Clarkston delivers Chemics knockout poison in regional finals
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
LAPEER — It’s not surprising that Clarkston defended its regional volleyball championship this season. What surprises many is the fact the Wolves did so despite graduating over half of its team from last year.
The third-ranked Wolves are making a statement that they could be even better than a year ago, when they set a school record with 48 wins. Clarkston has since eclipsed that record and are back in the Elite Eight in Class A.
With a record of 54-5-0, Clarkston wasted no time in downing Midland Thursday night, sweeping the Chemics, 3-0, in the Class A regional finals at Lapeer West. The match lasted a mere 55 minutes, as the Wolves posted scores of 25-21, 25-16, 25-13 and rarely allowed Midland a chance to post any type of a threat.
Clarkston will play Plymouth Canton, a 3-1 upset winner over top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy Thursday, in the state quarterfinals next Tuesday at Fenton High School.
“I think that this shows that our program is getting stronger and even when we lose key players like that, we are able to rally,” said senior libero Maddie Lightoot. “We have really come together as a team and everybody has really stepped up.”
Lightfoot had 28 digs and four aces for Clarkston, which got ample contributions from up and down its lineup. Rachel Dickerson slammed 15 kills, Stephanie Marani had 11 kills and Brianna Frakes, celebrating her 16th birthday, picked up 28 assists for the Wolves.
“I have been saying all year that (this team) has exceeded almost every one of my expectations,” said Clarkston coach Kelly Avenall, whose team played in the regional round for the seventh time in her nine years as head coach. “Going into spring ball and summer ball, knowing what we had, I was thinking that if we are middle of the pack I’m going to be happy. Then we open up with 25 straight wins. I started to believe that we’ve got something here.”
Clarkston found itself in a tight battle in Game 1, turning a 7-5 deficit into a 12-8 advantage with 7-1 run. The Wolves took their biggest lead of the set at 19-14 thanks to a block-kill from Sarah Bullen.
Angela Niezgoda, one of three seniors on the Wolves’ roster, slammed a kill to end the first game.
The Wolves simply caught fire after that point. Clarkston’s defense was sterling and its array of attackers proved too much for the Chemics to overcome.
“My biggest fear (this season and tonight) was our sophomores,” said Avenall, wondering how her young team would adapt. “It’s a pretty intense atmosphere, essentially in something like (the state tournament) and playing in the OAA. You have tough league games day in and day out and I really felt that if those sophomores could handle that pressure that we’d be okay.”
The whole team handled the pressure of being in a regional final against a team with more height and a roster that boasted six seniors and seven juniors.
Tied 3-3 in the second game, Clarkston went on a 13-0 run to build a 16-3 advantage, fueled by 13 straight serves by Lightfoot. The senior had three service points, including two aces, in that run while Dickerson and Bullen both had three kills apiece in that back-breaking spurt.
Midland (40-15-1) could never fully recover.
Two more kills by Dickerson and a service point from Niezgoda ended Game 2 and put Clarkston in complete control.
The Wolves trailed 2-1 early in the third set, only to regain the lead at 4-3 and slowly pulled away. A 10-7 lead ballooned into a 19-12 advantage. Marani had three kills down the stretch, including the match clincher, to send Clarkston to its second straight regional trophy and third in school history.
The Wolves also claimed a regional crown back in 1976.
Clarkston’s defense and blocking ability was on full display and the Wolves did not allow Midland to go on any long runs the whole night. The Chemics’ biggest lead was three points and that was to open the match. A pair of block-kills from Marani and Dickerson quickly helped erase the deficit.
The Wolves’ defense tightened up the Midland struggled to put the ball on the floor.
“Defense is definitely an attitude and a lot of it is having that nothing is going to hit the floor mentality,” said Lightfoot. “I don’t think it was just (any one player). I think everyone went all out tonight and it really helped.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Photo galleries of Clarkston volleyball can be found at www.lmckeephotography.com
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Category: Clarkston, High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps
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