Coming off a game one loss, the B Clippers bounced back in game two but fell in the short set at Sibley East on Tuesday to lose their final match of the season.
The Clippers were coming off a 2-1 win over visiting Sleepy Eye St Mary’s the Thursday before.
A Cheyenne Lotspeich ace serve opened game one at home against SESM. For point two, Lotspeich set up her sister Sierra Lotspeich for a kill.
Natalie Flowers shoved over a winner, and Ava Kluntz blocked for an ace in a six-point spurt that put the Clippers in front 9-3. The Knights hung around, but with a Flowers kill, the Clippers led 11-6.
The Knights sunk a kill after, but another Flowers kill was the start of an 11-point orange & black streak. It included a couple of Hadley Thompson ace serves and kills by Clara Hilfer and Cheyenne Lotspeich.
The Knights interrupted the run with a kill and a service ace, but the game ended 25-10 on a Sierra Lotspeich kill.
Kluntz knocked down a SESM kill for the first point of game two, but the Knights took advantage of Clipper errors to lead 9-5.
The Clippers got the lead back when the Knights served into the net, Hilfer pushed the ball onto a vacant slot, Kaelyn Blaschko swung for a couple of kills, and a Sierra Lotspeich back-facing roll put the Clippers in front 10-9.
The Knights never went away though, and, after a Flowers kill, they went ahead 23-20 on a kill and three Clipper mistakes before winning 25-22 on two-straight Clipper hits into the net,
With a Kluntz push over for a winner, a Flowers kill and an ace direct return followed by an ace serve from Valentina Rohlfing, the Clippers led the short game 5-2. The Knights knocked down a pair of kills from there, but with a Flowers ace tip and ace serve, a Hilfer kill, a Blaschko kill and kills off the hands of the Lotspeich sisters, the Clippers won seven of the next eight points.
The Knights served an ace and capitalized twice when the Clippers didn’t assemble a serve to win the next three points before sending a serve outside the boundary stripes. Sierra Lotspeich scored on a kill before the game ended 15-9 when the Knights drove a hit into the mesh.
Flowers pummeled nine kills. Sierra Lotspeich pounded six kills and extended for one ace block assist. Hilfer smashed four kills. Blaschko spiked three kills. Kluntz hammered one kill and dropped down one ace block assist. Neenah Lassiter pushed back one ace block assist. Thompson set up a dozen points while Cheyenne Lotspeich assisted on 10 points.
Rohlfing scooped nine digs. Flowers and Taylor Wolf each elevated five digs. Cheyenne Lotspeich hoisted four digs. Flowers excavated two digs. Thompson shoveled one dig.
The Clippers only missed one serve. Cheyenne Lotspeich and Flowers each dished one ace. Thompson dispatched four ace serves. Rohlfing flung one ace serve.
In Arlington, the Clippers were down 8-0 in game one before falling 25-16.
With an Anna Lamont ace tip the only winner, the Clippers led game two 6-1 when the Wolverines went on an 8-point run. Half of the points were winners. Sibley East errored on the next point, and Sierra Lotspeich followed up with a kill, but the Wolverines went on the warpath to take four of the next five points, all on kills,, for a 14-11 advantage.
The Clippers hung around with a Lamont kill deadlocking the game at 15, but after a pair of Cleveland hitting errors, the Wolverines took the lead, 17-15.
The Clippers didn’t wave the white flag though, and after a couple of Flowers kills, they were within a point 19-18 before sending the ensuing serve into the net. Another net issue handed the Wolverines the next point, but Mattea Grandaw tipped an ace to put the Clippers within two, 21-19.
Coming up with a kill and an ace serve, Sibley East took the next two points to lead 23-19, but the Clippers assembled a 5-point run that led them all the way to match point and included an Kluntz push for a point and a Hilfer ace serve.
After a Clipper hit into the net, the game stalemated at 24, but the Wolverines hit the next point into the net before Thompson served an ace for a 26-24 Cleveland win.
But the Clippers never got much offense going in the rubber game. Cheyenne Lotspeich’s kill pulled them within one, 7-6. With a Lassiter ace over and a Rohlfing ace serve to tie the game 11-11, the Clippers won five of the next six points, but with three kills, it was all Sibley East from there, and the game ended 15-11 when the Clippers stepped over the center line.
With seven kills, Sierra Lotspeich led the offense. Flowers added seven kills. Kluntz had three kills and a pair of solo ace blocks. Grandaw swung for a pair of kills. Lassiter, Cheyenne Lotspeich and Lamont each had one kill.
Cheyenne Lotspeich set up eight points. Thompson had six set assists. Rohlfing assisted on three points. Kluntz had two set assists. Hilfer recorded one set assist.
Rohlfing ended the match with a baker’s dozen digs. Cheyenne Lotspeich had seven digs. Lamont and Thompson each had six digs. Wolf had five digs. Sierra Lotspeich had four digs. Kluntz and Hilfer each had two digs. Flowers and Lassiter each had one dig.
With one ace serve were Hilfer, Thompson, Rohlfing and Cheyenne Lotspeich.
Above: Cheyenne Lotspeich bumps up a serve while sister Sierra watches during the Clippers 2-1 win over visiting Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s.
Neenah Lassiter sends over a hit during the match against SESM.
Valentina Rohlfing elevates a SESM hit while Taylor Wolf readies to assist.
Anna Lamont and Clara Hilfer go up for a block during the match against SESM.
Anna Lamont follows through a hit on the Sibley East court.
Natalie Flowers guides a Sibley East serve up to the setter.
Taylor Wolf steers a Wolverine hit toward the front of the court.
Ava Kluntz reaches to block a Sibley East hit.
Mattea Grandaw watches her hit clear a Sibley East blocker.
Clara Hilfer dukes it out with a Sibley East defender while Valentina Rohlfing and Mattea Grandaw cover.