By Lauren Kephart

If you have ever been a part of a sports team, you can probably testify that traveling with your team is one of the greatest experiences, it offers a lot of fun memories, along with opportunities to grow closer to your team. A similar opportunity arose for the Mustang’s volleyball team.

On Friday, Sept. 14, the team traveled over four hours to Red Oak, Iowa for a volleyball tournament. The team departed from Mount Vernon High School at noon and arrived in Red Oak at around 5 p.m. They had practice soon after they arrived, and then the team went swimming in the hotel pool, which will was a fun team bonding experience. The team spent the night at a hotel, and then the Mustang’s played in an all day tournament on Saturday.

The Mustangs won three games, and lost three as well. Overall, the experience was fun. “It was fun to play with other teams that we hadn’t yet encountered,” said sophomore Jorie Randall. “Overall it was a great team bonding experience and I’m glad I got to participate.”

Just one week prior to this tournament, the Mustangs played a monumental game at Iowa City West High School. This happened on Sept. 8, when Coach Maggie Willems celebrated her 200th win. Coach Willems has been coaching volleyball at Mount Vernon High School for 17 years.

The Mustangs went up against Iowa City Liberty and won, achieving for Coach Willems her 200th victory. The Mustangs attained this goal by beating their opponent 2-0 at Iowa City West High School. Currently, the Mustang’s volleyball team is ranked 00 in the state. “I’m really happy for Coach Willems, you can see her passion for the sport and the joy that it brings her,” said senior Paige Zaruba. “It’s exciting to see her achieve 200 wins.”