Adding two more Ws to their record, the JV girls beat Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial in three sets on Tuesday and Nicollet 2-0 on Thursday.
With a Sierra Lotspeich ace block in game one, the Clippers got off to a good start against LCWM. Natalie Flowers hammered a kill for a 4-1 Clipper advantage, but the Knights won the next five points, all but one, an ace block, on Clipper errors.
Kaelyn Blaschko served and ace as one of the next thee points, which were all in Clippers’ favor, but with back-to-back kills, the Knights led 8-7 and later 12-9 after a kill and more Cleveland mistakes.
But all but one of the next seven points were on the Clipper side of the scoreboard with ace serves by Kenzie Kortuem and Flowers among them. The Clippers never trailed from there. Ava Kluntz’s kill was the last Clipper winner, and they won 25-17 when the Knights couldn’t put together a return.
After the Knights scored the first point of game two, the Clippers went on an seven-point run with a Hadley Thompson ace serve and a Lotspeich kill in the mix. Later, the Knights went on the warpath to lead 23-19.
The Clippers scored on a kill, a Blaschko ace block and another Thompson service ace to deadlock the game at 23, but the Knights hit back-to-back winners for a 25-23 triumph.
With kills by Thompson, Flowers and Brooke Bosse in the offensive blend, the Clippers led the rubber game 12-5 but suffered hitting errors from there, and with an ace serve, the Knights narrowed their deficit to two, 13-11. But they hit into the net on the next point, and after a Knight ace block, the Clippers won 15-12 when Bosse was on the winning side of a fight at the net.
Thompson set up seven points, lifted six digs and served five aces. Kenzie Kortuem hit one kill, raised three digs, assisted one point, extended for one solo ace block and served three aces. Flowers swung for seven kills and had one set assist. Valentina Rohlfing hoisted seven digs and served three aces. Blaschko recorded one kill, two digs, one set assist, one ace block assist and one ace serve. Lotspeich scooped six digs, set up two points and stretched for a solo ace block. Kluntz had three kills, one dig, one solo ace block and one ace block assist. Emma Kortuem had one dig. Clara Hilfer had one dig. Anna Lamont had one set assist. Bosse had one kill.
Lotspeich tipped over an winner for the first point of game one against Nicollet. A Flowers ace block put the Clippers in front 3-2 before they sent a serve out of bounds.
But the next nine points, including kills by Flowers and Kortuem and a pair of Rohlfing ace serves, went to the Clippers, and they never trailed from there. Down the stretch, Kenzie Kortuem and Lamont pounded a kill and Thompson served an ace before the game ended 25-11 when the Raiders couldn’t contain a hit.
Game two started on a Lotspeich kill. Later, Mattea Grandaw spiked a winner to put the Clippers in front 6-5. The Raiders loitered around for a while, but, the Clippers started to separate when Lotspeich’s kill put them in front 12-8. Another Grandaw kill put the Clippers ahead 22-13 before Nicollet errored on the next three points for the 25-13 Clipper victory.
Lotspeich hit for seven kills, raised four digs and served two aces. Flowers totaled four kills and one dig. Rohlfing elevated four digs, assisted one point and served four aces. Thompson set up 11 points, lifted four digs and served three aces. Hilfer served one ace. Blaschko served three aces and brought up four digs. Grandaw sent over three kills and one ace serve and had one dig. Lamont had one kill and three digs. Kluntz had two kills and one set assist. Kenzie Kortuem had two kills and one dig. Bosse had two kills. Hilfer had four kills and a pair of digs.
The JV girls road trip to Mayer on Tuesday for a 5:30 PM match against Mayer Lutheran.
Above: Clara Hilfer tips the ball over the net during the Clippers’ win over Nicollet.
Sierra Lotspeich receives a LCWM serve.
Mattea Grandaw unleashes a hit during the match against Nicollet.
Brooke Bosse stretches for a hit during the match against Nicollet.
Hadley Thompson bumps a pass during the Nicollet match.