2011 Iowa Girls State Volleyball Tournament

Class 3A Championship

Davenport Assumption 50, Mount Vernon 39

Davenport Assumption relied on scrappy play and free throw shooting to overcome Mount Vernon's height and win the Class 3A state championship.

Melissa Youngblut scored 13 points and the fourth-ranked Knights made 16 of 20 free throws in beating No. 2 Mount Vernon 50-39.

It's the second title in four years for the Knights, who were the 2A champions in 2008. They did it in their first year under coach Jennifer Goetz, a former Keokuk Cardinal Stritch star who was inducted into the IGHSAU Hall of Fame last year.

Kate Fennelly and Danielle Moore each scored 10 points for Assumption, which finished 25-2. Fennelly hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter, the second just before the buzzer, to help the Knights build a 16-6 lead.

They got the lead up to 18-6 before Mount Vernon, last year's 2A champion, reeled off 13 straight points to get back in it. But the Mustangs led only once, at 19-18, and Assumption never trailed after Jasmine Binion hit a jumper shot for a 22-20 lead late in the first half.

Assumption led 26-22 at the half was up 38-32 after Youngblut's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter.

Mount Vernon drew to 38-36 on Liz Skotowski's layup with 5:20 remaining, but Moore, a sophomore, converted a three-point play off a drive to the basket to make it 41-36. The Knights then knocked down nine of 10 free throws in the final 2:35 to protect their lead.

Taylor Dicus, the 2A all-tournament captain last year, led Mount Vernon with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Teammate Amanda Platte grabbed 16 rebounds and scored seven points.

Mount Vernon finished another outstanding season with a 24-2 record. Over the last two years, the school has won two state championships in volleyball, one in a track and qualified for the state softball tournament.

Youngblut was named captain of the all-tournament team. She was joined by Moore, Dicus, Mount Vernon's Micah Wieditz, Jen Keitel of Central DeWitt and Taylor Greenfield of Ballard.