HOME HOSTILITY

Class 3A’s seventh-ranked Clifton Lady Cubs dethrone defending District 17-3A champion West with season sweep

After wrapping up the first round of District 17-3A competition in sole possession of first place, the seventh-ranked Clifton Lady Cubs took a big step toward capturing their first district title in over 20 years with back-to-back victories to open the second round.

But most importantly, the Lady Cubs (7-0 in district, 33-6 overall) left no doubt against the arch-rival West Lady Trojans with a dominating straight set sweep, 25-11, 25-18, 25-12, Tuesday night at the Clifton High School gymnasium.

With the win over West (4-3, 18-17), Clifton extended their winning streak to 12 straight matches without surrendering a single set. And in the process, the Lady Cubs clinched their fifth consecutive trip to the postseason.

“The West match was a big match for us,” Clifton veteran volleyball head coach Joy Holzmann said. “It is a big rivalry, and West came to Clifton to try and get a win. But the girls played with a lot of intensity, they had a game plan, and we were able to execute it and take care of business.”

Against West, junior Brystel Wise led the Lady Cubs with 13 kills, followed by senior Addison Martin with nine kills with team-highs in two service aces (2), service points (12) and digs (16). Sophomore Taliyha Davenport contributed eight kills and 11 service points, while junior Madison Otter delivered 34 assists, 14 digs and two blocks.

Clifton opened the second round of district at home with a resounding three-set sweep of the Waco Harmony Science Academy, 25-6, 25-5, 25-8, last Friday evening. Wise and Davenport led the Lady Cubs with six kills apiece, while Otter smashed a game-high 10 service aces along with providing 22 assists.

“We are playing very well as a team, and I believe that is because of the team chemistry that the girls have,” Holzmann said. “I’m so proud of what we have done so far this season and looking forward to seeing what the playoffs look like.”

Last Tuesday night, the Lady Cubs wrapped up the first round of district undefeated by ultimately overwhelming the McGregor Lady Bulldogs, 25-22, 25-20, 25-3, on the road as Wise crushed a game-high 19 kills.

Despite a slow start against the Lady Bulldogs (2-4, 10-18), Davenport added eight kills, followed by Martin and sophomore Lucy New with seven each, along with sophomore Kendall Houser with six. Houser led the Lady Cubs with seven blocks, Martin came up with a team-high 13 digs, and Otter provided a game-high 37 assists.

“In the McGregor game, we started really, really slow, and it took us a while to get comfortable,” Holzmann said. “We pulled through the first two sets. But in the third set, we finally played the way we know how to play. It’s always hard to get a win at someone else’s place.”

Coming up, the Lady Cubs continue the second round of District 17-3A competition with back-to-back road matches against the Whitney Lady Wildcats (1-5, 8-14) at 4:30 p.m. Friday before battling in a rematch with the second place Troy Lady Trojans (5-1, 20-10) at 6 p.m. next Tuesday.

“I am very pleased with the way we played the first round of district,” Holzmann said. “I am hoping we continue to play and get better each match. One of our goals is to win the district, and we are continuing to work hard to make that happen.”