The Wolves? volleyball groundhog apparently did not see any shadows two weeks ago for Clarkston has been blooming as of late.
Having bested league rival Seaholm 3-1 on Feb. 10, Clarkston stormed into the Saginaw Valley tournament on Feb. 12 and took second place.
‘For some of our younger players it has taken this long to realize varsity is a different level,? said Clarkston Coach Kelly Avenall. ‘Some lights are coming on? they are starting to go a little harder and are getting to some balls they did not think that they could get to.?
The Wolves beat Lapeer East (honorable mention in Class A rankings), North Branch (honorable mention in Class B rankings) and Goodrich before splitting with Waterford Mott to win their group at Saginaw. In the semifinals Clarkston exacted some revenge on Troy Athens who beat the Wolves 3-0 on Jan. 17 and is running away with the OAA Division I title on an 11-0 record.
Clarkston fell short in the finals against Walled Lake Northern, but according to Avenall, are pleased with their overall results and play.
Over the course of the tournament, Stephanie Parkin accrued 51 kills and 12 aces. Carolyn Murdock was voted player of the day by the Wolves and took home the honorable mention trophy.
In response to her team’s spirited play over the weekend, Avenall gave them a day off practice this week. The Wolves play next at the Andover tournament on Feb. 19. They are part of a pool with Lake Orion, Port Huron and Madison.
‘Looking at the pool of teams that will be at Andover, we have a good chance of getting to the finals again,? said Avenall.
After this past weekend’s action, Clarkston isone step closer to .500 at 15-16-1 (5-6).