Since 2018, Cleveland and Alden-Conger have duked it out for Valley-Conference volleyball championship, and this year, the match went to the Clippers, who swept the visiting Knights 3-0 on Thursday.
It was the first time since 2019 the Clippers have beaten the Knights in Cleveland, although that year, the Clippers still had two conference matches remaining. The Clippers’ only other win in the series was in Alden in 2022. Last year, the match went five games with the Clippers falling in the final game 16-14.
While the Knights were experts at keeping the ball afloat on Thursday, the Clippers’ hitting department was a notch better, and that made the difference.
“We thought that we had some mismatches at the net, and we just had to be aggressive,’ said head coach Dave Nixon. “Tipping and rolling against that team is not going to get the job done, especially at crunch time because they’re not going to let it get to the floor. They really make you work to get a kill. You have to be aggressive, and we were enough tonight to earn enough points to come out ahead.”
With kills by Taylor McCabe, Aubrey Blaschko and Melia Sathoff and with a Jocelyn Kortuem fake set that the Knights couldn’t handle in the onslaught, the Clippers, limiting the Knights to just one kill, led 7-6 in game one.
Later, McCabe went on the warpath to put the Clippers in front 18-13. While the Clippers had to fight hard, especially with the Knight’s ability to scrape up hard hits, the game continued to go their way, and the game ended 25-20 on a libero Delaney Thompson back-row kill.
Kortuem hit a winner to start game two, but the Knights kept up and led 10-9 before the Clippers spurted for five-straight points, three of them on McCabe kills. Mostly due to Clipper mishits, the next six points went to Alden-Conger before a hit into the net ended the run. But after back-to-back hits for winners, the Knights were out front 19-15.
McCabe went to work from there, mixing it up with an ace tip and an ace serve, and Kortuem pushed the ball into a slot the Knights weren’t ready to fill. With another McCabe ace serve, the score deadlocked at 19.
The teams exchanged blows from there. The Knights took the lead with a kill, but a Sathoff kill tied the game again. The Knights swung for another winner, but Keira Schipper tipped over an ace. The Knights couldn’t get a return out of the net but stalemated the game 22-22 with a kill.
“They’re always a really good team,” Nixon said. “They’re very scrappy. They’re very smart and well coached. We’ve had some matches in the past where there were big swings for and against us, and you can’t let them have any life if possible.”
But the Knights’ ensuing serve sailed out of bounds, and then Kortuem pushed over another winner to set up game point. Alden-Conger stayed alive for one more point when the Clippers sent the ball into the webbing, but the game ended 25-23 on a Knight tip out of bounds.
Four of the first five points of game three went to the visitors, but the Clippers kept on the attack and tied the game at seven when the Knights hit into the net. The Knights swatted a kill to take a brief lead before sending a hit out of bounds, and with a couple of Sathoff kills, a hit into the net and a McCabe kill from the back row, the Clippers went in front 12-8 and never surrendered the lead from there.
Fighting to stay alive, the Knights scored on a couple of kills and an ace block to pull within two, 17-15, but they got caught in the net on the next point, and with a Maile Meissner ace block, the Clippers were in front 19-15.
After a Knight kill, Kaitlyn Flowers followed a Sathoff kill with an ace serve for a 21-16 orange & black advantage.
“Kaitlyn came up with a huge ace serve to give us some breathing room,” Nixon said. “We’ve been in some matches where were close to 25 but didn’t finish, so getting an ace serve in that moment was huge.”
Down the stretch Sathoff hammered a point and, after a Knight kill, dropped down another kill to win the game 25-20.
“Every kill when you are getting close to 25 gives you so much more confidence,” Nixon said. “We were able to pull away at the very end when you don’t want to let a team like Alden hang around. You have to finish strong, and we did that in all three games. We had some games in the Class A showcase a week ago when we didn’t finish strong, We didn’t like that feeling, and I think the girls learned from that.”
McCabe fired off 17 kills to lead the offense. Sathoff dropped down a baker’s dozen kills. Kortuem sent over five kills. Schipper and Aubrey Blaschko each had two kills. Thompson had one kill.
Kortuem assisted 31 points. Thompson had four set assists. McCabe set up two points. Blaschko and Sathoff each had one set assist.
Thompson scooped 27 digs. McCabe heaved 20 digs. Sathoff elevated 17 digs. Kortuem lifted 11 digs. Luci Blaschko boosted eight digs. Aubrey Blaschko excavated four digs. Flowers scraped up three digs.
Schipper assisted with four blocks. Kortuem reached for two block assists. Sathoff and McCabe each assisted a block. Meissner stretched for one solo ace block and two block assists.
“We had a lot of girls who stepped up,” Nixon said. “Our outside carried us offensively, but we had a lot of great defensive plays. Everyone played well. Mailie had a lot of great blocks tonight that were huge for momentum and just for energy.”
“I was feeling it,” said Meissner, a 5-8 junior. “I was watching the ball more, watching their movement, where they jumped and where they were going to hit the ball. I was watching their hand was, whether it would be a shot to the left or a shot to the right, but I don’t remember much of it because I was so spaced into the game.”
McCabe had two ace serves. Flowers had one ace serve. Thompson landed all 14 of her serves.
“Serving was great,” Nixon said. “You have to be aggressive yet at a high percentage. We didn’t miss many and got them out of system a lot.”
The Clippers return to action today (Tuesday) when they host Sleepy Eye for Parents’ Night and Senior Night. On Thursday, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s comes to town. Of the two, SESM has a much better record and is currently second behind BLHS in the Tomahawk Conference.
Above: Taylor McCabe, Luci Blaschko, Jocelyn Kortuem, Delaney Thompson, Keira Schipper and Melia Sathoff celebrate after Sathoff’s match winning kill.
Taylor McCabe led the Clipper offense with 17 kills.
Delaney Thompson lifts a Knight serve.
Jocelyn Kortuem and Keira Schipper reach for a block.
Maile Meissner was fire in the middle.
It was ’Merica Night in the student section. (Photo by Martavis Williams)
After beating Alden-Conger, the 2019 Clippers had to top host Madelia and then Nicollet at Cleveland to officially win the conference. Celebrating after the win over the Raiders are, from L-R, senior Mollee Grams, junior Halle McCabe (who was out for the season with an injury), senior McKenna Robb, senior Mazie Anderson, senior Emmie Dittmar, sophomore Jordyn Klingel, junior Brianna Connor, sophomore Taylin Gosch, freshman Harley Connor, freshman Emma Sweere, senior Lexi Hollerich, senior Mya Krenik, sophomore Emily Kern and sophomore Grayce Kortuem.