DAVENPORT — The 2023 varsity season ended for the Lady Spartans Tuesday, October 24 in the Class 3A Region 8 Championship as Assumption Catholic won 3-0 to advance to the State Tournament.
The Knights took set one 25-19 and set two 25-18 before Solon rallied in the third set, threatening a win and fourth set before falling 25-23. Yasmine Sell led Solon with ten kills, Grace Erwin and Jozie Lahr made two solo blocks each, Brynn Deike had 29 assists, Kennedey Whitford made 13 digs, and Sell produced two ace serves.
Despite the heartbreak, Coach Mikayla Siddell was upbeat.
“The match against Assumption was a good one. We passed well and had some great defense with our block to put some pressure on them. We did play timidly toward the beginning, which could have been nerves. However, the staff and I are so proud of how the team handled their mental game. They stayed positive and brought each other up. We know what we need to work on this off-season and next preseason, and we are very excited to see that tournament next season!”
Final WaMaC East standings
Mount Vernon 5-0 30-4
CPU 3-2 24-9
Marion 3-2 24-12
West Delaware 2-3 24-14
Solon 2-3 20-14
Independence 0-5 16-21
Solon loses seniors Deike and Britta Elijah to graduation in May.
“We are very sad to see Brynn and Britta leaving us,” Siddell said. “They both brought great energy and leadership to the program. They had open arms with the underclassmen and for that, we are very grateful for both of them. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”
All-Conference honors conferred
Erwin, a junior, was named to the WaMaC East 1st Team on the All-Conference list released last week. Erwin produced 186 kills this season in 32 matches with 47 solo blocks and 69 block assists.
Sell and Dieke were named to the East Second Team.
Sell, a junior, led the team with 268 kills in 37 matches with 21 solo blocks and 48 block assists. She produced 32 ace serves. Deike made 576 assists as the team’s setter in 27 matches with 48 kills, 13 solo blocks, and 34 block assists. Deike tied with Sell with 32 aces.
Lahr and Whitford received WaMaC Recognition (honorable mention). Lahr, a sophomore, produced 202 kills in 37 matches with 47 solo blocks and 72 block assists. In addition, she made 27 ace serves this season. Whitford, a sophomore, is the team’s libero. She made four kills in 37 matches, 435 digs, and 18 aces.
“The players a part of conference are all outstanding players. They deserved it with all the work, effort, and passion they have put in this season,” the coach said. “We were happy to see three of our players, Grace, Yasmine, and Brynn making 1st and 2nd team! It’s a big accomplishment and I hope we can continue getting some players from the Solon Program on the conference list.”
Looking ahead
“Next Season we will have a lot of starters returning. This brings some high hopes for us to make it to the state tournament next season. We hope to build some team chemistry on the court and continue to play our game. We are hoping to continue to improve our offense and put some defensive pressure on teams. It has been a great season, and I am thankful that a lot of our coaching staff will be returning this next season. We can’t thank the Solon community enough for their support this season. The crowds have been energetic and fun, and we hope that continues into the next year.”

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Yasmine Sell, a junior, was named to the WaMaC East All-Conference 2nd Team. Sell led Solon with 268 kills.