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Fairfield in 5, again
Trojans battle past rival Mt. Pleasant in instant classic
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MT. PLEASANT — For the second time in the Southeast Conference volleyball season, the Fairfield Trojans were locked in a five-set battle, and for the second time in as many tries, the Trojans celebrated when the final point hit.
One week after beating Burlington in five sets at home, the Trojans scratched and clawed to another big SEC win, beating the Panthers 25-23, 22-25, 26-24, 17-25, 15-7.
“They stayed within themselves tonight, and they really just helped each other out,” said Fairfield head coach Vicki Rebling. “Whether they were on the court or not on the court, they were helping with spots, and communication was really strong tonight.”
The first three sets couldn’t have been much closer. In the opener, the two teams were tied 23-23. Fairfield would score the next two points to get early momentum. Then, in the second set, the Panthers turned a 20-20 tie into a 25-22 winner.
“We're just going to have to keep our heads up, and know we were in that,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Alicia Schrader. “We did everything pretty much right, but some things are just out of our control.”
The most important point of the night did in fact seem out of Mt. Pleasant’s control. After a third-straight back-and-forth-set, the teams were tied 24-24 in what felt like a swing match. Fairfield won the next point, and then closed it out with an insane scramble point that saw libero Isabel McCready send the ball from the baseline to the very top of the net.
A Panther spike went off one Trojan and seemed to be on its way toward the Fairfield student section, but Lexi Mast chased it down and saved the ball back into the field of play. McCready had to bump it backward over her head from well past the back line, and the ball landed on the very top of the net, dying and crawling over to land on the Mt. Pleasant side of the net.
“I think it was the help of God, honestly,” McCready said. “And the scrappiness of our team, just getting the ball up, so I could throw my arms up and hope it goes over.”
The Trojans rushed the court after the third set win, mauling McCready as they went up 2-1 in sets.
“To be honest, my vision went blurry,” McCready said.
Despite all that, Mt. Pleasant still pushed right back. The Panthers scored a comeback win in the fourth, controlling the final points to get out with a 25-17 win.
But when it came down to it, it was Fairfield that had the extra push to get through with a win. The Trojans scored nine of the first 10 points of the fifth set and ran away with the game, never trailing.
“They just stick together,” Rebling said. “It's really about team work for us, and they trust each other.”
Elyse Setterstrom led Fairfield with 18 kills on the day. Natalie Steele finished with 17, and Leah Helmick had 10. Faith Jones dished out 48 assists, and McCready led the defense with 27 digs.
Addison Clark and Alex Scott led the Panthers in kills.
The win for Fairfield brought the Trojans to 14-9 overall and 3-1 in conference play, clinching the second seed in the 2025 SEC tournament. Mt. Pleasant is now 13-9 overall and 2-2 in the league.
