It was a night to remember in Keosauqua, Iowa as the Van Buren County volleyball team celebrated Homecoming Week and Senior Night with a 3-0 sweep over Mediapolis on Thursday, October 9th. The Warriors took the match in straight sets — 25-20, 25-13, and 25-23 — in what was their final regular season home game.
The two teams were familiar opponents, having met earlier this season in the conference tournament quarterfinals, where Van Buren County also swept Mediapolis in two straight sets.
Set Breakdown
In the opening set, Van Buren County jumped ahead 6-2 before Mediapolis battled back to tie it 7-7 and later 15-15. The Warriors trailed briefly at 16-17 before rallying late to even the score at 20-20 and closing it out 25-20 behind 14 kills, two aces, and a block that resulted in a point.
The second set was all Van Buren County. After an early 3-3 tie, senior Ashlynn Huff went on a dominant service run featuring four aces to help build an 8-3 lead. The Warriors never looked back, cruising to a 25-13 victory with five aces and 12 kills in the set.
The third set was the most competitive of the night. Van Buren County and Mediapolis traded points early, tied at 5-5 before the Warriors pulled ahead 9-6. The Bulldogs surged back to lead 19-14, but Van Buren County refused to fold, battling to tie it 22-22. With the score knotted at 23-23, junior Kailey Chaplin came in to serve the final two points, sealing the sweep 25-23.
Career Milestones and Unofficial Stats from Shan Moquin
It was a memorable night for several Warriors reaching or being recognized for major career milestones. Senior standout Ashlynn Huff notched her 500th career kill during the second set, finishing the night with four aces and 19 kills. Lexie Wiley was recognized for surpassing 500 career digs and for setting a new school record for most digs in a single game earlier this season. She also contributed two aces and a kill in the win with a bunch of digs. Marlee Mertens added 12 kills, Daphny Wells chipped in four, Aida Troutman had four kills and an ace in what could have been her best match of the season, and Sophia Jirak tallied one ace, one kill, and numerous assists while setting the offense. Freshman Briley Losey also logged her first varsity kill in a strong showing, while senior Adisson McLain contributed key minutes on the court.
Earlier this season, Mertens reached 500 career digs, and Jirak surpassed both 1,500 career assists and 500 career digs — adding to an impressive list of individual milestones for this senior-led team.
Senior Night Recognition
Van Buren County honored five seniors for their leadership and contributions to the program:
- Ashlynn Huff, daughter of John and Amy Huff, who also participates in softball and Leo Club. She plans to attend Indian Hills Community College to become a radiologic technologist.
- Sophia Jirak, daughter of Kurt and Tonja Jirak, who also competes in basketball and golf. She plans to major in business at college.
- Adisson McLain, daughter of Terry and Jodi McLain, active in FFA and Leo Club. She plans to attend DMACC and major in agricultural business.
- Marlee Mertens, daughter of Dave Mertens and the late Beth Mertens, also plays basketball and plans to attend Kirkwood Community College for nursing and to play volleyball.
- Lexie Wiley, daughter of Eric and Jeni Wiley, is involved in dance, wrestling, track, softball, Leo Club, Art Club, National Honor Society (president), Student Council (president), and Silver Cord. She will attend William Penn University to study pediatric nursing while continuing both volleyball and dance.
Coach’s Reflections
Head Coach Salena Sayre talked with broadcaster and voice of the Warriors, Shan Moquin, and she praised her senior class, saying,
“They’re a great group of girls — on and off the court. They’re all smart: book smart and street smart. They’re just going to be a hard group to replace come next year. But I’m positive that the girls coming up will be able to step up. Those girls have worked from their freshman year to hit all those milestones, and they’ve done great at what they do on the court. It’s definitely going to be tough without them next year.”
Sayre also reflected on the team’s performance against Mediapolis, particularly the competitive third set.
“I think the third set probably could have been pulled on my coaching part a little bit, throwing some girls in there that aren’t used to playing out there. But I thought they played great. I told the girls in the huddle, I said, ‘It doesn’t matter who’s on our side — it’s the same team on the other side. It shouldn’t matter who’s on our side. You guys know how to play volleyball. Keep the ball in, play defense, and put it away when you can.’ Other than that, it was just a momentum switch. We didn’t have the same serving we had in the first two sets — maybe not quite as tough with our serves. Ashlynn got a little frantic there in her serving, but Chaplin did great with her serving to finish the last set.”
She also highlighted the importance from her bench.
“It doesn’t matter who starts that night — any one of you could be thrown out there. Kailey kind of looked at me with that ‘oh my gosh’ look when it was tied 23-23, but she picked it up and did good. Briley did her part coming in, and any one of those girls could fill a spot on that court if they needed to.”
The Warriors also learned their postseason path before the match against Mediapolis, landing in the Class 2A Region 8 bracket. They’ll open regional play at home on Wednesday, October 22nd, against West Burlington — a familiar foe they’ve beaten multiple times this season. If they advance, Van Buren County is likely to face Regina Catholic, who will play the winner of the Danville vs. Cardinal pigtail game.
Sayre discussed the upcoming regional matchup:
“I was really shocked at who we drew for the first round. I told the girls it’s going to be tough to beat a team a third time this weekend and then a fourth time in regionals. We’re going to come out and give it our best. It’s great to have a home match — the home crowd helps for sure. But we’re pretty equally matched, as we’ve seen in our other matches with them. Saturday will really tell us how things are going to go.”
Before then, Van Buren County will travel to Bloomfield on Saturday, October 11th for the Davis County Tournament, where they’ll face Centerville, Davis County, Central Lee, West Burlington, and Chariton to end the regular season. The Warriors have previously defeated Centerville, Central Lee, and West Burlington earlier this season.
Fans can relive the Warriors’ Senior Night sweep over Mediapolis here: Van Buren Volleyball vs Mediapolis: October 9, 2025
