Winning 11 of last 12 matches, Clifton Lady Cubs dismantle the 17th-ranked Keene Lady Chargers to open District 17-3A competition; face the seventh-ranked Grandview Lady Zebras
Playing their finest volleyball at the best possible time, the Clifton Lady Cubs made a statement last week that they will be a force to reckoned with in District 17-3A. By winning for the 11th time in last 12 matches, the Lady Cubs completely dismantled the 17th-ranked Keene Lady Chargers in straight sets, 25-13, 25-19, 25-7, last Friday afternoon at the Clifton High School Gymnasium.
“We had a great district opener with a great crowd early Friday afternoon,” Clifton volleyball head coach Joy Holzmann said. “I was very pleased with our performance against Keene. The girls executed our game plan perfectly, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.
Junior Brylee Heim led the Lady Cubs with 13 kills, followed by senior Kate Humphreys with 10, while senior Brianna Gonzalez led the defense with 11 digs and freshman Brystel Wise provided a team-high seven block assists.
“We completely took Keene out of their game,” Holzmann said. “This win was big for us, and everyone contributed to the win.”
Taking on another state-ranked squad in District 17-3A competition, the Lady Cubs (1-0 in district, 16-10 overall) will travel to Grandview to take on the seventh-ranked Lady Zebras (1-0, 20-5) at 6 p.m. Tuesday before returning home to host the Maypearl Lady Panthers (0-1, 8-7) Friday at 4:30 p.m.
“After the win on Friday, this will help us with confidence going into the match against Grandview on Tuesday,” Holzmann said. “The girls are so excited and are working really hard every day. The team chemistry is also great, and that is also a big factor for us going into district.”
Coming off a lackluster performance against Class 2A’s 12th-ranked Hamilton on Homecoming, the Lady Cubs restored their momentum going into district plays with a resounding straight set victory over Cameron, 25-13, 25-14, 25-17, on the road last Tuesday.
“I was very pleased with our overall performance against Cameron,” Holzmann said. “We stepped on the court ready to play and never let up in all three sets. What a way to finish the pre-season games and get ready for district.”
In the final tune-up for district, Wise led Clifton with seven kills, followed by junior Camy Barsh and Gonzalez with six apiece. With a serving percentage of 92, freshman Madison Otter and Wise smashed five service aces each. Otter led the Lady Cubs with 24 assists as Clifton posted a 1.88 receiving the ball.
“Maddie did a great job running the offense,” Holzmann said. “The team energy against Cameron helped us with the win. As soon as we stepped on the court, we were ready to play, and we never let up. This was also the case with Keene. We jumped on them early and never let up.
“As I mentioned last week, the girls keep getting better each game and they are executing the game plan. I’m really excited to see how this all turns out. I would also like to thank the fans for the big turnouts. This is also a factor for our success.”
After playing 13 straight matches on the road to open the season, the Lady Cubs finally came home to host Bosque County rival Valley Mills Aug. 29, and Clifton swept past the always-tough Lady Eagles in straight sets.
“It was our first home game of the year, and we had a great turnout,” Holzmann said. “It is so nice to see a packed gym with supportive fans. We played great with tons of energy on and off the court, and the fans in the stands were also a big help with that.”
Against Valley Mills, Wise led Clifton with 10 and only three hitting errors with a hitting average of .412, followed by Humphreys with nine kills and only four hitting errors with a hitting average of .313. Heim contributed four kills, followed by Barsh with three, while Wise led the Lady Cubs with a 1.89 serve receive average followed by senior Laylah Gaona with a 1.67 serve receive average.
“I was very pleased with everyone’s performance on Tuesday,” Holzmann said. “What a great first home match. I’m looking forward to another packed gym for our match against Hamilton on Friday.”
But against Class 2A’s 12th-ranked Hamilton, the Lady Cubs played like they were thinking more about Homecoming Night than the match, losing in straight sets, 25-18, 25-14, 25-15, Sept. 1. In the loss to Hamilton, Gonzalez led Clifton with six kills, followed by Wise and Heim with five each.
“Friday’s match was not a norm for the Lady Cubs,” Holzmann said. “We were very quiet and slow during the match. We were completely out of the norm with our match starting at 4 p.m. and just playing a varsity match.”
Coming off back-to-back, jam-packed weeks of action where they met the challenges and took their lumps, the Lady Cubs finally saw all of their hard work pay off with a slew of victories. Clifton opened the week with an impressive win in Hico before sweeping to a dominating championship trophy at the Moody Tournament.
Leaving no doubt in the championship game of the Moody Tournament, the Lady Cubs swept past the McGregor Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, 25-19, 25-17, to bring home the tourney hardware. Humphreys led Clifton with eight kills, followed by Gonzalez with seven and Heim with five, while Wise led the Lady Cubs with a 2.3 serve receive average and 10 digs.
“We had a great match against McGregor in the final match for the championship,” Holzmann said. “After sitting for several hours, the girls jumped on the court ready to play with a lot of energy. I was very pleased with their performance.”
Opening the Moody Tournament, Clifton knocked off the host McGregor in a hard-fought, three-set match, before sweeping past Waco Reicher Catholic and Axtell in straight sets to win pool play. Playing in the championship bracket Saturday, the Lady Cubs dominated Oglesby in a two-set sweep before battling to a three-set victory over Holland to earn a place in the title game.
“After going undefeated in three matches Thursday to win our pool, we came back on Saturday and had a long day,” Holzmann said. “But the girls came ready to play, and we won three matches to win the championship. I’m very proud of the way they played.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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