NO PLACE LIKE HOME

After playing three straight road matches, Clifton Lady Cubs host Troy Lady Trojans in head-to-head clash for second place in District 17-3A behind 25th-ranked West

Needing one more win to clinch their fourth consecutive trip to the Class 3A state volleyball playoffs, the Clifton Lady Cubs want more. And they will definitely be putting it all on the line this Tuesday night in the Clifton High School Gymnasium.

After playing three straight road matches, the Lady Cubs (5-2, 26-12) return home for a crucial District 17-3A rematch with the Troy Lady Trojans (5-2, 20-16) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a showdown for a second place in district. Troy will be coming off a 3-1 loss to district-leading and 25th-ranked West (6-1, 27-11) on Friday.

“I will be glad to be back at home against Troy,” Clifton volleyball head coach Joy Holzmann said. “We lost a tough one at their place, and the girls are ready for the rematch. Home court advantage is always a plus, and we always have a great crowd. That is for sure a big help when playing.”

Then Clifton will go back on the road to face McGregor (2-5, 15-14) at 4:30 p.m. Friday before wrapping up the regular season at home against Waco Harmony (0-7, 0-15) at 6 p.m. Oct. 29.

Opening the second round of district with a rematch against West, senior Taiylor Immicke slammed a game-high 14 kills as the Lady Trojans avenged their first round loss with a hard-fought three set home victory over Clifton, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17.

“The match against West was a very intense playoff game feel,” Holzmann said. “I think the girls that are new to the varsity this year had a hard time with the big game and atmosphere.”

Senior Brylee Heim led the Lady Cubs with 11 kills, two blocks and 20 service receptions, followed by sophomore Brystel Wise with 10 kills, seven digs and 12 service receptions, senior Camy Barsh with four kills and a block, junior Addison Martin with two service aces and a team-high 13 digs, sophomore Madison Itter with 27 assists as well as freshman Scarlett Kennedy with eight digs and 19 service receptions.

“Super proud of Brystel Wise, Brylee Heim, Camy Barsh, Maddison Otter and Addison Martin for the match that they played,” Holzmann said. “We struggled defensively and in service receive against West, and they played great against us.”

Bouncing back from the disappointing loss at West, the Lady Cubs responded with a resounding three-set sweep of Whitney, 25-22, 25-10, 25-24, in their third straight match in the road. But the Lady Wildcats (2-5, 8-20) gave Clifton all they could handle in the first and third sets.

Heim smashed a team-high 14 kills, a block, two service aces and 10 digs, followed by Wise with 10 kills, a block, 11 digs and a team-high 20 service receptions, sophomore Madison Otter with 31 assists, junior Addison Martin with a team-high 19 digs, and freshman Taliyha Davenport with two blocks.

“Yes, it was a tough loss against West, but we bounced back and took care of Whitney,” Holzmann said. “The first set was very slow paced, and we adjusted in the second set. The third set against Whitney was again very flat and slow. But I’m proud of the girls for winning in three sets.”