NORTON SHORES – Mona Shores volleyball standout Ava Dunn has been on a mission since she joined the varsity as a sophomore:

To restore the glory of the Sailor program, which hasn’t won a Greater Muskegon Athletic Association City Tournament title since 2014, or a district championship since 2001.

Dunn and the Sailors have already taken a big step toward that goal this season, posting an 18-9 record so far as they head into the home stretch.

They will have a chance to end the GMAA tournament championship drought on Saturday when they compete as the No. 1 seed at Reeths-Puffer High School.

“It would mean a lot,” said Dunn, a 6-0 middle hitter who creates havoc for opponents with her booming kills. “The last time we won was when my oldest cousin was on the team. It would mean a lot to have it run in the family.”

Dunn and her teammates also have their sights set on districts, which begin on Oct. 31 and will be played at Mona Shores.

“At our school, people don’t have a lot of faith in the program,” Dunn said. “We haven’t won districts since 2001 and it would mean a lot to keep things going and continue to grow by doing that.”

The Sailors put everyone on notice early this season when they won the outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament and defeated the host Grand Haven Buccaneers in the process. Grand Haven has long been the top team in the area, so beating them sent Mona Shores into the year with a ton of momentum.

“Winning that really boosted our confidence,” Dunn said. “We always want to beat Grand Haven and that was really big. I feel like we now come into the gym to play other teams with the confidence that we can win.”

Dunn has been a major force behind the Sailors’ success every step of the way this year. She leads the team with 191 kills, and may very well lead the entire area in that category. She’s also a strong server, with 21 aces so far this season, and is a defensive wall at the net with 40 blocks.

“I’m just excited to hit the ball,” she said. “I want to make sure I can get the kill and don’t get blocked. I just feel like my confidence level has gone up. When I started I was 15 and nervous to play with the older girls. But it’s gotten easier and I’m less stressed out.”

As Dunn’s performance has peaked, so has the leadership role she plays on the team. She keeps it positive with her teammates, no matter how things are going on the court, and inspires everyone with her play.

“She’s a welcoming, laid-back leader,” said Mona Shores Coach Kathy Hellmann. “If something is going wrong, she’ll say something positive. She’s never in someone’s face, and she’s really an action-oriented leader. She leads by her actions on the court and usually makes everyone laugh and keeps spirits up.”

Several other Sailors are also having great seasons, including Kyann Hellmann and Jersey VanderWall.

Hellman is the playmaker on offense with 557 assists and has also done her share of scoring with 43 kills and 52 service aces. She’s also strong defensively with 155 digs so far.

VanderWall teams with Dunn to provide the best of the Sailors’ power game, with 132 kills thus far. She’s also a force on defense with 37 blocks.

With such a strong lineup, Mona Shores feels good about its chances to finally win the city tournament on Saturday and claim the title of Muskegon’s best team.

“We have some good team chemistry, and I think this is the best team we’ve had in the last few years,” Dunn said.

Coach Hellman added a word of warning about overconfidence, however.

“If you’re the number one seed you have everything to lose,” she said. “You have to show up for every match because everyone wants to take you down.”