MOUNT VERNON – They fought like they had never fought before. The Mount Vernon girls volleyball team has been fighting since being hit by a stunning tragedy early in the season. Senior setter Delaney Rothgeb, who sustained serious injuries in an automobile accident on Sept 18, has been in a fight of her own as she continues to improve slowly in the critical care unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Until the accident, Rothgeb had been one of the team’s biggest leaders on the court. In fact, she still is, even if she can’t be present.
“Every match, every set and every point we have dedicated to Delaney,” Mount Vernon coach Courtney Rabold said. “Everything is for Delaney. She has been a rock and a huge part of this team at every practice and every game. Obviously, it was devastating when the accident happened. I didn't know that we would make it through, as a team, but these girls have shown that they are willing to fight for Delaney. I could not be more proud of them.”
The Yellow Jackets showed that fighting spirit on Oct. 20. Down two sets and facing first-round elimination at the hands of visiting Canal Winchester in their OHSAA Division I district tournament first-round match, the Jackets came roaring back to win three straight sets, taking the match 21-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-15, 15-8.
The Jackets (13-10) had not come back from being down two sets this season. Mount Vernon, playing beneath an image of Rothgeb on the video screen at The Hive, found their rhythm near the end of the third set. It was, perhaps, their biggest win of 2020.
“Our inspiration is Delaney,” Mount Vernon senior Maddy Burdette said, who had 41 digs against Canal. “That is our motivation in every game. We see her picture up on the board and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we're playing for her.’ She's one of us. She is our glue that holds us together.”
It's not just the image on the wall that inspires, but also the memories that have forged the bonds of friendship.
“The picture definitely helps,” Mount Vernon senior Cora Lepley said. “Every time we look at it we think of Delaney. We think about how much we miss her, how much she is a part of our team and we're just doing it for her. The rest of the season is for her. We miss her so much and it's just so different. Some of us have been playing with her for the last six years. She has been our setter since seventh grade.”
Emma Summerfield had 16 kills and Maddie Sinsel had 42 assists to go with 16 digs to lead the Jackets. Ashley Berg added 11 kills, Kennedee Plank chipped in 10 kills and Lepley added 14 digs for Mount Vernon, which had its season come to a close with a 25-15, 25-16, 25-19 loss in the second round at eighth-seeded Westerville Central on Oct. 22.
