After being edged by Mankato Loyola 25-23 in both games on September 23, the B-Squad girls regrouped to down Alden-Conger on two days later and Sleepy Eye (Public) on the following Tuesday.
All matches were on the Cleveland court.
Mankato Loyola 2, Cleveland 0
Seirra Lotspeich’s hit landed on the Loyola side of the floor for the first Clipper point of game one against Loyola. She followed it with an ace serve, and, after a Crusader hit out of bounds, dispatched two more aces for a 5-0 Clipper lead.
The Crusaders scored two points on Cleveland errors, but the Clippers posted the next five points with winners coming from a Taylor Wolf ace serve and a Natalie Flowers kill.
Kills off the palms of Ava Kluntz and Flowers and an ace serve put the Clippers in front 18-10, but the Crusaders won the next five points, two of them on winners, both ace serves. Cheyenne Lotspeich briefly halted the rally with a kill, but the Crusaders won the next five points after, two of them after kills, and took a 20-19 lead.
But they served into the net and then the Clippers earned a point on the kill to go ahead 21-20. Loyola responded with a kill, and they got another point when the Clippers sent the ball into the net. A Flowers kill deadlocked the score at 22, and Loyola hit the ball out to put the Clippers in front 23-22. But the Clippers erred twice before the game ended 25-23 on an ace serve.
Loyola contacted the net twice at the start of game two, and with a Sierra Lotspeich ace block and a Flowers ace serve, the Clippers led early, 4-0.
But after a Kluntz kill, the Clippers couldn’t keep the ball in bounds and lost the next three points. The lead see-sawed from there with neither team going up by more than two or three points. Flowers hit back-to-back winners to deadlock the game at 16, and with a Kluntz kill and a Loyola hit into the net, the Clippers were out font 19-16.
The Crusaders went on the attack from there to score six of the next seven points with three of them on service aces and two on kills. Kaelyn Blaschko’s kill knotted the score at 22, and the Crusaders tipped the ball out of bounds after, but after a kill and a Clipper rotation issue, Loyola won the game 25-23 on a Clipper hit out of bounds.
Sierra Lotspeich hit four kills, scooped five digs, set for one assist and served four aces. Valentina Rohlfing had five digs and four set assists. Flowers hit for nine kills, propped up four digs and sent three ace serves. Clara Hilfer had two digs, one kill and one ace serve. Wolf had three digs, one set assist and one ace serve. Kluntz had two kills and one dig. Blaschko had one dig and one kill. Mattea Grandaw had one dig and two kills. Paisley Janssen had three digs. Neenah Lassiter had one dig. Cheyenne Lotspeich setup eight points, swung for one kill, scooped seven digs and served one ace. Hadley Thompson had eight digs, one kill, seven set assists and three ace serves. Anna Lamont had one kill and one ace serve.
Cleveland 2, Alden Conger 0
Sierra Lotspeich’s kill was the first point in game one. Grandaw tipped over an ace, and Kluntz plopped down a kill for a 3-0 Clipper lead out of the gate.
The Clippers took advantage of Indian errors from there before scoring three-straight points on a Sierra Lotspeich kill, a Cheyenne Lotspeich ace serve and a Grandaw kill for a 17-10 lead.
With a pair of kills and two errant Clipper hits, the Indians rallied for the following four points, but the Clippers kept control. Rohlfing served an ace to put the Clippers in front 22-17. Flowers sent the ball for a 23-18 Cleveland advantage. Alden-Conger won the next five points but then served into the net, and the game ended like it started: with a Sierra Lotspeich kill, this one for a 25-23 victory.
As usual, a Sierra Lotspeich kill was the first point of game two. The freshman tipped a couple of aces after that and, with a head fake on windup, took the ball the other way for an ace serve. With a Flowers kill, the Clippers led 6-1.
Later, Thompson served an ace, Grandaw tipped an ace, and Flowers smashed another kill for three-straight Clipper points and a 16-5 advantage. With runs of seven and four, the Knights lowered their deficit, but with a Hilfer kill, the Clippers still led 19-15.
Down the stretch, Flowers tapped over an ace and Kluntz swatted a kill for a 24-20 Clipper lead. Every point was from an error the rest of the way, and the Clippers won 25-22.
Game three was for practice.
Sierra smashed eight kills, pulled up six digs and served two aces. Flowers had six kills,12 digs and six ace serves. Hilfer had one kill. Kluntz had five kills. Blaschko had one kill. Grandaw had six kills and one dig. Cheyenne Lotspeich set for 11 points, lifted seven digs and served four aces. Thompson had nine set assists, a dozen digs and three service aces. Rohlfing excavated 14 digs, assisted four points and served three aces. Hilfer had two digs and one solo ace block. Wolf had one dig. Kluntz had two digs. Blaschko had seven digs. Janssen had one dig
Cleveland 2, Sleepy Eye 0
In game one against Sleepy Eye, Sierra Lotspeich lasered a kill and served an ace to put the Clippers in front 2-1. After a pair of kills, the Indians went in front 4-3, but with a Thompson ace serve and a pair of Sleepy Eye hitting errors, the Clippers took a lead they would never relinquish.
Grandaw, Hilfer and Sierra Lotspeich swung for kills, Kluntz returned an ace, and with a Rolfing ace serve, the Clippers went in front 14-10. Still loitering around, the Indians hit back-to-back kills, but Flowers' faked set made its way to the floor to keep Sleepy Eye in check.
Kluntz kept working at the net for a few more kills, and she dropped down an ace block as well for a 20-17 Clipper advantage. The Knights couldn’t keep the ball in play after that. Cheyenne Lotspeich served an ace for point 24, and after the net stopped the next serve, Grandaw’s kill put an exclamation mark on the 25-18 win.
Game two started with a Cheyenne Lotspeich kill. With back-to-back Flowers kills, the Clippers led 6-1. Sending over two winners in a four-point spurt, Sleepy Eye went up 8-7, but the next two points went to the Clippers due to hits out bounds.
With three Flowers ace serves in the mix, and a Siera Lotspeich kill, the Clippers took seven of the next eight points to lead 16-9. Later, they rallied for four-straight pints, including a Lamont ace serve and a laschko push over for a 21-11 lead.
With two ace serves and a kill, the Indians scored the next four points, but the Lotspeich sisters teamed up with a Sierra kill and a Cheyenne ace serve. Still clinging, the Indians served an ace and put down an ace block to score the following three points before hitting out of bounds. After a Clipper serve also didn’t stay between the lines, the game ended 25-20 when Sleepy Eye hit into the net.
The Clippers lost a for-practice game three 15-12.
Sierra Lotspeich had six kills, one set assist, two digs and two ace serves. Cheyenne Lotspeich served three aces, assisted six points, hit for two kills and scooped five digs. Flowers brought up five digs, swung for five kills and had three ace serves. Thompson raised six digs, set up 11 points, hit one kill and had one ace serve. Rohlfing scooped six digs, passed for two assists and had one ace serve. Grandaw had one kill, one dig, one ace block assist and one ace serve. Kluntz had three kills, one solo ace block, one ace block assist and one ace serve. Hilfer had two set assists, two kills and one dig. Up from C Squad, Brooke Bosse had three digs and two kills. Blaschko had one kill and one dig. Anna Lamont had two digs and one kill. Also up from the C-squad, Kenzie Kortuem had one dig and one kill.
The B girls went on to beat Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s on October 9. They return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Sibley East.
Above: Paisley Janssen bumps the ball forward during the match against Alden-Conger.
Mattea Grandaw challenges a Mankato Loyola blocker.
Taylor Wolf hoists a Mankato Loyola hit.
Hadley Thompson passes the ball to the strong side during the Loyola match.
Ava Kluntz pounds the ball over the net as a Loyola defender reaches for a stop.
Clara Hilfer and Natalie Flowers extend to stop a Loyola hit.
Sierra Lotspeich’s hit glides by a Loyola blocker.
Kaelyn Blaschko props up an Alden serve.
Libero Valentina Rohlfing steers the ball forward during the match against Alden-Conger.
Anna Lamont reaches to stop a Sleepy Eye over.
Natalie Flowers sets up for a pass during the match against Sleepy Eye.