Host Mankato Loyola gave the varsity volleyball girls a hard fought three games on Tuesday, but ultimately the Clippers survived in a 3-0 triumph.
Capitalizing on a couple of Loyola errors, the Clippers scored the first two points of game one.
Strong on the attack but missing five serves, the Crusaders, who came into the game with a 20-5 record and whose only conference loss was to Martin County West, hung around but trailed throughout the game.
With an ace block, the Crusaders were within two, 16-14, but their ensuing serve got caught in the webbing. They posted another ace block, but with another serve that crashed into the net, they were back to a three-point deficit.
Down the stretch it was mostly Clippers with Melia Sathoff and Keira Schipper hitting back-to-back winners for a 21-16 advantage. With the Clippers in front 23-17, Sathoff tipped over an ace and swung for a kill before the game ended 25-17 on a Taylor McCabe kill from the back row.
A Sathoff kill was the first point of game two. Sathoff winners accounted for Clipper points two three and four as well, the Crusaders kept up, and with a kill followed by an ace serve, only trailed by a point, 6-5.
Later, Jocelyn Kortuem’s ace block put the Clippers in front 12-10, but the Crusaders tipped over an ace and hit a couple of kills to take a 14-13 lead.
The Clippers won the next two points. The Crusaders deadlocked the game 15-15 on a kill, but Liviana Lee and Kaitlyn Flowers dished up a service ace for a lead the Clippers would never relinquish.
Down the stretch, McCabe caught fire with three kills for a 23-16 Clipper lead before the game ended 25-17 on a Sathoff kill.
The Crusaders never gave up though and, after two-straight ace serves and a kill, led game three 18-16. Sathoff’s kill brought the Clippers within a point, but the Crusaders responded with a kill, and the Clippers sent the ball out of bounds for a 20-17 Loyola advantage.
Sathoff came up with a pair of kills and an ace block for the next three points and a 20-20 stalemate. From there, the score tied twice more before a McCabe kill put the Clippers in front 23-22.
The Crusaders lost control of a hit to give up the next point before sending down a kill to get back within one, 24-23, but the game ended 25-23 when they served the ball into the net.
With 19 kills, Sathoff lead the Clipper offense. She also scooped three gigs and served an ace. McCabe spiked a dozen kills and had two digs and one service ace. Schipper hit for five kills and had one dig. Lee had two kills, one dig and one solo ace block. Kenzie Kortuem hit for three kills and also put up one ace block assist.
Jocelyn Kortuem set up 31 points and had two kills of her own as well as six digs, a solo ace block, an ace block assist and an ace serve. Luci Blaschko set up points and also scraped a dozen digs. Delaney Thompson scooped 19 digs, had four set assists and served a pair of aces. Kaitlyn Flowers elevated three digs and served an ace. Aubrey Blaschko had one dig before leaving the match with an injury.
The Clippers were coming off wins in Madelia on October 1 and in Hector against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart on September 29.
Game one against the host Blackhawks began on a Sathoff kill and ended 25-13 on a McCabe kill. Game two also started on a Sathoff kill but ended 25-15 on a Madelia serve out of bounds. Madelia blocked for an ace and the first point of game three, but Sathoff followed it with a kill and also swung for a kill to win the game 25-17.
Sathoff had 20 kills, nine digs and one set assist. McCabe had 10 kills, eight digs, one set assist and three ace serves. Jocelyn Kortuem had 28 set assists, two kills, four digs and six ace serves. Aubrey Blaschko had six kills, two digs and one ace block assist. Maile Meissner had one kill and one set assist. Kenzie Kortuem had one kill, one solo ace block and one ace block assist. Thompson had 16 digs and three set assists. Luci Blaschko had five digs. Schipper had one dig. Flowers had four digs, four set assists and three ace serves. Lee had one dig. Amelia Chmiel had one dig. Anna Lamont had one dig. Sierra Lotspeich had one ace serve.
Last year, the Clippers beat host BLHS in a hard-fought battle to win the Tomahawk-Valley Conference Championship and then came back from a 2-0 deficit to top the Mustangs again for the Section 2A tournament title.
But the this year, the Mustangs didn’t put quite as big a fight, and the Clippers, although they gave up a game, a rarity for them this season, won 25-15, 25-15, 16-25, 25-17.
Sathoff hit 30 winners, raised six digs and served an ace. McCabe hit 14 kills, hoisted 13 digs and served four aces. Thompson had 28 digs, three set assists one kill and two ace serves. Schipper had five kills, two set assists, two digs and three ace block assists. Luci Blaschko had 10 digs and one set assist. Jocelyn Kortuem set up 44 points and had two kills, two digs, six ace block assists and two ace serves. Flowers had two set assists, three digs and one ace serve. Chmiel had one dig. Aubrey Blaschko had two kills. Meissner had one kill and one ace block assist. Kenzie Kortuem and four kills, one solo ace block and two ace block assists.
The Clippers host Martin County West tonight in Senior Night and Parents’ Night. The Mustangs are bringing a 19-1 overall and 5-0 conference record.
Above: Kenzie Kortuem reaches for a block during the match at Loyola.
Melia Sathoff battles at the net during the Madelia match.
Taylor McCabe pulls up a Blackhawk serve.
Aubrey Blaschko and Maile Meissner team up for a block at Madelia.
The student section at the Loyola match was dressed for Dig ‘N Pink Night, a fundraiser to support cancer patients.
Pink sunglasses were available at no charge for Loyola’s Dig ‘N Pink Night.
"Country" was the student theme at Madelia.