Battling back after losing the first game to host Mankato Loyola on Monday, the C girls won the next two games to beat the Crusaders and snap a four-game slide.
In front 19-14 in game one, the Clippers served out of bounds. That was the start of a four-point Crusader spurt. Liviana Lee swung for back-to-back kills, but then the Clippers errored on another serve and let a return fall to the floor that put Loyola within two, 22-20.
Lee swung for another kill, but the Crusaders evened the game at 23 after a Clipper service error and a pair of kills. They failed to assemble a return for game point Clippers, but the Clippers tipped the ball out of bounds, got unlucky on a Crusader serve that caromed off the top of the net and dropped to the floor before the game ended 26-24 on another Clipper return error.
Jessilynn Milnes dispatched a hat trick of ace serves, all in a row, for a 5-2 Clipper lead in game two. On a Clipper error, the Crusaders caught up at the 9 mark, but Lee went into action with an ace tip and a kill, and Milnes sent over an ace tip, and with Crusader miscue to top off the winners, the Clippers led 17-12.
Madison Wollschlager airmailed a pair of aces to put the Clippers in front 20-13 before the game ended 25-16 on a Sierra Lotspeich ace serve.
Game three was all Clippers. Milnes started the festivities with a pair of ace serves. Mattea Grandaw and Clara Hilfer added a kill, and Milnes sent over another service ace for a 5 to nada Clipper lead. Later, Lee swung for a couple of kills, Grandaw hit for a winner, and Hilfer airmailed a service ace that put the Clippers in front 12-4. The game ended 15-6 when the Crusaders got tangled up in the webbing.
Lee led the attach force with 11 kills. Milnes and Lotspeich each added three kills, Grandaw had a pair of kills, and Hilfer had one kill.
Milnes had 11 set assists. Lee assisted on two winners.
Taylor Wolf scooped 12 digs. Lotspeich scraped four digs. Lee had three digs. Wollschlager and Milnes each had two digs, and Grandaw raised one dig.
Milnes racked up eight service aces. Hilfer, Wollschlager and Isabel Duron each dished up two aces, and Wolf and Lotspeich each chipped in one service winner.
The Thursday before, host Alden-Conger bewildered the Clippers 25-4 in game one. The only Clipper winner was on a Lee ace serve.
The Clippers snapped out of their stupor in Game two, which started on a Lotspeich ace block. Hilfer swung for a kill, and Lotspeich added an ace serve to put the Clippers in front 4-1.
After a Lee kill, the Clippers led 10-7, but the Knights went on a run from there to lead 16-11 before serving out of bounds. With a couple of kills and an ace serve in the mix, they scored the next five points though for a 21-12 advantage. The Clippers scored sporadically down the stretch, but the Knights won 25-21 when a Clipper serve sailed into the mesh.
Game three was for fun and practice, and it was all Clippers. Lee and Neenah Lassiter had kills early. Ava Kluntz added a kill. Milnes served up three aces, including the one that won the game 15-8.
Hilfer had four kills. Lee had three kills. Lotspeich had to kills. Kluntz and Lassiter each had one kill.
Milnes had nine set assists.
Lotspeich hoisted seven digs. Wolf scooped six digs. Wollschlager had four digs while Duron had two digs.
Lee posted a pair of solo ace blocks and one block assist, which Lotspeich helped with.
Lotspeich and Milnes each had two ace serves. Wollschlager, Lee and Lassiter each had one ace serve.
The Clippers host Nicollet tonight.
Above: Clara Hilfer passes across the net to Liviana Lee during the game at Loyola.
