CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Abby Knapp-Greeley stomped her feet to “Everybody Clap Your Hands.” She lip synced word-for-word the lyrics to the SpongeBob SquarePants theme.
The senior libero on the Clarion-Limestone volleyball team is a captain, leader and sometimes comic foil for a very close-knit team.
She kept her teammates at ease, even during a stressful winner-take-all fifth set against rival Clarion in the inaugural Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference Tournament championship match at Tippin Gym on Wednesday night.
On the court, Knapp-Greeley also came up big, playing stellar defense in the back row, helping the Lions to the 23-25, 25-11, 25-17, 21-25, 15-13 win for the KSAC tourney title.
(Pictured above, Clarion-Limestone celebrates after winning the KSAC Tournament title)
“You never know what you’re gonna get with Abby’s personality,” said C-L coach Ryan Troupe, smiling. “She’s a fun personality. And there’s a reason why she is a captain for us because she brings the energy, she brings the fun that we need on the court whenever we’re playing.”
The stakes were high for both teams in a packed gym and in front of a raucous crowd.
Yet Clarion-Limestone was loose throughout the match, despite having a lot to lose.
Like an unbeaten season. Like a KSAC title. Like bragging rights again against a rival.
Clarion-Limestone Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
Instead the Lions withstood every haymaker the Bobcats could throw at them between the heavy swings of Marley Kline and Hadlee Campbell. They also managed to negotiate some adversity, dropping the first set, then watching the fourth set slip away as Clarion forced a fifth.
Even in that decisive game, C-L had a comfortable 8-3 advantage dwindle away.
The Lions led 14-11, but even that wasn’t safe as Clarion scored two quick points to put the pressure on.
Ultimately, Knapp-Greeley — as she had done so well throughout the night — judged that a Clarion serve would barely land too far out over the back line, and C-L launched into a wild celebration.
“We do a lot of back row drills,” Knapp-Greeley said. “Coach Troupe has taught me all that I know, and I honestly give it all to him.”
Knapp-Greeley spent more time on the floor than upright, digging and passing hit after hit from Clarion’s formidable attack.
(Clarion-Limestone’s Abby Knapp-Greeley was named the ExploreClarion and Hager Paving Incorporated KSAC Volleyball Tournament Championship Player of the Game)
The last time the two teams clashed in late September, Clarion-Limestone won in straight sets. But Clarion was without junior outside Hadlee Campbell that night and her presence in the KSAC championship match was felt by both teams.
Swinging free again after a shoulder injury forced her into street clothes and to the bench as a spectator for more than two weeks, Campbell certainly shook off the rust with nine kills.
She had many other solid swings.
Kline, too, rocketed some hits at C-L. Some were blocked at the net. Some were put back in the air by Knapp-Greeley. She did end up with 12 kills to lead the Bobcats.
“Credit to the girls because we made adjustments throughout the entire match that put Abby in that position to be able to play her best defense tonight,” Troupe said. “I mean, it’s a credit to the entire team, from up front with the blocking scheme that we had to be able to get touches. The whole team played phenomenal.”
On offense, C-L used a balanced attack — as it has all season. No one had more than 10 kills for the Lions, but Jenna Dunn had three big ones in the fifth set.
It helped the Lions win the conference — in the standings and in this tournament form — for the first time since 2005.
“We haven’t done it since like 2005, so when I was born,” Knapp-Greeley said, laughing. “It’s just crazy. It’s insane to be on the banner.”
Knapp-Greeley was also the championship match player of the game.
“I never believed I would get this because normally my position doesn’t get a lot of stuff like this, not a lot on social media about us,” she said, smiling. “It’s just so cool.”
Both teams will enter the District 9 Class A playoffs. That bracket will come out in the coming days.
Clarion-Limestone will take a few easy days of practice, Troupe said, before a weekend tournament serves as a tune up for the D9 postseason.
His team is certainly battle tested and close.
“Every single day we want to win that day and move forward,” Troupe said. “We’re hoping to ride this momentum and take it with us. But we can’t be complacent here. We have to make sure we’re happy with this today, but we have to keep working. A lot of times this team could have given up, but this team doesn’t give up on themselves. You could see they were loose. They were having fun. They enjoy being on the court with each other and I think that shows in the way they play. They never get down on themselves.
“I can’t picture a more well-connected team,” Troupe added. “This entire group trusts each other and they trust themselves. They pick each other up and that’s what you need when you are a strong team. Their chemistry is what keeps them going forward.”
Clarion-Limestone Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
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