Clarkston volleyball did not run smoothly at the start of the week.
A 3-0 loss to Groves on Jan. 20 had the team thinking there might be a major overhaul needed. But a 3-0 victory over Rochester Adams shows that the Wolves just needed a tune up.
‘Our passing was a lot better (against Adams) and we did a better job of keeping our heads up,? said Clarkston Coach Kelly Avenall.
Clarkston came out hot against Adams, going up 9-0 in the first game. The early lead allowed Avenall to get some of her bench players game experience.
‘The (margin of victory) in the first game really gave the team a boost of confidence,? said Avenall. ‘My first string definitely dominated (Adams).?
Individual game scores were 25-11, 25-21 and 25-23.
Senior Stephanie Parkin was extremely effective for the Wolves recording 18 kills in 22 attempts against Adams. Senior Kim Vincent also stood out statistically recording five aces.
The Adams win, which brought Clarkston’s record to 9-13 (3-4) was especially sweet as Groves was the low point of the season for the Wolves. Clarkston lost 25-22, 25-14 and 26-24.
‘We’ll learn to stop getting down on ourselves,? said junior Laura Kupe, speaking to one of the problems the Wolves had against Groves.
Clarkston jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first game, but could not maintain their pace as Groves battled back. The Wolves held the Knights off until at the end Groves scored four straight on their serve to take the game.
‘Clarkston is a very scrappy team. The last game was really close,? said Groves Coach Jen Wind.
After starting so well in the first game of the Groves match, Clarkston struggled to get side outs in the second game and errant passes gave Groves a quick victory.
‘When we make a couple of passing errors in a row, (the team) starts getting down on themselves,? said Avenall. ‘I told the team in one of the timeouts ‘I really don’t think that team beat us, I think we beat ourselves.? We just made too many unforced errors.?
The Wolves showed more life in the third game, but a Groves victory was a foregone conclusion.
Fortunately for Clarkston, Groves is a blip in the rear view mirror and the team has a win to build upon going into competition this week.
‘We’re starting over in the league, we’ve seen all of the teams once,? said Avenall.
On Jan. 27, Clarkston will visit a talented Troy team followed by a matchup at home against Farmington on Jan. 31.
On Feb. 3 Clarkston will host Lahser. The game against Lahser is parents night. All parents of freshmen, junior varsity or varsity players will be recognized before the varsity plays.