Clipper girls roll over GHEC/T/ML, will host Nicollet in 2A round two today

A Clipper sweep of visiting Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther in the first round of the section playoffs on Monday wasn’t much of a surprise for anyone.

With the win, the top-seeded Clippers host eighth-ranked Nicollet today (Thursday). The Raiders swept Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart to earn the right to take on the Clippers.

Game one against GHEC/T/ML initiated with a Kenzie Kortuem kill. After a Melia Sathoff kill, a Delaney Thompson service ace and an Aubrey Blaschko kill, the Clippers led 9-2.

The Jaguars threw up an ace block after and followed it with an ace tip. With a Clipper hitting error tacked on and a serve that found an empty spot in the front of the Clipper court, they pared their deficit to three, 9-6.

But Taylor McCabe leaped into action with back-to-back kills, Kortuem elongated for an ace block and slammed a kill, and Kaitlyn Flowers sent over a pair of ace serves in an 8-point Clipper run that gave them a snuggly 17-6 lead.

Sathoff was sharp down the stretch, and, after Thompson transported a serve that got a little net help to topple to the Jaguar floor, the game ended 25-9 on a hit into the mesh.

Game two began with a Sathoff kill and followed a similar scenario as game one but with rapid-fire Clipper substitutions. It ended 25-10 when Natalie Flowers, poised in the front row, dispatched a one-handed cross-court push for a winner.

The Jags lost control of a couple of hits to hand the Clippers the first two points of game three. Mighty in the middle, Maile Meissner followed with an ace block for a 3-0 start. Later, Meissner smashed a winner to open a 7-point Clipper rally, which featured a couple of kills from Keira Schipper, a Blaschko kill and a Hadley Thompson ace serve, for a 16-3 orange & black advantage.

The Clippers suffered a series of hitting woes from there, four of them to be precise. Sandwiched by kills, they were part of a 6-point Jaguar run.

But McCabe said enough of that stuff and pounded a kill to halt the uprising. Again, Sathoff was strong down the stretch, and the game ended 25-13 after Ava Kluntz echoed a Blaschko kill.

With 16 kills, Sathoff conducted the offense. She also brought up nine digs, assisted on an ace block and served an ace. McCabe unleashed 10 kills and hoisted three digs. She airmailed four ace serves.

Blaschko battered four kills and assisted an ace block. Schipper spiked three kills and scooped one dig. Kenzie Kortuem swatted four kills, lifted one dig and extended for a solo ace block. Liviana Lee chipped in a kill and a dig. Meisner laid down three kills and scratched a dig. Kluntz recorded a kill. Natalie Flowers posted one kill and one dig.

Jocelyn Kortuem set up 31 points. She also lifted three digs, stretched for a solo ace block and an ace block assist and served a winner.

Delaney Thompson had five digs, three set assists and four ace serves. Luci Blaschko raised a trio of digs. Kaitlyn Flowers set up five points, hoisted four digs and dished up three ace serves. Amelia Chmiel boosted a dig as did Cheyenne Lotspeich and her younger sister Sierra Lotspeich. Anna Lamont had four digs. Hadley Thompson served an ace

Also in the Clipper half of the Section 2A bracket, fourth-seeded BOLD swept GFW, and fifth-ranked Loyola swept Madelia.

On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Martin Count West swept New Ulm Cathedral, seventh-seeded USC swept Sleepy Eye Public, third-seeded Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s swept Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey, and sixth-ranked Cedar Mountain swept Springfield.

Earlier in the season, the Clippers topped Nicollet 28-26, 25-13, 25-17.

Above: Luci Blaschko, Delany Thompson, Jocelyn Kortuem and Taylor McCabe watch Kenzie Kortuem’s hit head for the Jaguar side of the floor.

Delaney Libero Delaney Thompson dives after a Jaguar hit.