Published: October 27, 2009 08:44 am      

Clinton volleyball coach Massey records 700th win

River Queens rally from 0-2 deficit, beat Lancers in regional

By Scott McNeish

Herald Assistant Sports Editor

CLINTON — He walked past a standing ovation, through a tunnel of high-fiving students, as the electric crowd chanted his name.

Mas-sey!

Mas-sey!

Mark Massey had just made history.

He became the fourth Iowa high school volleyball coach to reach 700 career wins after Clinton rallied for an improbable victory Monday over North Scott in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal at Yourd Gymnasium.

The River Queens won 16-25, 12-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-9 to advance to Thursday's semifinal at No. 4-ranked Dubuque Hempstead.

“This is certainly nice,” Massey said. “I'm pretty competitive. I really wanted win No. 1, and then after that I really wanted win No. 2, and it's grown from there.”

No. 700 came in thrilling fashion.

Clinton (14-12) allowed North Scott (7-19) a 2-0 edge in the match, putting the Queens in a win-or-go-home predicament.

But they responded. Clinton did not permit the Lancers another lead until midway through Game 5. Improved focus and aggressive hitting sent the Queens rolling through three straight victories.

“We realized we could do it,” said middle blocker Leisha Harris, who had 10 kills and seven blocks. “We felt like we could come back and pulled it off.”

Massey's overall record stands at 700-296-66 in 31 seasons.

He became only the second male in state history to reach the milestone. The other coaches in the 700-win club are Tom Keating (738 wins), Barb Bakker (732) and Shirley Ryan (725).

Massey's teams have won four Mississippi Athletic Conference titles and advanced to four state tournaments.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Mark,” Clinton athletic director Gary Lueders said. “He's been doing this a long time, and he works extremely hard. It's a tribute to the effort he's put in and all the kids that have been involved in the program. How nice for it to happen here, in front of the home crowd.

“Now he can put it behind him and start working toward 800.”

Outside hitter Sarah Massey, Mark's daughter, led the Clinton comeback with 15 kills, 17 digs and five service aces.

Setter Ashley Haugen had 19 assists, 17 digs and four aces, middle blocker Mallory Voss had eight kills, including the final two in Game 5, and setter/hitter Courtney Camp added 16 assists.

In Game 1, North Scott raced to a 15-4 lead. The Queens twice trimmed the deficit to six, but the Lancers answered with a flurry for a 1-0 match advantage.

“We didn't come to play,” Voss said. “We weren't really focused.”

North Scott closed Game 2 on a 16-3 run to push Clinton one game loss from elimination.

Massey rallied his troops.

“I spoke rather sternly,” he said. “I just said, 'Dumping the ball over and pushing the ball over ain't going to get it done.' I thought everyone was waiting for somebody else to get the job done. We had to go make it happen.

“In volleyball, it's about the last swing, the last point. You still have to finish.”

The Queens led throughout Games 3 and 4 to knot the match 2-2. They kept a calm, simple approach with their season on the line.

“We always say there's no eight-point play,” outside hitter Devynn Paulsen said. “We had to take one step at a time and one point at a time. We couldn't get it all back at once. It worked for us.”

The Lancers led 6-4 in Game 5 before Paulsen's back-to-back kills tied it 6-all.

A Voss kill made it 10-9 Clinton, and the Queens capped the match on a 6-0 burst, securing their coach’s seat in elite company.

Mark Massey. Now, officially, one of the best in state history.



CLINTON 16-12-25-25-15

NORTH SCOTT 25-25-16-22-9

Clinton individual leaders

Kills — Sarah Massey 15, Leisha Harris 10, Mallory Voss 8. Assists — Ashley Haugen 19, Courtney Camp 16. Digs — Massey 17, Haugen 17. Aces — Massey 5, Haugen 4. Blocks — Harris 7, Voss 3.