Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in more than a month, Clarkston was able to take a league match from Farmington Hills Harrison on Jan. 25.
After shaking off the rust from having not played in nearly two weeks, which resulted in a game one loss, the Wolves (13-10-2) rallied and dropped the Hawks (6-12-2) 27-29, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19 in four games to even their Oakland Activities Association record at 3-3.
The loss puts the Hawks at 2-4 in the OAA.
‘We had a twelve day layoff and I wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen out there. I think that showed in the first game,? Clarkston coach Kelly Avenall said.
‘I told them that we’re a bit higher caliber in terms of our speed and in the first game they played down to their opponents? speed and I think we’re a lot scrappier and a lot quicker defensive team than we showed in that first game.?
Clarkston battled back from a 9-4 deficit in the first game, to tie the game at 10. The teams stayed tied after several side-outs on game-point serves. The Hawks eventually put the game away at 29-27 on a Clarkston boundary fault.
The Wolves sprang to life in the second, going up 12-8 and later Juliann Gillespie closed the game with a kill set up by Emily Parkin.
Clarkston rushed to a 8-1 lead in game three, and the Hawks were unable to get any closer than seven points. Marilynn Porritt finished the game with a kill that Harrison was unable to return over the net.
The Wolves commanded the fourth game which ended when Jenny Douglas? attempt did not clear the net, giving Clarkston a 3-1 win.
‘The first game, I was pretty satisfied. We stuck to our game plan pretty tough and fought back at the end. After that, I was a little disappointed in the effort,? Harrison coach Chuck Chessor said.
Gillespie spent a decent amount of time above the net for the Wolves, recording 11 kills in the game. Parkin logged 30 assists and Amanda Byrd had 20 digs for Clarkston.
Gillespie is the guiding light for the Wolves, Avenall said of the five-foot-eleven-inch junior middle-hitter.
‘She’s the kind of kid where if she plays well, we play well and she’s emerged as an excellent player this year and last year she was one of our best players,? Avenall said. ‘She’s really shone through this year.?
Millicent Thompson had 11 kills and Douglas made 9 kills and 27 digs for the Hawks.
The Hawks are still making the adjustment to division I volleyball, Chessor said.
‘Seeing everyone the first time is feeling everyone out. When the league tournament comes around, hopefully we’ll have a better idea how to beat some of these teams we lost to the first time around,? Chessor said.
‘We’ve been overmatched a couple times’but the rest of the matches were fairly close,? he added.
Hometown fans were excited for the Wolves as Avenall rotated the entire bench into the game at one point or another.
‘Playing at home makes it a lot different when you put in some of those kids and you don’t see that happening at tournaments. It helps the whole team too, because the kids that are always in there’they get fired up for them,? Avenall said.
The Wolves travel to Rochester Adams on Thursday for their next game, a league match against the Highlanders.
Clarkston only has three more OAA contests before the Feb. 10 league meet at Farmington High School.