Clarkston proved nothing could hold them from their third consecutive Class A District title last Thursday.
The only roadblock standing in their way was during the final set when Rochester Adams led, 18-10.
‘We just lost ourselves,? admitted Senior Jenna Coates. ‘I was thinking ‘we have to go, we have to side out.? When we are up two games we tend to take a chill back. We just tried to get them to drag.?
The girls regrouped and found a way around their opponents strong blocking. They narrowed the gap and a powerful hit from Alexis Egler tied the score at 19.
The Highlanders soon lost the lead and ended the game when a return went into the stands giving Clarkston the win, 25-20.
‘They beat us at the net,? said Coach Kelly Avenall about the third set. ‘Their blocking game was outstanding tonight. We had a hard time finding holes because we couldn’t block them but we pulled through.?
The girls grabbed a quick lead in the first set and continued to hold onto it as they won, 25-14. Rochester Adams picked up momentum in the next set, keeping the score close. Megan McCarty sent powerful returns to Adams, leading to the 25-16 win.
‘It’s a great victory for us,? said Avenall. ‘Winning Districts is always awesome. The girls are part of building our volleyball program and they did an amazing job tonight.?
Coates had 32 digs and six aces. Egler had ten kills.
The girls played the finals after they defeated Lake Orion on Nov. 4, 28-26, 25-19, 25-10. During the game Coates had 20 digs and seven aces and Egler had seven kills.
The girls headed into the first round of regionals on Tuesday against Birmingham Marian.
‘Marian is a great team,? said Coates. ‘It is going to be mental for us but I think we are ready. We saw them my sophomore year and we have seen them play a lot this year. The only reason we would fall back is if we had a bad run. We just have to keep the team together as a group.?
Marian defeated Andover in their district playoffs – 25-18, 25-14, 25-14.