Clovers top Mounties in sectional tune-up
NEW MARKET -- The Clover volleyball team has struggled at the end of its season but it picked up a needed win during the week before sectionals. The girls took the match in three sets after staving off a Lady Mounty surge in the third and final game.
The Lady Clovers finished the first set in dramatic fashion coming from a deficit late in the game and taking the lead after being tied at 23.
The second match saw a little more dominant Clover team as it went on a big run after being tied at 9. Jessica Winders was the set leader and Lexi Branneman along with Bailee Stevens did the attacking for the Clovers. Cloverdale took the second game 25-13.
The third match started much like the second, with Cloverdale hopping out to a sizable lead helped by the team chemistry that it displays.
Southmont, however, stormed back amid some good offensive play. After a 12-4 Cloverdale lead, the Mounties made it 20-17. Cloverdale halted the Mounty progress there and took the win 25-20.
"I thought we played pretty well at times," Clover coach Kathy Moore said. "Sometimes when a match is going kind of slow you can lose your concentration. I think that's what happened to us in that number three. You can lose your intensity a little bit."
Moore said that with the postseason approaching, keeping the intensity will be a priority.
"We can't afford to do that now that we are going into sectional," Moore said. "We've got to be on it the whole time."
The week ends with Senior Night and then the Clovers will play against Cascade in the Covenant Christian sectional, who they beat early in the season and then lost to late.
"When we found out who we played (Monday), they were pretty excited because they feel like they can play with Cascade. You've got to take the first step first and that's Cascade and then you will worry about the next one after that. It's one and done time."
In the Covenant Christian bracket, South Putnam has a bye and will play the winner of the North Putnam and Covenant Christian match. Speedway will take on Monrovia.
At Southmont
Cloverdale 25 25 25
Southmont 23 13 20
Individual Stats
Davis 1 ace 7 kills 6 digs, Stevens 16 pts 2 ace 5 kills 4 digs, K Winders 5 pts 1 kill 6 digs, Willis 6 digs, Asbury 1 ace 7 pts 3 kills 2 digs, J. Winders 4 ace 7 pts 3 kills 16 asst, 1 block 3 digs, Branneman 2 ace 4 pts 5 kills 5 blocks 2 digs, Smith 1 pts 7 digs, Ehmen 2 pts 3 digs, Huge 1 dig