SETTING UP SHOWDOWN

Class 3A’s eighth-ranked Clifton Lady Cubs open District 17-3A with three straight sweeps, host Troy for battle of sole possession of first place

By opening District 17-3A competition with three dominating victories, the Class 3A, eighth-ranked Clifton Lady Cubs set up a classic showdown with the Troy Lady Trojans for sole possession of first place at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Clifton High School gymnasium.

Posting their third straight overwhelming district win, the Lady Cubs (3-0 in district, 29-6 overall) swept past the Whitney Lady Wildcats in straight sets, 25-14, 25-9, 25-9, at home Tuesday night as junior Brystel Wise smashed a game-high 13 kills, followed by sophomore Taliyha Davenport with 10.

In dominating the Lady Wildcats, sophomore Scarlett Kennedy delivered a game-high eight service aces and came up with 22 digs, junior Madison Otter handled a game-high 33 assists, and Davenport went up for three blocks.

Prior to the convincing win over Whitney (0-3, 7-11), Clifton posted an inspired and hard-fought straight set victory over the arch-rival West Lady Trojans, 25-19, 25-16, 25-20, on the road last Friday.

In the victory over West (1-2, 15-16), Wise led the Lady Cubs with 13 kills, followed by Davenport and sophomore Kendall Houser with seven each, as well as sophomore Lucy New with five.

Houser soared to a team-high five blocks, followed by Davenport with four, while Otter delivered 24 assists and three blocks, and Kennedy came up with a team-high 18 digs.

“The West game was awesome, and it was so nice to beat them at their place,” Clifton volleyball head coach Joy Holzmann said. “The girls were so ready to play, and we jumped on them from the start and didn’t let up.

“The girls have been patiently waiting to play this match, and they got after it. We played great as a team, and Kendall Houser and Lucy New really played well. I’m so proud of the girls for stepping up and taking care of things on the road.”

Since returning from Hawaii after playing in the KSA Oahu Classic Volleyball Tournament in Pearl City, the Lady Cubs have won eight straight matches while sweeping 24 straight sets. And looking back at last week’s back-to-back road wins against Waco Harmony and West to open district, the Lady Cubs are clearly getting a total team effort right now.

“In the Harmony match, we played well,” Holzmann said. “We tried a few new things against them and were successful. Of course, the captains – Bristol Wise and Madison Otter – do a great job leading the team. Our team chemistry continues to get better and better. The girls do a great job trusting each other playing well together on the court and we have fun doing it.”

Following Friday’s showdown with Troy (3-0, 18-9), the Lady Cubs hit the road to take on the McGregor Lady Bulldogs (2-1, 10-15) at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday to wrap up the first round of district play.

“We are glad to be home this week and not on the road,” Holzmann said. “We need to take care of Friday’s huge match up against Troy. I would love to have a big crowd there to support the girls. We are pretty evenly matched, so it will be a great match. A big crowd would be a great atmosphere to play in.

“I’m so excited for the girls this year. They have been working hard, and we have some goals that we are working hard toward each day that we plan to accomplish. I can’t wait to see how far we go this year, and I’m so proud of what we have done so far.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS