Spikers were back to work on Monday afternoon practicing with lots of energy for their game against Farmington Hills Mercy.
The Lady Wolves claimed their first Regional title since 1976 on Thursday night when they beat Flushing, 3-1.
“It was a big night for us and the program,” said Coach Kelly Avenall. “It was definitely one of our goals from the beginning of the season. I firmly believed they could accomplish.”
The girls lost the first game, 25-21.
“The first game we came out a little flat,” Avenall admitted. “We didn’t adjust well to their hitters.”
Clarkston made adjustments to their game and won they next two sets 25-11 and 25-16. They trailed during the last set but defense brought them back up to win, 25-22.
“We played with a little bit more excitement and more positive. I could see determination on their faces. They wanted it. The Flushing coach said we took it meaner to them,” Avenall added.
Leading in kills were Alexis Egler with 13, Allison Reis with 11 and Jessica Frakes with 10.
“Jessica was our spark plug,” said Avenall. “They were momentum stopping kills for Flushing. She was hitting the ball so hard and it took the confidence away from Flushing.”
Stephanie Marani had seven blocks and Maddie Lightfoot had 22 digs.
“We were pretty balanced offensively,” added Avenall. “It’s not one person, everyone works together.”
The girls played Davison in the first round of the regional playoffs on Nov. 9.
They beat them 3-0, (25-14, 25-15, 25-12).
The Lady Wolves quickly got on the board and took control of the court with their defense.
“We had a lot of girls go to the ball and we take advantage of it,” said Avenall. “The biggest thing was our blocking game. We blocked awesome. It is what won the game for us. “
Thirty-seven points from the night were from blocks.
Egler had 11 kills and Reis had 10 kills. Lightfoot had 22 digs.
The girls played Farmington Hills Mercy on Tuesday night. They beat them at the Flushing tournament earlier in the season.
“They have established themselves as one of the top premier teams in the state. They have beat some early good teams,” said Avenall.
Clarkston prepared throughout the weekend by practicing and watching film of their opponents.
“They do some smart things with the volleyball,” said Avenall. “They place it. They try to find opponents’ holes.”
Avenall believes the Wolves’ athleticism will help them for the game.
“We are going to use that to our advantage,” she said. “We are more of a pounding team and more of a power team. We are hopefully going to overpower them and play some good defense. If we can perform well as a team, we are going to do well in matches. We spread our sets around and keep opposing teams back on their heels.”
The winner moves on to play at the MHSAA Class A Semi-Finals on Friday night.They will play either Livonia Churchill or Temperance Bedford at 7:15 p.m. The winner continues on to the finals set for Saturday at 2 p.m. Both matches are at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
“They realize this is something they can accomplish. They understand this is something they can make happen and make a reality,” said Avenall. “They are very focused on accomplishing that.”
Check the Wolfpack Update at www.ClarkstonNews.com or Clarkston News on Facebook for results on the games.