Valley Heights has had a successful program with twenty state appearances, and today, they took a well-earned runner-up finish in class 2A, falling to Maranatha Academy in straight sets. 

To start the day, the Mustangs came out of pool play with a 2-1 record, which got them a semi-final match-up against the #1 seeded Inman Teutons, who were 3-0 exiting out of their pool play from Friday.

The Mustangs went on to have an incredible upset, winning straight sets against the Teutons (26-24, 25-21). The first set was close as the first timeout was taken by Inman down 12-8 by the Mustangs in set one. The Mustangs would then have to use a timeout as they would go down 13-14 with the Teutons heating up at the net. Both teams would battle back and forth, point for point, until the 24-24 tie set. Valley Heights would use a timeout and come out of it rattling back-to-back points to win set one 26-24.

The second set in the semi-final for the Mustangs was another nail-biter as the Mustangs would go down at one point 16-9. The game would then get tied at 18-18 before Valley Heights took the lead 20-18. Both teams would again battle back and forth, nearly point for point, before Valley Heights would put it away 25-21. 

Maranatha Academy, on the other side of the court, upset the #2-seeded Ellinwood team in straight sets as well. Interestingly enough, Maranatha Academy had lost to Inman in their pool play, and Valley Heights had lost to Ellinwood in their pool play. 

The Lady Mustangs would start early with a 6-3 lead before having the game quickly tied 8-8. Both teams would tie again at 9-9, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, 14-14, 17-17, and for the last time 19-19. The Lady Eagles stole the show, finishing the first set with a kill from Zion Jones to secure the first set for Maranatha 25-23. 

The second set would also be tied 8-8 early and at 11-11. However, the Eagles would score three straight to go up 14-11 and force the Mustangs to take a time-out. Maranatha would go on to score the next eleven of the last eighteen points of set two to win it 25-19.

Valley Heights, unfortunately, does come up short against the Eagles in the state championship but has nothing to hang their head on with their first runner-up finish since 2006. The season finishes 32-11 for the Mustangs, going 3-2 in the state tournament. 

The Lady Mustangs will graduate Tessa Miller, Haily Stoudt, Anne Toeber, and Lillian Busey from this incredible state-runner-up team. Anne Terber had an incredible nine kills today in both the semi-final and championship (STATS NOT APPROXIMATE).

Another notable stat performance was, of course, Ava Smith, who finished with well over 60 total kills through the state tournament, 20 alone today. Mia Vermittan finishes with four blocks for points and four kills between the semi-final and championship. Josie Parker was also a big-time junior for the Mustangs, getting five kills between the two games today and a block for a point. 

Maranatha got their first state title in program history with the straight-set wins over Valley Heights. It was also the first time the Lady Eagles had ever made it out of pool play in their four total state appearances.