St. Vincent volleyball team falls to Winona in state final

The comeback-that-wouldn't-be began with the blocks that were for the St. Vincent volleyball team on Saturday at the Show Me Center.

Trailing by 10 points in what was the final set of their spectacular seasons -- win or lose -- junior Katie Verseman blocked Winona's Kyndal Thomason and Rachel Holthaus in the middle on back-to-back points.

Holthaus hesitated on her next attack, tipping instead of swinging. St. Vincent won the point, and the comeback-that-wouldn't-be was in full swing.

The Indians lost the Class 1 state championship match 22-25, 25-13, 25-20 to Winona, which took home its third consecutive title, but Verseman's blocks started a streak that was almost as predictable as it was improbable for this St. Vincent team.

"It's just the biggest joy knowing that we're taking away a spot," Verseman said. "We're doing damage on the net, too."

The Indians trailed 13-3 in the deciding set before reeling off eight consecutive points.

Freshman Jackie Verseman served throughout the streak. Only one serve went unreturned, but the Wildcats struggled to pass her jump serves accurately.

"Honestly coach never really gives us positions so we just serve, and mainly I don't look at a position," Jackie Verseman said. "I just serve to get it in and over and on the floor on the other side."

The run, which also featured three kills from Katie Verseman, was stopped by a kill from Thomason. Winona won five of the next six points after that to build a 19-12 cushion.

The Indians replied by winning five of the next six points following a timeout to close the gap to 19-16, but Holthaus -- an all-state standout -- had three kills and a block to give her team match point.

Katie Versman and Kassidy Kassel combined to block her on the first match point, but a missed serve ended the match and prevented any more comeback attempts.

St. Vincent's Jackie Verseman, right, consoles teammate Gabrielle Schemel after the Indians lost the final set at the Class 1 state volleyball tournament Saturday at the Show Me Center.

"I think that comeback was just showing that we didn't let down and die," Katie Verseman said. "We didn't let them walk over us. We still fought for every point like it was the last."

Holthaus was the star in her third and final state championship appearance. She finished with 36 kills while the entire St. Vincent team finished with 37. Her total for the championship match and her 90 total kills at the final four are both new state records,

"Our coach just said she's going to have hers," Jackie Verseman said of Holthaus. "Don't let it get to your head. Especially since yesterday we noticed how she hit and where it was. We just covered that ground and stayed on our toes."

It took Holthaus a whopping 76 attacks -- the next highest for any player in the match was St. Vincent junior Delia Lowman with 28 -- to break the record. She was dug often by the Indians and mixed in eight errors to finish with a .368 hitting percentage.

"We were just going through the stats. She had 76 attempts. She had 36 kills," St. Vincent coach Cindy Cissell said. "I mean, she's going to get a bunch, but we stopped her over 50 percent of the time. We dug her. That's to say a lot in itself. They knew she was coming full gangbusters and she should. She's very, very good."

St. Vincent (25-13-3) used a 5-0 run to open up a 7-3 lead in the first set and never trailed. Five St. Vincent players had kills in the set, while Winona (28-5-5) got 14 from Holthaus and none from any other player.

"Our setters know that we're all capable hitters and that we can all play well together," Katie Verseman said. "I personally don't think we have one player that can out-do all the other players. I think we have five players on the court that can take care of the ball every time."

The teams played more extended rallies in the second set, and the Wildcats, who closed the set on a 9-1 run, were able to end them with kills more consistently than St. Vincent.

St. Vincent players Jackie Verseman, left, Katie Verseman, Delia Lowman and Kellie L'Hote walk over to console Gabrielle Schemel after losing the third set to Winona in the Class 1 state championship volleyball match Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 at the Show Me Center. (Fred Lynch)

"Winona, I think, didn't play up to their potential the first set and we did," Cissell said. "And then they really turned it on, and I think our nerves got us a little bit. But that's not an excuse, and we didn't pass as well the second set. So we didn't play as well and they played great -- it was like a difference of the sets. We were great the first set, they were great the second set, and then the third set it was just back and forth, back and forth. It could've went either way."

Katie Verseman led the Indians with 11 kills, 11 digs and five blocks, while Lowman finished with 10. Kellie L'Hote had 17 assists, and Karly Huber added 13.

Thomason had eight kills for Winona, and Abigail Hough finished with 30 assists.

Cissell gathered her players following the loss and told them they have "every right to be proud."

"Enjoy the moment," Cissell said when asked what she hopes her players take away from the experience. "Who knows if you'll ever get it again? Enjoy every second of it. They have taken it to the max. They couldn't have played another game. They've taken it as long as they could take it -- three games in the championship game. I mean, you can't ask for a better season than that, and these girls have a lot to hold their heads high about."