Clovers can't best Tri-West

Friday, October 11, 2013
Cloverdale senior Adri Patterson rips an attack during Thursday's match against Tri-West. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

CLOVERDALE -- With the sectional draw approaching next Monday, Cloverdale's volleyball squad began preparations with a run of matches against teams with winning records, starting with Tri-West Thursday night.

In a grinding, sectional-type match, the Clovers nearly matched the Bruins point for point but fell in three sets 25-22, 25-23 and 25-20.

Cloverdale head coach Kathy Moore found no fault in the hosts' effort in the loss.

"We played Tri-West two weeks ago without their big hitter and the result was different," Moore said. "What a difference she makes for that team. I am not unhappy with our play, though.

"There are times where I'm unhappy with the choices that we make but I'm not unhappy. We need to be playing good teams heading into the sectional."

The opening round set the tone for the entire night as neither side had the ability to break away from the other. With kills at a premium, the set became a game of decision-making and it was a game Tri-West had a marginal edge in, coming back from 18-20 down to win the opener by three.

Cloverdale rallied well in the second set, opening the round with a 12-4 lead that seemed to put them in control of the set.

As the round went on, however, the Bruins slowly chipped away at the lead and got a timely boost from junior Kristen Buss in the final five points to slide past the Clovers 25-23.

Moore said that much like the rest of the matches, Cloverdale's scrappy play kept them around but Tri-West's hitters managed to just get enough points to get wins.

"We dug well tonight," Moore said. "There weren't more than four or five balls that hit the ground unless someone hit it over the top of us and eventually some things got through."

With the wind knocked out of their sails, it took the hosts some time to get going in the third set, allowing Tri-West to build a 13-6 lead. Unable to string serves together, the lead stayed stuck between four and five points for most of the set.

Down 22-16, Cloverdale got their best rally of the evening going, rattling off four straight points behind the serve of senior Lindsay Robson to close the gap to 22-20.

Buss, however, came through late once again, hammering shots repeatedly at the Clover defense until a pair went through and sealed the win for the Bruins in a three-set sweep.

Robson finished with 13 digs and seven points, while junior Kimmy Winders added eight digs and seven points. Senior Rebekah Jordan tallied nine digs, five points and four kills, sophomore Jessica Winders compiled 19 assists, four points and four kills, junior Lexi Branneman chipped in eight kills and two blocks while senior Adrianna Patterson added seven kills.

Moore said that Tri-West was just the first of many high quality opponents the Clovers will tussle with before gearing up for sectional play.

"We're playing Ritter on Saturday, who's an excellent team," Moore said. "We're playing Cascade, the WCC champions. We'll also see Clay City, so this is a tournament that is going to help us out.

"Next week we'll play Southmont and one of the best hitters in the state. After that, we play Linton, another tough team. It's good for us to have this competition at the end of the year."

The Cascade Invitational begins Saturday at 9 a.m.



At Cloverdale
Tri-West............25 25 25
Cloverdale.........22 23 20

Next Match: Cloverdale will participate in the Cascade Invitational Saturday.

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