Continuing their undefeated streak, the seventh-grade girls rolled over visiting Le Sueur-Henderson on Tuesday before beating Nicollet on the road yesterday (Thursday).
Meanwhile, the eighth-grade team (made up of seventh and eighth graders) had a tougher time with both the Giants and the Raiders but still won both matches. They have two loses on the season: to Alden-Conger and to Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.
In the seventh graders’ game one against LSH, Hadley Thompson dispatched four ace serves down the stretch, including the last three points, for an easy 25-8 Clipper victory.
Emily Baker pushed over a winner for the first point of game two and then tipped over an ace to put the Clippers in front 5-2. After Anistyn Dauk served an ace, the Clippers went on a five-point run that featured a pair of wicked Thompson serves, and the Clippers were in front 12-4.
The Giants got back in the game wit a 6-points spurt to pull within four, 17-13, but it all Clippers after that, starting with a Natalie Flowers roll for a point and back-to-back Dauk ace serves for a 25-14 triumph.
In a for-fun game three, the Clippers racked up the first seven points, three from Flowers service aces. Later, Thompson followed up a kill with an ace serve, the first of three. After Kenzie Kortuem slapped over a kill, the game ended 15-4 when LSH hit into the mesh.
The eighth graders played two 25-point games and two 15-point games against LSH. In game one, a race to 25, Paisley Janssen’s ace serve was the first point. Laura Nauman followed up with a kill, and with a Kaelyn Blaschko kill, the Clippers led 4-0.
After two miscues the Clippers spurted for five-straight points with a Brooke Bosse ace serve and a Kortuem ace tip in the mix. The Giants followed with a couple of kills, but the Clippers took advantage of miss-hits and a Bosse kill for a comfortable 17-6 advantage before the Clippers won 25-12.
The Clippers couldn’t get their offense started in the next game. Bosse tipped over an ace, and Blaschko swung for a kill to put the Clippers in front 10-9. The lead swung back and forth from there, but after an LSH kill, the game ended 16-14 when the Clippers couldn’t assemble an over.
Momentum switched back in game three though. With the score tied 3-3, the Clippers went on the warpath with nine-straight points. Amelia Baker started the run with a kill, Maliah Elias parked an ace serve, and Bosse stretched for an ace block to get the party started.
That sequence repeated for the next three points with the only difference Bosse’s winner was a kill. Amelia Baker went on the attack from there, and the Clippers led 12-3.
After the Giants took a point on a Clipper serve out of bounds, Baker picked up from where she left off with a kill and an ace serve. Later, Bosse and Thompson airmailed service winners before the game ended 25-10 on another Bosse ace serve.
A Kortuem kill was the first Clipper winner of game four. The Giants score the next two points to lead 4-2, but the Clippers took over after, winning 10 of the next dozen points. Service aces from Amelia Baker and Bosse and a Blaschko kill were part of the mix. The game ended 15-10 when, faking a set, Janssen pushed the ball onto an open chunk of LSH real estate.
The junior high girls return to action tomorrow (Saturday) with a conference tournament. The seventh graders are in Sherburn while the eighth-grade team is in Trimont.
Above: Kenzie Kortuem makes a save from the edge of the court during the seventh-grade match against Le Sueur-Henderson.
The seventh-grade team, L-R, front row: Lily McMillen, Kylie Wobbrock, Natalie Flowers, Addison Sandhurst, Anistyn Dauk and Kenzie Kortuem. Back row: Emily Baker, Harley Samuelson, Gretchen Heldberg, Hadley Thompson, Charlotte Starke and Evangeline Pearson.
The eighth-grade team, L-R, front row: Kenzie Kortuem, Emma Kortuem, Amelia Baker, Paisley Janssen and Maliah Elias. Back row: Laura Nauman, Kaelyn Blaschko, Brooke Bosse, Joanna Jordan, Hadley Thompson and Natalie Flowers.