It's high noon in section 2A volleyball.
Tuesday’s Clipper sweep of sixth-ranked BOLD sets up a section championship showdown at St. Peter High School tonight at 6:00 p.m. when the second-ranked Clippers take on top seeded Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart.
The winner goes on to the state tournament.
After section seedings, the Clippers handed the Mustangs only their second loss of the season in Hector on October 13. BLHS beat Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 3-1 to reach the championship match. Last year, the Clippers beat BLHS 3-1 in the section semifinal, so the Mustangs will be out to avenge both of those losses.
Taylor McCabe crashed eight kills in game one, another five in game two and eight more in game three to pace the Clipper offense in the semi-final victory.
“It was really fun hearing our team and the student section,” said McCabe, a junior outside hitter, and the last in a quintet of McCabe sisters at CHS, all who were three-sport athletes. “We watched them play (after the Clippers’ quarterfinal win over NUC in Arlington) and talked about what’s open, their defense to know where to hit. That was really helpful.”
Game one against BOLD on the St. Peter court started with a Taylor McCabe kill. After a couple more McCabe winners, the Clippers led 4-1 and never looked in the rearview mirror.
Late in the game, the Warriors excavated several hard Clipper hits and followed with a couple of kills for three-straight points, their longest run in the game, but still trailed 21-13. They didn’t score again, and after a pair of McKills, Melia Sathoff swung a winner to button up game one.
With a trio of McCabe kills in the onslaught, the Clippers went on a seven-point run to lead game one 8-1. But, scoring seven of the next eight points, five by winners, the warriors responded to stalemate the score 7-7.
With a kill, the Warriors took a 9-7 lead, but McCabe and Sathoff teamed up for kills to tie the score at nine. With the Clippers going on a five-point run and the Warriors spurting for four points, the game deadlocked at 15. After a kill and a pair of Clipper errors, BOLD edged in front, 18-17.
But McCabe said enough fooling around and hammered a kill to knot the score 18-18. With the Warriors plagued by errors, the Clippers scored all but three points the rest of the way: two ace serves and a Clipper return error, and the game ended 25-21 on a Jocelyn Kortuem ace serve.
The Clippers never trailed in game three. Behind 17-9 after a Sathoff kill, the Warriors went on a five-point run. Down the stretch, McCabe jumped for an ace block, lasered a kill and tipped over an ace. After a Sathoff kill, Aubrey Blaschko’s hit ended the game 25-17 for a Clipper sweep.
Sathoff had six kills in game one, five in game two and five in game three. Keira Schipper, Blaschko and Maile Meissner each had one kill.
Kortuem set up 32 points. Delaney Thompson assisted on two points. Sathoff, McCabe and Kaitlyn Flowers each recorded one set assist.
Three Clipper serves flew out of bounds. All of Thompson’s 17 serves made it to the BOLD side of the court with two of them aces. Kortuem was 16 for 16 with three aces. Sathoff and McCabe each dished up one ace serve.
McCabe extended for a solo ace block and an ace block assist. Meissner had two solos and one assist. Liviana Lee had one solo ace block.
Thompson unearthed 20 digs. Sathoff scooped 14 digs. McCabe hoisted 14 digs. Kortuem elevated a dozen digs. Luci Blaschko lifted 10 digs. Schipper, Aubrey Blaschko, Meissner and Flowers each scraped one dig.
The Clippers are no stranger to tonight’s scenario. Last year, they fell to Mayer Lutheran in the section championship 3-0. In 2023, BOLD ended the Clipper season in the quarter finals, but the year before, the Clippers also fell to Mayer Lutheran 3-0 in the section championship just as they did in 2021.
Above: Libero Delaney Thompson bumps a pass near the net.
Taylor McCabe racked up 21 kills.
New kid on the block Maile Meissner reaches to stop a BOLD hit. With limited playing time, she ended the 2024 season with just one block and one kill, but this year she is a consistent force in the middle.
Melia Sathoff sends down a hit.
Keira Schipper extends for a block.
Taylor McCabe makes a one-handed save.
Clippers Maile Meissner, Melia Sathoff, Aubrey Blaschko, Taylor McCabe, Jocelyn Kortuem and Delaney Thompson celebrate a point as they close in on the W.
It was white lie night in the student section. Markered on their shirts were white lies, typically about themselves.
The shirt of Carson Lyons (center) read “It's a perm.”
A sizable crowd of Clipper fans turned out to witness the match.
The pep band played before the match, between games and during timeouts as well.
Freshmen pep band members Paisley Janssen, Mattea Grandaw and Amelia Baker on trumpet.
Pep band members
Taylor McCabe was named KNUJ player of the week after the Clipper win over NUC on Tuesday. (photo courtesy of Anne McCabe)