that drew St. Vincent within two points at 19-17. Valle answered by closing on a 6-1 run, scoring the set-winning point on a combined block kill by Madeleine Drury and Hannah Viox.

St. Vincent's Katie Verseman tries to block a shot by Valle Catholic's Riley Wolk during the first set Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 in Perryville, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"We knew we had to improve on our passing," Cissell said about her team's adjustments heading into the second set. "They actually missed serves, and we actually didn't miss any serves. I think that was the big outcome because we're so evenly matched."

After Valle's Abby Umfleet and Cassandra Moulton combined for a block kill to tie the second set at 2-2, the Indians used a 5-1 run to build a 7-3 lead they never relinquished. The Warriors drew within one point at 7-6, but a kill by Kassidy Kassel gave St. Vincent separation once again. Valle was unable to draw within striking distance the remainder of the set.

"We just knew we had to go to three games," St. Vincent senior outside hitter Delia Lowman said. "We couldn't give up."

The Warriors led by as many as five points in the final set before Faith Kapp and Kassel combined for a block kill that trimmed St. Vincent's deficit to 7-3. The Indians slowly chipped away at Valle's lead, twice drawing within one point before a kill by Lowman tied the set at 15-15.

"We had to look at it just one point at a time and just catch up," Lowman said.

Verseman provided a kill that allowed the Indians to take an 18-17 advantage, and an ace by Karly Huber gave St. Vincent its largest lead of the set at 21-17. A tap kill by Verseman gave the Indians a 23-20 edge, forcing Fischer to call a timeout and regroup. Valle came out of its timeout on a 3-0 run that was capped by an ace from Allie Weiler, tying the set at 23-23, but St. Vincent scored the final two points of the set on a kill by Jackie Verseman and a returned shot that landed out of bounds.

St. Vincent's Jenna Winkler sets the ball against Valle Catholic during the second set Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 in Perryville, Missouri. (Fred Lynch)

"They showed a lot of resilience," Cissell said about her team's comeback in the final set. "They've done that in the past, and they've done well. They show a lot of live-and-die attitude."

Valle's undersized lineup struggled at times against the Indians' taller outside hitters, which included Lowman, Kassel and the Verseman sisters.

"They can kind of jump and tower over a lot of people, so that helps a lot," Cissell said. "[The Warriors] are scrappy on defense, and they play defense well, always have."

The match was also a battle between two of the top teams in their respective classes. St. Vincent is the top-ranked team in the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association Class 1 rankings, while Valle is ranked fifth in Class 2.

"I think they're good competition for us, and winning over them is even nicer," Lowman said.

The Indians wrapped up their weekend in the St. Francis Dig For Life Challenge with a 5-1 record. Their only loss was a 25-23, 25-19 decision against eventual champion Notre Dame in the gold bracket semifinals.

Cissell said she likes the direction her team is heading.

"We improve a little each time out, and that's all I ask," she said. "I don't want us to peak right now. I want to see them peak in about mid-October, and I think we'll be fine."