Above: Melia Sathoff bumps a serve receive from the back row.
They fought all the way through, but the eighth-grade Clipper volleyball team fell to visiting Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman on Tuesday.
“I’m really impressed. They played fantastic, even in the losses,” said coach Amber Haack. “There were tons of great moments, and the improvement from their first match is just fantastic.”
Melia Sathoff’s attack from the net was Cleveland’s first point of game one. From the back row, a Sathoff kill was the last Clipper point though, and the Jaguars won the next three for a 25-22 victory.
With tons of fancy saves by both teams, game two see-sawed all the way to point 23, but the Clippers socked the ball into the net and couldn’t hoist a Jag attack after for a 25-23 loss.
But the Clippers didn’t get skunked. They won game three 15-11 after a Sathoff kill.
The eighth-grade girls team is back in action next Tuesday with a road trip to Mankato Loyola. On Thursday, they have another away game, this one in Alden.
Melissa Miller on the pass.
Haddie Jobe scoops from near the net.
Isabel Duron on the bump.
Seventh grader Taylor McCabe sends the ball upward.
The Clippers celebrate an ace serve.
The eighth-grade team (with some seventh graders in the mix) includes, L-R, front row: Taylor McCabe, Delaney Thompson, Vanessa Wondra, Madison Wollschlager and Haddie Jobe. Back row: Coach Amber Haack, Emma Bluhm, Melia Sathoff, Isabel Duron, Melissa Miller and coach Cassidy Kopet.