After taking over as setter at the start of 2022, it took Greta Hahn just a season and a half to reach the career 1000 assists milestone.
The senior set the mark during the Clippers’ third game against host Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial on Tuesday.
“She is a fierce competitor,” said head coach Dave Nixon. “She is fearless. She gets after it. She’s a hyped girl who gets everyone hyped up, and she’s really gone with her leadership role and doing great setting a great example and is vocal too. She has been a lot of fun to coach.”
Hahn had playing time on varsity in 2021, but her position was in the back row, where she had 122 digs and eight service aces but no set assists to put on her resume.
She ended last season with 790 assists. It helped her cause that the Clippers made a run all the way to the section championship, but on the other hand, the Clippers usually got the job done with a minimal number of games: three or two in a tournament.
But in addition to her own skills, Hahn had a back row that could place the ball well and hitters who could spike it down, most often her younger sister Ava Hahn, and it was fittingly Ava’s hit that made for her 1000th assist.
“That’s what I tried to do,” Greta said.
Hahn needed 25 assists coming into the match to reach the milestone.
“It’s hard to get that against a good team,” she said.
Laci Hollerich’s kill was the first point for Cleveland. With a Melia Sathoff ace serve, the Clippers tied the game 3-3.
After Greta Hahn assisted her sister, the Clippers scored 10 of the next 14 points to lead 16-8. With five kills in the mix, the Knights scored eight of the next 10 points before the Hahn siblings teamed up for a 19-16 Clipper lead.
The Knights kept swinging, but Greta Hahn spread the ball around to Sathoff, Sophie Perkins and then Sathoff again for game point in a 25-20 Clipper triumph.
“We expected them to put up a fight,” Nixon said. “We just wanted to get rolling and set the tempo.”
The Knights cooled down in game two, which started when Greta Hahn passed to Hollerich for a point and ended 25-9 when Hahn got her 22nd set assist when she passed to Sathoff.
With kills by Sathoff and Hollerich, each after a Hahn pass, the Clippers went up 2-1 in game three. The Hahn sisters connected to put the Clippers in front 5-2 before they hooked up again for Greta’s 1000th assist.
The Clippers kept control, and, after Ava Hahn served up an ace for a cozy 22-13 lead and Perkins spiked a kill set up match point, the game ended 25-15 on a Knight hit out of bounds.
“They have very good athletes,” Nixon said. “They are capable of doing a lot of damage offensively, but I think with what we were doing offensively and with serving and defending them like we were, they had a hard time getting going and that helped us with momentum in games two and three.
Sathoff led the offense with 14 kills. Ava Hahn had 11 kills. Hollerich had five kills, and Perkins had four kills.
Greta Hahn ended the night with 32 assists.
Savannah Meyer had 20 digs. Ava Hahn had 10 digs while Sathoff had 11 digs. Perkins had five blocks while Hollerich and Sathoff each had three blocks.
Perkins was seven for seven from the service line.
Back on the Clipper court, the Raiders didn’t put up much of a fight, and the Clippers won 25-5, 25-13 and 25-8.
Hollerich hit for eight kills. Ava Hahn had seven kills. Perkins had five kills. Melia Sathoff had four kills. Anika Sathoff and Jocelyn Bartell each had three kills. Greta Hahn passed for 22 set assists. Delaney Thompson had four set assists.
Meyer scraped up 10 digs. Ava Hahn scooped dix digs. Chloe Anderson lifted four digs. Melia Sathoff raised three digs. Hollerich, Maya Lassiter, Anika Sathoff and Greta Hahn each contributed a pair of digs.
“Our coverage of the floor is really solid right now,” Nixon said. “That’s kind of our game. We don’t let the ball hit the floor, and we can pass, and we have hitters who can put the ball away and build on the tournament of last weekend.”
Perkins, Lassiter, Bartell and Greta Hahn each extended for a solo block.
Melia Sathoff was perfect in her 13 serve attempts with four of them aces. Meyer was a dozen for a dozen while Ava Hahn was 11 for 11 with one ace. Anika Sathoff was nine for nine with a pair of aces. Greta Hahn dispatched one ace serve.
The Clippers will hit the road this week with games in Arlington (Sibley East) today (Tuesday) and back to conference play in St. Clair on Thursday.
Above: The Clippers hover around Greta Hahn after her 1000th set assist. They are, from L-R: front row: Delaney Thompson, Lilly Lamont, Mariah McCabe, Chloe Anderson, Greta Hahn, Ava Hahn, Lacey McCabe and Savannah Meyer. Back row: Melia Sathoff, Addi Holden, Jocelyn Bartell, Sophie Perkins, Maya Lassiter, Anika Sathoff and Laci Hollerich.
Greta Hahn’s 1000th set assist.
Melia Sathoff bump at Lake Crystal.
Savannah Meyer fields a Knight serve. Beside her is Ava Hahn.
Ava Hahn on the smash against LCWM.
Sophie Perkins reaches to block a Knight hit.
Jocelyn Bartell on the block against Nicollet. Beside her are Laci Hollerich and Greta Hahn.
Myla Lassiter tips the ball into the Nicollet side of the court.
Laci Hollerich follows through a hit.
Students in black at Lake Crystal.
Pep band before the Nicollet game.
Director Eric Hermanson and pep band members Allison Cink, Cassandra Connor, Makenna Mueller and Mylie Dylla.
The Clippers wore tie dye warmups before the Nicollet game. They are, from L-R, front row: Lilly Lamont, Laci Hollerich, Greta Hahn, Ava Hahn, Chloe Anderson, Mariah McCabe, Savannah Meyer and Lacey McCabe. Back row: Anika Sathoff, Delaney Thompson, Maya Lassiter, Sophie Perkins, Melia Sathoff, Jocelyn Bartell, Addi Holden, Madison Peterson and Addie Gibeau.
The student section at the Nicollet game had plenty of tie dye, some handed out by the players during introductions.