Spikers went into their last match at the OAA Tournament feeling a little down after losing to Farmington in the semi-finals.
The girls began the tournament by defeating Lake Orion in the quarter finals and scored 25-10 and 25-21 in two sets.
They went on to face Farmington. They won their first set, 25-19, but then lost the next two sets (25-14, 15-11).
‘By losing to them, we didn’t really hold the league championship in our hands anymore,? said Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach Kelly Avenall. ‘We needed to win our next match and needed Farmington to win their next match.?
‘It was a tough game for them, we lost to them earlier in the season,? said senior Alyssa Craft. ‘We had it in our heads that we were going to beat them. It was a really hard fought match. Losing it wasn’t what we wanted.?
What happened next was exactly what the Wolves needed.
‘I was watching the other match. I knew Farmington had beaten Troy, so I told them that. The last five and six points they really played up,? said Avenall. ‘We had a real low and a real high from Saturday.?
The girls beat Birmingham Seaholm in two of three sets (25-17, 20-25, 15-7).
Clarkston took third place in the tournament, and Farmington was first and Troy was second.
Because Clarkston came into the tournament in first and ended in third, they had enough points to win the league tournament.
‘I am proud of the fact they went from a very low point in the day and were able to overcome that adversity and get through Seaholm and win that match,? said Avenall. ‘They were very emotional at the beginning of the Seaholm match – very flat, very disappointed in themselves. They were able to gather themselves together, play as a team and get through that. In retrospect that is probably something that we need to know that we can get through adversity.?
For the day, Jenna Coates had 64 digs, Allison Reis had 25 kills and 27 digs, and Alexis Egler raked 66 assists.
The girls beat Lake Orion earlier in the week, 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-12)
Reis had 10 kills, Mallory Godschalk had three aces and 14 digs and Coates had 35 digs.
The girls overall record is now 34-6-1.
The girls play West Bloomfield next Tuesday in their last home game, followed by their last tournament of the season at Waterford Kettering.
‘It’s our senior night, so it’s an important night for everyone,? said Craft. ‘I think we are going to do well. It’s a home game. We have the home court advantage. We have the momentum from being league champs.?