MOUNT VERNON — If you want to know where you stand, you might as well take on the best and see how you measure up.
The Mount Vernon boys volleyball team lost both matches in a Saturday home doubleheader. The Yellow Jackets fell to St. Edward, the defending Division I state champ, 25-13, 25-14, 23-25, 25-22. Later, they lost to Cincinnati Elder, 25-19, 26-28, 25-18, 25-22.
They may be two losses, but the Jackets were competitive in both, and proved they could hang with both top teams.
“This team showed a lot of heart to come back and play as well as we did against two of the premier large school programs in the state,” said Mount Vernon head coach Alan Cassell.
Mount Vernon debuted its new-look lineup, with Bryan Downs moving to setter and Dan Eddy as the new liberio. It was an adjustment for both, which showed in the first two games against St. Edward. The players didn’t talk to each other and appeared more frustrated with each unforced mistake. But, by Game 3, both had settled down, with Downs totaling 50 assists in two matches.
“I knew we were going to have a rough start to the year,” said Cassell. “I just didn’t know it would be that rough. As a coach, I think I was trying to make things too complicated, to cover up some of our weaknesses. So, we switched back to the basics, and it helped us.”