BUILDING POSTSEASON MOMENTUM

With third place in District 17-3A locked up, Clifton Lady Cubs get confidence boasting victory over Class 4A Gatesville in warmup before focusing on Bi-District matchup with Palmer

Winning four of their last five matches and building some momentum heading into the Class 3A Texas high school volleyball postseason tournament, the Clifton Lady Cubs knocked off the Class 4A playoff-bound Gatesville Lady Hornets in a playoff warm-up match last Friday after disposing of the Waco Harmony Science Academy in the regular season finale last Tuesday.

Now, the Lady Cubs (8-4 3rd place in District 17-3A, 24-15 overall) turn their focus to the postseason and their Bi-District playoff matchup with the Palmer Lady Bulldogs (10-4 2nd place in District 18-3A, 18-16 overall) on Monday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Hillsboro.

“The girls are very excited about the match and looking forward to winning a Bi-District championship,” Clifton volleyball head coach Joy Holzmann said. “They are really excited to play, and we match up really well against them. We have a great chance to advance to the next round. We’re looking forward to playing and hoping to see a great crowd.”

Giving the Lady Cubs confidence going into the postseason, Clifton went on the road to test their mettle and came home with a hard-fought, yet convincing four-set victory over Gatesville, 26-24, 15-25, 25-14, 25-20.

With freshman Madison Otter spreading out the Lady Cub offense, freshman Brystel Wise smashed a team-high 11 kills, followed by senior Kate Humphreys with nine, junior Brylee Heim with six and junior Camy Barsh with four kills, while senior Laylah Gaona delivered five service aces along with leading the defense, sophomore Addison Martin filled in admirably for the injured senior Breanna Gonzalez.

“We did a great job against Gatesville on Friday,” Holzmann said. “I was very pleased with our overall performance. The girls came out ready to play with a lot of intensity at the start of the match, and it continued throughout all four sets. Winning this match is a great way to go into Monday’s Bi-District match against Palmer.”

Before turning to the postseason following an open date Oct. 20, Clifton wrapped the regular season up by hosting its third straight home match, easing past the winless Waco Harmony Science Academy (0-12, 0-19) in a straight set sweep, 25-6, 25-5, 25-10, last Tuesday. Wise led the Lady Cubs with 10 kills, followed by Barsh and Heim with seven apiece, Humphreys with six, Martin with five and junior Taryn Busby with three.

After knocking off the Maypearl Lady Panthers and the Whitney Lady Wildcats to secure the third-place playoff berth in District 17-3A, Clifton refused to be satisfied and set their sights on district champion and 13th-ranked West last week.

Despite coming up short in straight sets, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21, against the Lady Trojans Oct. 17 in the Clifton High School Gymnasium, the Lady Cubs celebrated to contributions of four seniors – Kate Humphreys, Layla Gaona, Brianna Gonzalez and Alyssa Santillan – and began looking ahead to their third straight trip to the playoffs.

“All four seniors will be greatly missed next year,” Holzmann said. “They all represent what a student athlete should be. Their grades are excellent. and they are all great players. Their work ethic on the court and in the classroom is exceptional. I wish I could have coached them for more than one year.”

After missing out on the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, the Lady Cubs advanced to the Class 3A playoffs in back-to-back seasons as the district’s fourth place team before taking third place this season.

Against West (12-0, 27-11), Gonzalez led the Lady Cubs with seven kills, followed by Wise and Humphreys with six kills apiece, while Gaona produced great defensive and serve-receive game.

“In the West game, it didn’t seem like we could ever get in a flow of things. We would have a good run and then turn around and struggle on a few plays. The match was up and down for all 3 sets. We did look really good on blocking and we have been working on that all week, so that was a positive note. We will for sure have to be consistent when we get to the playoffs on blocking.

Coming off a disappointing loss to district runner-up and 24th-ranked Grandview (10-2, 31-7), the Lady Cubs responded by posting back-to-back dominating wins to clinch third place in district and their third straight trip to the Class 3A volleyball state playoffs.

After securing a playoff berth with hard-fought, come-from-behind, four-set victory on the road against the Maypearl, 18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21, Clifton clinched third place by sweeping past the Whitney, 25-12, 25-13, 25-19, in straight sets.

Wise led Clifton with 10 kills against Maypearl (2-10, 10-16), followed by Gonzalez and Barsh with eight each, Humphreys with seven, and Heim with six. Santillan came in off the bench and turned in a strong performance in the serve-receive game.

“We played a little sluggish and quiet early,” Holzmann said. “But we picked it up midway through the match and pulled out the win. I didn’t really tell the girls prior to the game about us winning would clinch a playoff spot. I really didn’t know how they would respond…nervous or excited. After the first set, I told the girls about the situation we were in, and they got really excited. After the win, which was a tough one on the road, the girls were really excited.”

Against Whitney (6-6, 14-21), the Lady Cubs were dominating from the outset, never letting the Lady Wildcats get into the match until the final set. Humphreys led the Lady Cubs with 14 kills, followed by Wise with nine, Heim with eight and Gonzalez with seven.

“For Friday’s match, I told them the situation about clinching third place, and they were ready to play since Wednesday,” Holzmann said. “And by the way we started and played, it showed they were ready to play. Madison Otter did a good job running the offense, and I think this match was an overall great match with everyone. Our overall defense and serve receive was also really good.

” I know the girls and myself are really excited about the playoffs and are working hard to advance to the next round. I’m really proud of the girls for what they have accomplished, and I’m looking forward to see what we will do in the playoffs. We keep getting better and better, and they are working really hard every practice and game. They seemed to be really focused and ready to be Bi-District champions.”