Hindered by a knee injury she suffered during the Clippers’ match against GHEC/T/ML four days earlier, Maya Lassiter didn’t plan on joining her seven senior classmates on the volleyball floor Monday as the Clippers faced Sibley East on Senior Night and the regular season finale.
But after the Clippers won the first game, Lassiter went in to serve early in game two. Staying out of the action after each serve but with her teammates coming through for her, Lassiter went on to send over 11 serves, including one ace. When the run was over, the Clippers were up 19-4.
Her lemons-into-lemonade effort was the highlight of the easy 3-0 Clipper triumph.
“Thinking about the game earlier in the day, I was sad knowing I might be the only senior who wasn’t going to play,” said Lassiter. “But (head coach) Dave (Nixon) asked me if I still wanted to serve, and I was ready. I was really surprised when I started getting on a run. When people started cheering for me, I instantly felt happy. Even just standing on the side off the court after serving made me happy. My team made me feel so loved and supported.”
With a couple of Ava Hahn kills, a Sophie Perkins ace serve and an Evelyn Keltgen ace block, the Clippers tied game one 4-4, but the Wolverines assembled a couple of ace serves and kills for a five-point spurt that put them in front 9-4.
After the Wolverines sent a pair of hits out of bounds, Jocelyn Bartell extended for an ace block. The Wolverines pushed the ball into an open slot and led 12-7 after a pair of Cleveland hitting errors.
Hahn went on the warpath from there, but Sibley Ease kept the cadence. With the game stalemated at 22, the Wolverines served out of bounds and hit into the net before the game ended 25-22 on a Hahn kill.
Game two started with a Melia Sathoff kill, and the Clippers never trailed after. The Wolverines only scored sporadically, and the game ended 25-8 on another Sathoff kill.
Game three was similar. It began on a Bartell ace block. With kills down the stretch by seniors Lacey McCabe and Keltgen, it ended 25-12 when a Wolverine block deflected out of bounds.
Hahn led the offensive effort with 14 kills. Savannah Meyer, out of her role as libero in game one, had one kill. Keltgen had two kills. Keira Schipper, Sathoff, Addi Holden and Lacey McCabe each had one kill. Taylor McCabe had three kills.
Perkins set up 22 points.
Perkins and Holden each assisted with a pair of ace blocks. Bartell posted for three ace block assists. Taylor McCabe had two solo ace blocks and two ace block assists. Keltgen stretched for one ace block assist.
Meyer scooped 20 digs. Sathoff had 11 digs. Lacey McCabe had eight digs. Hahn had six digs. Bartell and Perkins each had four digs. Holden scraped two digs. Jocelyn Kortuem and Keltgen each pulled up one dig.
Bartell served six aces. Hahn had four ace serves. Perkins and Lassiter each served one ace.
After the game, tears flowed as each senior was recognized by a teammate.
The Clippers, third seeded in the section, start playoffs on Monday when they host Madelia. The Blackhawks beat GFW in a play-in game. The winner takes on the winner of sixth-ranked Martin County West vs. 11th-seeded Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City. The next round is at St. Peter High School on October 29.
Second-seeded Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart is on the Clippers’ side of the section, which contains 10 teams. Top-ranked Mayer Lutheran and Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s are on the other side, which has nine teams.
Above: The seniors on Senior Night, from L-R: Savannah Meyer, Addi Holden, Ava Hahn, Lacey McCabe, Jocelyn Bartell, Maya Lassiter, Sophie Perkins and Evelyn Keltgen.
