MOUND CITY — The Osawatomie Trojans advanced to this weekend’s sub-state tournament, but not before taking a loss to the Iola Mustangs in a three-set thriller.
With their fate of moving on to the sub-state tournament reliant on the outcome of another contest on another court, the Mustangs threw caution to the wind against Osawatomie as they ended their season with a win despite not advancing in the postseason.
“It feels good for us to not only end the season on a win, but a hard-fought win,” Iola coach Lauren Moots said. “We battled. I’m extremely proud of the way we finished. We could have easily laid down, died and let them sweep up. We said ‘No, we’re not going to let that happen.’ I’m proud of their grit and their toughness.”
As forecast all season by Moots, the Mustangs seemed to peak at just the right time. Against host Jayhawk-Linn, the Mustangs were crushed in the first set, 25-14. Iola found their footing in the second set, at one point leading 13-5 off a kill by junior outside hitter Dally Curry. Jayhawk-Linn capitalized on a few Iola mistakes to rally and eventually take the second set 25-23 — securing the sweep.
The Mustangs sustained a second loss to Baxter Springs 25-14, 25-10 but remained in the hunt after Osawatomie upset Jayhawk-Linn in three sets.
With a win over the Trojans, all the Mustangs needed was the perennial powerhouse and recent Three Rivers League champion to find its footing against Baxter Springs. Instead, the Jayhawks fell again in three sets, but Iola did not know it until game officials presented Osawatomie with the runner-up trophy.
“Seeing the growth from where we started to where we finished is amazing,” Moots said. “It’s been a tremendous amount of growth and a tremendous amount of work everyone put in on our team. It showed. When we’re all clicking, we’re really good. It’s about tweaking a few things, getting back in the gym and we’ll be ready for next year.
Iola took the opening set 25-23 after freshman outside hitter Haidyn Desmarteau caught fire late. Desmarteau, who was third in kills with 12 over three contests and second in digs with 31, set up match point with a soft tip, then took the match 25-23 with a hard spike.
Suffering another 25-10 blowout in the second set, the Mustangs regained their footing in the third. Iola rallied on kills by Curry, Desmarteau and junior setter Zoie Hesse until a push by Hesse set up match point. An errant shot on the next exchange gave Iola a 25-23 win. Although eliminated, the Mustangs had plenty to celebrate.
“It’s amazing. It’s one of the best feelings you can feel,” said Curry, who had a team-leading 18 kills, 58 digs and two blocks while also passing 500 career digs. “Showing up for my teammates is awesome. We’re like family. Winning just makes it special, especially during the postseason. It gives you closure.”
With the win, the Mustangs finish the season 10-25 and fifth in the Pioneer League at 3-9. While some teams weep and hug, after their season ends, Iola had a different outlook. Considering there are no seniors on Iola’s roster, and most players are underclassmen, Monday’s finale is only the end of the first stage of many more stages to come.
“It’s amazing. Coming into the start of the season, we didn’t know how our team dynamic was going to be or how we would handle wins and losses,” said freshman outside hitter Lily Jerome, whose four blocks was second to sophomore middle hitter Cam Wille’s six. “We came together as a team. Just to see our team come together, we’re only going to get better and working over the summer will help us.”
