CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — As the members of the Clarion-Limestone volleyball team ascended the stairs and spilled into the Clarion Area gym, they were met with loud cheers.
Smiles creased their faces.
It was a good night to be a Lion.
(Pictured above, the entire Clarion-Limestone team was named the Hager Paving Incorporated Player(s) of the Game)
Using relentless play from the back row to the net, Clarion-Limestone kept its winning streak alive by ending a long Clarion one on the way to a 25-18, 28-26, 25-21 sweep of the Bobcats in front of a large crowd on Wednesday night.
“We were all pumped,” said C-L middle hitter Maddy Greeley. “We knew to kind of not let any moment get too high or too low. We just had to live in the moment and just keep playing our game.”
Clarion Area and Clarion-Limetone High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
Clarion-Limestone’s game was to challenge Clarion on every point.
The Lions made few mistakes, keeping the pressure on the Bobcats from the first serve to the last.
Ultimately, that led to the victory that snapped Clarion’s 64-match Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference winning streak.
The last time the Bobcats lost a KSAC match was on Sept. 19, 2017, falling 3-2 to A-C Valley.
It was certainly a team effort for the Lions (10-0), who got kills from six different players, a big blocking night from Alyssa Wiant and Greeley, solid setting from Kaylee Smith, and a big match from defensive whiz, libero Abby Knapp-Greeley.
“That’s something that we are always trying to do with our team — it’s not a one single player kind of a deal,” said Clarion-Limestone coach Ryan Troupe. “We distribute the ball around the net evenly. We pick each other up on defense. It’s a full team effort and they like to celebrate each other more than they like to celebrate themselves. That team chemistry is really what pushes them forward.”
Jenna Dunn led a balanced attack with 10 kills. Hannah Beggs added seven kills and Wiant and Ansley Burke five apiece.
Knapp-Greeley had two dozen digs and Smith had more than 20 assists in the win.
“We all trust each other so much,” Wiant said. “No matter who is serving or who’s passing or who’s setting, we all have that trust in each other. We knew this was going to be tough coming into it. We respect everyone in the KSAC, but we don’t fear anyone.”
That was apparent early as Clarion-Limestone fell behind 3-0 out of the gate, but settled down to take a 4-3 lead.
The first set was close throughout, but the Lions were able to make a late charge to clinch the win with a kill from Dunn.
Clarion roared to a 17-7 lead in the second set before Clarion-Limestone went on an epic run.
The Lions scored the next 14 points to take a 21-17 lead. Clarion rebounded to tie things up at 24-24, again at 25-25, and yet again at 26-26, before C-L scored back-to-back points to take a 2-0 lead.
That was the turning point of the night, said Clarion coach Shari Campbell.
“That’s exactly what happened in our match against Conneaut,” Campbell said. “We went into a lull. We just don’t have the offense right now. We can’t get a kill. It’s not consistent and we don’t have strong enough hitting percentages. We’re just making too many mistakes and scoring too many points for the other teams. We need to take some responsibility for that.”
Clarion was playing without one of their top attackers, junior Hadlee Campbell, who has missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury.
She’s expected back soon.
She was missed against C-L.
But Marley Kline stepped up again in her stead. Usually a middle hitter, Kline played all over the court against the Lions and recorded 13 kills and six digs.
Clarion, one of the best serving teams, had just one ace and had 23 errors to go with its 29 team kills.
A lot of that had to do with the strong play of Clarion-Limestone’s relentlessness — especially that of Knapp-Greeley.
“Abby’s an anchor to our team,” Troupe said. “Not just skill-wise, but she’s an emotional anchor. She’s definitely a team leader. She can overcome mistakes. She’s not gonna play perfect and she knows that, but she bounces back really quickly and that’s exactly what we look for in any player, but especially a libero.”
While this victory was a big one for Clarion-Limestone, the Lions are determined to move on from it, just as they do after any match.
It’s just one win in late September, after all. There’s a lot of season left and a lot of goals — bigger ones than just beating Clarion — ahead.
“We’re gonna live in this moment tonight,” Greeley said. “They’re a great team. Then we’re going to move on to the next match.”
Troupe said this ultimately decides nothing.
“They’ve been the top team and I mean, honestly, the season is still going on, so there’s no top team in the league yet,” Troupe said. “Our girls were focused and unfazed coming in. We were prepared and they have worked hard all season. We treated this match the same way we treat any other match. It’s a win in the win-loss column and every match is important. We don’t get extra credit points for beating Clarion.”
Clarion Area and Clarion-Limestone High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
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