While the Cleveland varsity girls easily won 3-0 over host Mankato Loyola on Thursday, the match for the Clipper girls was more about the charity that encircled it.
Dig N’ Pink is a fundraiser to support victims of cancer, especially breast cancer, and with a silent auction and donations, organizer Missy Clark-Strachan said the event so far has earned about $12,000 for the cause.
The funds raised by Dig N’ Pink are donated to the Mankato Clinic Foundation and distributed to patients via gift cards.
Meanwhile on the court, the Clippers won game 25-12, game two 25-8, and game three 25-11.
Game one opened with a Lexy Waldron kill, the first of eight she would have for the outing in 10 swings.
“Compared to other nights, tonight was a little easier, so that brought up my confidence a little bit,” said the 5-10 senior “We played with a lot of energy. The big fan section all added up.”
“Lexy has been ripping the ball really hard,” said head coach Dave Nixon. “When the connection is good, she is just a huge threat offensively. We have been working on when to hammer the ball and when to place the ball, and she did a good job when to swing and when to mix in the tip. She had one error, and I asked her what she should have done, and she knew right away.”
Waldron’s ace serve put the Clippers up 4-0, and with a Sarena Remiger ace block that the senior followed up with a kill that registered on the Richter scale, the Clippers were up 7-1.
After another Remiger winner, Lacey Hollerich dropped a hit to the floor, and the Crusaders shanked an Ava Hahn ace serve for a 10-2 Clipper advantage. The teams traded points from there until Greta Hahn’s ace tip was the start of a four-point burst that put the Clippers up 21-10.
Mixing up her attacks, Waldron followed with an ace tip, and Hollerich uncoiled for a kill that put the Clippers in front 24-10. The Crusaders managed the next two points, but Hollerich looped over a soft hit for a winner and the Clipper triumph.
“We all did a good job tonight knowing when to swing hard and where to swing to avoid the block and knowing when to mix in a tip,” Nixon said.
Game two see-sawed for the first 11 points before the Clippers, up 6-5, spurted four five points, including three Waldron attacks and a Melia Sathoff kill.
The Crusaders only posted three points after that, and the Clippers won when Jocelyn Bartell dropped down an ace block.
A Harley Connor kill was the first Clipper winner in game three. The Crusaders, only scored sporadically, putting together two points in a row only twice. Hollerich and Connor scored on tips, and then Connor dropped down a kill for a 17-7 Orange & Black advantage.
From there, the youngsters went on a riot with Bartell scoring on a kill and Sathoff dropping in an ace tip and then airmailing a pair of ace serves to put the Clippers in front 23-9. The Clippers won after a Crusader serve smacked into the net.
Ava Hahn had six kills. Hollerich had five kills. Remiger and Sathoff each had four kills.
Emma Sweere had eight digs, 20 short of a school record. Ava Hahn and Savannah Meyer each had five digs. Greta Hahn had four digs. Laci Hollerich, Jersie Kelle, Sathoff and Chloe Anderson each had three digs.
Remiger put up the Clipper’s lone ace block.
Sathoff had seven ace serves. Sweere had three ace serves. Waldron had two ace serves.
Perfect at the service line were Ava Hahn, Sophie Perkins, Kelley, Waldron, Sweere, Meyer and Hollerich.
The Clippers played in the TCU tournament on Saturday. They will host Sibley East on Monday and travel to Alden on Tuesday for a conference showdown.
Waldron said the Alden gym is a tough place to play but the Clippers should be prepared.
“I’m a little nervous, but I think we’ll get through it.”
The Clippers showered cancer survivor Roberta “Bert” Connor with carnations. Connor is the aunt and Godmother of Harley Connor.
Harley Connor, Greta Hahn, Sarena Remiger and Savanah Meyer watch a tip fall over the net.
Savannah Meyer kneels for a dig.
Lexy Waldron unleashes an attack.
The theme in the student section was, of course, pink.
Fifth graders Hadley Thompson and Natalie Flowers got into the spirit.