TIED AT THE TOP

With Clifton, Troy & West locked in three-way tie for first in District 17-3A, 24th-ranked Lady Cubs sweep McGregor on Senior Night, open second round at West Tuesday

Re-establishing themselves as the team to beat in District 17-3A, the 24th-ranked Clifton Lady Cubs swept through two opponents last week as they made the turn down the homestretch of the 2024 Texas high school volleyball regular season.

But make no mistake about it. Locked in a three-way tie for first place with perennial powerhouses Troy and West, the Lady Cubs will not be caught by a Trojan horse surprise in the second round of district as Clifton (4-1, 25-11) opens with a road trip to West for a rematch against the Lady Trojans (4-1, 25-11) at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Winners in 19 of their last 21 matches, the state-ranked Lady Cubs hope to repeat their dominant three-set sweep performance against West in the first round before traveling to take on Whitney (1-4, 6-19) at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

“The girls need to take one game at a time, and everything will come together,” Clifton volleyball head coach Joy Holzmann said. “We need to focus on what we need to do to beat West on Tuesday. We need to continue to get better every practice and every game.”

Bouncing back from the heartbreaking five-set loss at Troy (4-1, 19-15) Oct. 4, the Lady Cubs took care of business against the McGregor Lady Bulldogs with a dominating three-set sweep on Senior Night at the Clifton High School Gymnasium last Tuesday before dominating Waco Harmony Science Academy in the road last Friday afternoon.

“The girls bounced back after the loss to Troy,” Holzmann said. “They did a good job at practice on Monday, then regrouped and got the job done on Tuesday.”

In the convincing 25-18, 25-21, 25-13 victory over McGregor (2-3, 15-12), sophomore Brystel Wise led Clifton’s balanced attack at the net with 15 kills, followed by senior Brylee Heim with seven as well as junior Addison Martin and freshman Taliyha Davenport with six each.

Sophomore Madison Otter delivered a team-high four service aces, 29 assists and three blocks, while freshman Scarlett Kennedy came up with a team-high 18 digs and 15 service receptions.

Then wrapping up the first round of district, the Lady Cubs hit the road to totally dominate the winless Waco Harmony Academy (0-5, 0-10), in straight sets, 25-4, 25-4, 25-9, on Friday.

Before the victory over McGregor last Tuesday, the Lady Cubs honored Heim and senior Camy Barsh on Senior Night in the Clifton High School Gymnasium. In addition to their senior leadership on the court, Barsh leads Clifton in total blocks with 56, while Heim ranks second in kills with 217.

“Camy Barsh and Brylee Heim, I can’t say enough about them,” Holzmann said. “When you talk about student athletes, they are the perfect example. Because of their great leadership and determination, they have played a major role in our success.

“They both exemplify great character, integrity and show great leadership on the court and in the classroom. They are both great role models for the younger girls in the program, and they are a pleasure to be around. I’m so glad I have had the opportunity to coach both of them for the past two years. I couldn’t be more proud of who they are and what they represent.”