MOUNT VERNON — It didn’t take long for the Mount Vernon High School boys volleyball team to set the tone Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets got a quick kill on the first point and steamrolled Dublin Jerome, 25-10, 25-9, 25-11.
Chris Ingersol got the Jackets (4-1) started off right with the kill and then Chris Hinger’s serving took over as they rolled to an 8-0 lead in the first game. After absorbing the big blow early, Jerome was able to right itself a bit, but it was too little, too late in the first game as MV won 25-10.
“It’s always good to get going early and some momentum going,” said Ingersol. “That helped carry us through.”
It was more of the same in the second game as Mount Vernon jumped out to a 9-3 lead en route to the 25-9 victory. Jerome battled with the Jackets early in the third game, trailing just 7-6 at one point. But, a 13-2 run helped MV to the victory.
“We started off real well,” said Jacket coach Alan Cassell. “Our serves were especially good tonight.”
The Jackets had 12 aces on the night, including five from Ingersol.
“It was mostly luck. I do the same thing every night. Sometimes it’s an ace, sometimes it’s played out,” Ingersol said.
The Jackets’ front line also played a big part in the victory. Trey Williams and Ben Bennett led the Jackets up front as they stopped any and all Celtics’ rallies.
“I thought we did a nice job at the net. Trey Williams had some really nice blocks. And Ben Bennett, who just came back from an ankle injury, did a really nice job,” Cassell said. “We hit some hard balls tonight. Overall, it was a real satisfying team effort.”
Ingersol added 18 assists, two kills and one block to his team-leading five aces for the Jackets. Carter Cassell added 13 kills, 11 assists and one block, while Williams had four blocks, two digs and one kill. Andre Nixon added four kills and two aces; Ben Miglin had three kills, two aces, one block, one dig and one assist; Bennett had four kills and two aces; and Chris Hinger had three kills, one block, one dig and one ace.
The Jackets will have their hands full next week when the two state finalist teams make trips to the Hive. Hilliard Darby will head to MV on Tuesday, while Cincinnati Moeller will come on Saturday. In between, the Jackets will face a tough Pickerington North team on Thursday.
“We’ve been gearing up for next week,” Cassell said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do against some of the top teams in the state.”
The Jackets reserves also won in convincing fashion, 25-19, 25-13. Ben Miglin led the Jackets with 17 points, while Ethan Beckholt had 10 points.
