Spikers knocked out their first set of wins last week to open the season.
First they went undefeated at the Fenton Quad on Aug. 26 beating Davison, 25-7, 25-10; Brighton, 25-14, 26-24, and Fenton, 25-22, 25-21. The girls did lose their first set to Fenton 18-25.
“It was a nice start,” said Clarkston Volleyball Head Coach Kelly (Avenall) Pinner. “Losing that first game was definitely good for them. It told them they can’t take it easy. You can’t take a play off. You have to play with intensity all the time. It was a learning experience for us.”
Senior outside hitter Taylor Dellinger had 29 kills, 16 digs and two aces for the night. Senior outside hitter and setter Emily Malinowski had 68 assists and three aces.
The Lady Wolves played the next day in the Lake Orion Invitational where they went 2-1-1 in the invite which featured 16 teams.
They won two games in their pool play with two wins against Mount Morris (25-23 and 25-19) and Rochester Adams (25-12 and 25-18).
Then, they tied with L’Anse Creuse North by winning the first set 25-11 and losing the second set in a closer match, 25-23.
Clarkston finished first in their pool play, matching them up with Farmington Hills Mercy. They lost the first set 25-23 and came back the second set to win, 25-16. The Lady Wolves lost the tie-breaking match 15-10.
Mercy went on to win the championship.
“I think a lot of the reason why we lost was I could tell in the girls faces and the way they were moving they were just really tired,” Pinner explained. “We played the night before pretty intense and it was really hot. We were fatigued. It is a team we can definitely play with and compete with.”
For the day freshman outside hitter and setter Abbey Malinowski had 40 kills and five blocks while her sister, Emily, had 93 assists. Dellinger added 33 kills and four aces.
The girls have another quad and tournament this week starting on Wednesday.
“North Branch is always tough,” Pinner said, looking ahead. “They are coached well. They play hard. It is a good start for us. It is nice playing at home. We like to play at home.”