Knocking at the door of the state volleyball tournament, the Clippers made it to the section final in three of the last four seasons before emerging as section champions this year for a trip to St. Paul for the first time in its 50-year history
One of eight section champions represented at state, they lost 3-1 to Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in the opening round on Thursday (November 6) but beat North Woods 3-0 a day later in the first round of the consolation bracket before falling to Fillmore Central 3-0 in the consolation final on Saturday.
With a sixth place at state, the Clipper volleyball program has come a long way, not only in the last half dozen years or so but since its humble beginnings back in 1975.
Flashback 50 years.
As it was for many schools, Cleveland’s volleyball program was born out of Title IX, a federal civil rights act enacted in 1972 that guaranteed girls and women equality and equity in sport. It took a while for area schools to come on board, but two years later, in the fall of 1974, the Cleveland girls, competing in the newly-formed Valley conference, had their first ever interscholastic basketball team. The following fall, an interscholastic volleyball program started as well.
Cleveland physical education and health teacher Nancy Hanson was instrumental in starting both programs and was the first coach for both as well.
“They were tired of only being able to watch their brothers play, but I played basketball at Mankato State four years and came out of there thinking, it won’t be long. Title IV gets going, and things will happen, and sure enough. (Principal) Larry Corrow and I met and talked about when to start what. I said ‘well, you have a daughter. Let’s get this going for all of those parents and girls.’”
But starting girls programs wasn’t easy, Hanson said. They needed to fundraise in order to purchase uniforms. Basketball was in the fall the first year because athletic directors were finding it difficult to share the gyms and have early or late practice. There was an overall resistance to girls competing in organized athletics instead of being cheerleaders or members of the Girls Athletic Association (GAA), a loosely formed organization that competed in exhibitions and between other schools in gymnastics, volleyball, broomball and track.
The inaugural Cleveland volleyball girls, who went by the diminutive “Clipperettes” back then, had both an A squad and a B squad, and both competed in eight matches. Matches consisted of three games, and a team had to have the serve to win a point. The A squad’s only match win was 2-0 over St. Clair, and their only other game win was against Henderson while the B girls pulled off three match wins.
But as their skills improved, Cleveland girls sports took hold, Hanson said.
“I taught phy-ed, so I kind of built our program around what we were teaching starting in elementary and knowing we had to build it up.”
Hanson saw some of her players over the years become coaches, and now the next generation is coming through, she said. For example, she coached Becky Kern, mother of Emily Kern, who is a standout senior on the 2025 Minnesota State University, Mankato volleyball team.
So she knew she had to make her way to downtown St. Paul to see the team she ultimately founded a half a century ago compete in the state tournament.
“I’ve got to go. This is epic, historic. It’s rewarding to see.”
Cleveland 3, North Woods 0
Bouncing back after their loss to Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, the Clippers swept North Woods, a school located in Cook, which is located on the NE side of the state a little over an hour south of the Canadian boarder.
Taylor McCabe slammed four winners, and Jocelyn Kortuem served an ace to get the party started with a 6-2 lead in game one.
North Woods responded with four-straight kills to deadlock the game 6-6, but, after Kaitlyn Flowers served a hat trick of aces to initiate a 7-point run, the Clippers led 14-7 and never looked in their rearview mirror.
The Grizzlies only managed two more points, and the game ended 25-9 on a Keira Schipper ace block.
Schipper tipped over an ace, and Melia Sathoff followed with an ace serve for the first two points of game two, and the Clippers never trailed. Down the stretch, the Grizzlies came up with a trio of kills and an ace block in a six-point run to pull within three, 21-18, but it was all Clippers the rest of the way with a pair of McCabe kills before the game ended 25-18 on an Aubrey Blaschko ace tip.
With a kill, the Grizzlies took the first point of game three, but McCabe matched it with spike for a winner, and then Delaney Thompson followed with an ace serve. North Woods swung for another winner to tie the game 2-2, but McCabe went on the warpath from there with a couple of kills in a four-point Clipper spurt, and they never were behind from there.
Later, after Sathoff and McCabe swung for consecutive points and a 12-8 Clipper advantage, Northwoods won the next four points to stalemate the game at a dozen apiece, but with a Maile Meissner ace block and kill in the mix as well as a Kortuem toss over for a winner, the Clippers posted the next five points to lead 17-12.
Sathoff was strong on the attack from there, Kortuem reached for an ace block too, and the game ended 25-21 on a Grizzly hit out of bounds for a Clipper sweep.
Fillmore Central 3, Cleveland 0
Back at the Grand Casino Arena on Saturday, the Clippers hung around for most of game one against Filmore and went ahead 16-13 after three Falcon errors. But with a trio of kills, an ace serve and an ace block Filmore, who had beaten the Clippers 2-0 in a tournament back on September 19, posted the next five points. Sathoff and McCabe each smacked a kill after that, but that was the last of the Clipper offense.
Trailing 22-19, the Clippers took advantage of three hitting errors to knot the game 22-22, but they lost the next point on a line infraction before the Falcons sent over back-to-back kills for a 25-22 triumph.
The Clippers kept within a couple of points of the Falcons in game two and even went in front 19-17 after Sathoff pushed the ball into an open slot and the Falcons hit out of bounds, but with two kills, an ace tip and an ace block in their onslaught, Fillmore won the next five points to lead 22-19.
Still battling, Sathoff hit back-to back kills to pull the Clippers within a point. The Falcons responded with a kill, but Schipper pushed the ball into an open spot for the next point, and the Clippers were back within one, 23-22. But, continuing to work the edges, Fillmore scored the next point on a kill before the game ended 25-22 on an ace tip.
A Meissner ace block was the first Clipper winner in game three and put the Clippers in front 2-1, but the Falcons took advantage of a couple of Clipper hits out of bounds in the start of a 5-point surge and never were behind from there. After McCabe and Sathoff scored the last two Clipper points on kills, the game ended 25-14 when the Clippers hit the ball into the net.
Sweeping Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Mayer Lutheran won the tournament for the second-straight year. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa fell to Mayer 3-1 in the semi-finals but went on to top Ada-Borup-West 3-0 to take third place. Fillmore Central swept Nevis in the first round of the consolation bracket.
With no seniors on the team, the Clippers return all players next year and will look to advance further in post-season play.
Above: The Clippers set up during their match against North Woods.
Delaney Thompson scoops a serve during the tournament (photo courtesy of Ben Camp)
It was “Red Carpet” day in the school section. Wearing a dress for success was Carson Lyons.
Pep band member August Keltgen was dressed for the occasion.
Nancy Hanson and fellow teacher Glen O’Connor at an MSU,M volleyball match.
Coach Nancy Hanson and the first ever Cleveland varsity volleyball team, from L-R, front row: managers Kelly Smith and Cindy Poll. Middle row: Lori Ponwith, Peggy McCabe, Jeanine Schmidt, Beth Rapp and Cindy McCabe. Back row: Hanson, Lori Corrow, Crystal Olson, Susan Rohlfing, Janice Sheldon and Peggy Sohm.