St. Vincent volleyball team sweeps Leopold for Class 1 District 3 title

PATTON, Mo. -- If the season is a proverbial mountain, the St. Vincent volleyball team is quickly making its ascent.

The top-seeded Indians turned up their offense Tuesday night, defending their Class 1 District 3 crown with a 25-15, 25-9 win over second-seeded Leopold at Meadow Heights High School.

St. Vincent's Katie Verseman attempts a spike over Leopold's Patience Vandermierden during the first set of the Class 1 District 3 championship Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 at Meadow Heights High School. (Fred Lynch)

St. Vincent coach Cindy Cissell said she's seen tremendous improvement from her squad throughout the season.

"You can't say enough about these kids, and with Leopold, you never know about them because coach [Sandy] Davis always puts a good team out there on the floor," Cissell said. "I'm pretty proud of these girls. They've worked hard and gotten themselves to where they are."

Katie Verseman provided a kill in the first set that gave St. Vincent (24-7-3) the lead for good at 3-2 and another that sparked a 5-0 run, allowing the Indians to build an early 12-5 lead. Emily Seiler sparked a 4-0 burst that pulled Leopold (16-15) within three points at 12-9, but St. Vincent found separation over the final 19 points of the set, during which it outscored the Wildcats 13-6.

"They turned it on," Cissell said. "They knew what they had to do and got the job done."

A kill by Verseman gave St. Vincent a 3-2 lead, one it didn't relinquish, in the second set, and the Indians relied on their dominance at the net to capture 22 of the final 29 points.

Senior outside hitters Delia Lowman and Kassidy Kassel combined for 10 kills for St. Vincent while senior setter Karly Huber contributed 12 assists.

"The outside hitter is always that one that's a bailout person," said Verseman, a senior middle hitter who finished with a match-high seven kills. "They're always there ready to hit, and when you have that hitter on, it's great. And it wasn't just one of our hitters. It was all of them. They were all working together really hard."

Leopold's Makaylee Richards, left, and Shelby Schreckenberg try to block a spike by St. Vincent's Kassidy Kassel during the second set of the Class 1 District 3 championship Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 at Meadow Heights High School. (Fred Lynch)

Jackie Verseman had two kills but provided most of her damage with a jump float serve that helped the Indians capture 11 points.

"She's become a real force," Cissell said about her sophomore outside hitter, who finished with two aces. "You have your nights where you're off a little bit. Everyone does, but she really turned it on, which everybody has.

"It's the right time of year."

Seiler wrapped up her varsity career at Leopold with three kills and three digs while freshman Patience Vandermierden added nine assists, three kills, two digs and two blocks. Junior Ashley Nussbaum contributed three kills and three blocks for the Wildcats, and Brittany Garland, a senior, tallied six digs.

The Wildcats lost a pair of key seniors from last year's team in Caitlyn Petty and Bailee Cope but still finished the season above .500 and earned the chance to play for a district title, which coach Sandy Davis believes is valuable experience for a team that is expected to return three juniors and four sophomores.

"Our girls wanted to prove themselves, and they did. They proved a lot," Davis said. "I've got a lot coming back, and they're already ready to get going. Our senior leadership was amazing, and we're definitely going to miss that next year. But I'm proud of them. As a coach, I couldn't ask for anything more than what these girls gave me."

St. Vincent's Katie Verseman, right, and Kassidy Kassel cheer a point against Leopold during the first set of the Class 1 District 3 championship Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 at Meadow Heights High School. (Fred Lynch)

St. Vincent has won eight straight and is currently No. 3 in the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association Class 1 rankings.

"We've changed every game throughout the season," Katie Verseman said. "We build up to this point that we're at right now, and we're finally starting to get up to our peak, which is a great thing."

The Indians will continue their state tournament march in a Class 1 sectional against state-ranked Bismarck on Saturday at Bernie High School.

Cissell said the key for her team is not to hesitate. She wants her players to be aggressive.

"They've had a lot of pressure on them," Cissell said. "They know what the expectations are -- the fans, the town, a lot of people. They've handled it very well."