If there was any drama at all last week as the varsity volleyball girls swept two more Valley Conference teams: visiting Martin County West on Tuesday and Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman in Northrop on Thursday, it came in the second game against the Jaguars.
Down 20-18, the Clippers’ string of zero lost games in the Valley Conference was in jeopardy.
Calling a time out, head coach Dave Nixon was not a happy camper in the huddle.
“Granada was playing great, and we didn't respond. We were just out there. I told them we needed to play like we’re capable of playing. We need to talk more. We need to be aggressive. Sometimes I'll get upset with them, and hopefully it fires them up.”
The Clippers did respond. Melia Sathoff and Laci Hollerich smashed down kills, Greta Hahn sent over a pair of lethal serves, and the Clippers won 25-20 when the Jaguars got flagged for two touches.
“Greta’s serves got them out of system, so that was huge,” Nixon said.
Hahn’s ace tip was the first point of game one in Northrop. It ended 25-15 on Sathoff attack.
With three Ava Hahn ace serves in a row, the Clippers went up 8-3 in game two. But the Jags mixed up their offense to knot the game at 18 on a kill before sending over an ace serve and an ace block to go in front by two before the Clipper rallied for the next seven points.
“Their outside hitter Londyn Bowers is a very good player,” Nixon said. “Some of our girls play SEV with her, so they know her pretty well. She does a great job, and she’s only a sophomore.”
Hollerich swung for a kill, and Jocelyn Bartell hit down two winners in a row as the Clippers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game three. They kept the pressure on, and the game ended 25-12 when a Jag serve got caught in the webbing.
Ava Hahn had a dozen kills and eight digs. Sathoff had 10 kills. Hollerich had five kills. Greta Hahn had 27 set assists, nine digs and was 21 of 22 from the service line with four ace serves. Savannah Meyer had 13 digs.
Sathoff had four ace serves while Delaney Thompson had three, Ava Hahn had two and Meyer had one.
Anika Sathoff had three ace blocks. Bartell, Ava Hahn and Melia Sathoff each had one ace block.
A Bartell kill was the first point in game one against the Mavericks. The Clippers never trailed and won 25-15 on an Ava Hahn kill from the back row.
The Mavericks hit a winner for the first point of game two, but it was all Clippers after that when Melia Sathoff unleashed a kill and then sent over a couple of ace serves for the first three Clipper points and the start of an eight-point run.
The Clippers hit into the net to give the Mavericks a point but scored the next seven for a 15-2 lead. The game ended 25-12 on a Sathoff kill.
The Mavericks hit three-straight winners to start game three, but Ava Hahn mixed it up at the net to pull the Clippers within one, 5-4.
Hollerich’s ace tip knotted the game at five and was the start of a six-point spurt, and the Clippers never looked back. It ended 25-18 on a Lacey McCabe kill.
Ava Hahn had 21 kills and eight digs. Melia Sathoff had 10 kills. Hollerich had five kills. Greta Hahn had 34 set assists and five digs.
Chloe Anderson scooped eight digs. Meyer had five digs and was 15 for 15 from the service line with one ace. Thompson had nine digs and was 10 for 10 from the serving stripe with two aces. Ava Hahn served up two aces. Melia Sathoff had five aces. Hollerich had one ace serve.
Anika Sathoff had one solo block. Hollerich and Sophie Perkins each had one block assist.
The Clippers host Mankato Loyola on Tuesday and play in a tournament in Marshall Friday and Saturday. Next week they close out their Valley season when they host Alden-Conger, a team that has also not lost a game in the Valley.
Above: Sophie Perkins and Ava Hahn stretch to block a MCW hit.
Chloe Anderson steers a pass against MCW.
Melia Sathoff battles with a pair of Mavericks at the net.
Ava Han reaches for a tip against MCW.
Greta Hahn sets up a hit in Northrop.