by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington girls volleyball team finished one of its most exciting seasons in its history with a three-set loss to Mulvane in the Class 4A Regional Div. 1 tournament in Mulvane. The Crusaders fell 25-22, 15-25, and 25-14.

“It typified our season,” said Cherity Clift, Wellington head volleyball coach. “We had the momentum after winning the second set by 10 points. We were rocking and rolling and then we come out and give up seven points right off the bat and we couldn’t dig ourselves out of the hole.”

Wellington’s season ends at 14-21. Mulvane didn’t go much further. The Wildcats lost to Rose Hill in the sub-state championship 25-11, 25-15.

Abby Goodrum, Micah Rogers and Kaitlyn Ledbetter.

Despite the sudden end to a promising season, there is one thing going for Wellington at the moment. The volleyball team is young. Four of its six starters were sophomores. Eight of the 12 girls on the Wellington roster were sophomores and freshmen. Some eighth graders are coming. 

Mariah Moore had a good day serving for Wellington.

“I’m thinking in the coming year when we learn to be consistent, we should be competing for league titles,” Clift said.

Saturday, the first round loss was decided in the first set in an exhausting back-and-forth battle between two teams that somehow never saw each other all season until the first round of sub-state.

Wellington opened with a 3-0 lead, but could never get further in front as Mulvane came storming back. After Wellington held a 16-13 advantage, Mulvane would rattle off the next six of the next seven points and Wellingto nwas trailing 20-17. A couple of nice Micah Rogers spikes brought the Crusaders back to within one 22-21. But Mulvane held on to a 25-22 game.

MIcah Rogers had her final game as a senior.

In game two, Wellington dominated from start to finish, taking an 18-8 lead. Mulvane made a mini comeback, bot pull within four. But the Crusaders would sprint to a 25-15 victory.

But Wellington’s third set was a bummer. The Crusaders spotted the Cats seven points and it could not get much closer.

The high school careers of Avery Lewellen, Micah Rogers, Shelby Hamel, an and Brianna Mullen will come to an end. But there is plenty of volleyball left for the rest of the girls.

“I’m hoping they will play some club volleyball during the off season,” Clift said. “But I’m a believer that they should be involved in other sports as well. They need to be out for basketball in the winter and girls softball or track in the spring.”

Wellington girls celebrate after a point.