By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Clever High School Lady Blue Jays claimed this year’s Class 2 District 10 volleyball championship by rolling over the Marionville Lady Comets, in two sets, during Tuesday night’s district final in Marionville.
The Jays dominated the Comets taking the first set 25-17 and the second 25-13. The victory pushed the Lady Jays record up to 15-7-4. The Comets fell to 22-8-1.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Although the Comets lost in only two sets, they did have their opportunites. But a stingy Clever High defense and explosive offense, engineered by a very confident group of Lady Jays, left no doubts as to how this game was going to end.
“I really had a lot of confidence in our kids tonight,” said Clever head coach Angie Wise. “We’ve been working very hard on our mental preparation and tonight our kids were ready to play.”
The victory, as Wise saw it, was made possible by a complete team effort.
“Everybody stepped up big tonight. We had a good game plan for the Blue Jays and our kids executed it well,” the Clever coach said. “Our girls played some great defense and did pretty much exactly what we needed to do to get the win.”
It’s been a long year for the Blue Jays, who after losing to Crane last year, set their sights on getting back the the district final once again in 2016.
“Losing last year was devastating,” said senior middle-hitter Taylor Menzies. “We had already decided that losing the district final wasn’t going to happen this year. We came together as a team tonight, and did everything were supposed to do to get the win. We played really well.”
“We knew we were ready for this one,” said outside hitter Emily Mendenhall. “And getting the win was huge for us, especially the seniors. “We didn’t want to lose this one again. We all played well, got the win, and it felt great.”
Even though the Comets lost, it in no way deterred the pride head coach Ashlynn Engler had for her kids and the season they had recorded. But she did give credit to the Comets for a job well done.
“Clever is an amazing team. Do I wish we would have been able to play a little better, yes,” Engler said. “But to lose to a great team like Clever who is fundamentally sound and who capitalized on every moment, isn’t something to be ashamed about. I’d say they deserved the win tonight. I wish them the best as they head to sectionals.”
Box Score 1 2 F
Comets 16 13 0
Blue Jays 25 25 2
Game Stats:
Clever; Harper Little 4 kills- 10 digs, Abigail Menzies 3 kills, Brett Beard 3 kills, Emily Mendenhall 3 kills, Lindsay Peebles 3 kills- 11 assists, Madilyn Wilson 13 assists, Madison Newman 3 aces.
Marionville; Tori Brown 7 kills- 1 block, 9 digs, Kymbra Kirby 7 kills- 1 block- 6 digs, Tori LaSalle 16 assists, Shalyn Eason 6 digs.
All-District Teams
First Team: Tori Brown- Marionville, Kymbra Kirby- Marionville, Emily Mendenhall- Clever, Taylor Menzies- Clever, Madison Fulp-Crane, Harper Little- Clever.
Second Team: Lindsay Peebles- Clever, HannahWhite- Purdy, Baylee Henderson- Forsyth, Tori LaSalle- Marionville, Shalyn Eason- Marionville, Abigail Menzies- Clever.
