Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – There is a lot of volleyball remaining in the battle for the WAMAC title but Clear Creek Amana made a statement to the rest of the conference on Tuesday that the Clippers should be taken seriously.

Clear Creek Amana put itself in the drivers’ seat of the West Division race with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 sweep of defending champion Independence (5-4, 2-1 WAMAC) in Tiffin.

Class 4A No. 10 Clear Creek Amana improved to 8-6 with the win and moved to 3-0 in West Division play.

“I think this shows that we have a lot of potential,” Clear Creek Amana senior setter Cheyaenne Bunch said. “We are a young team but we have a really good chemistry and we work really well together and so this is a pretty big deal, especially beating that good of a team.”

Sophomore Calia Clubb hammered a match-high 16 kills as Clear Creek Amana posted its first win over Independence since 2013.

Juniors Hailey Pollock and Emily Sly combined for 10 kills and five blocks as Clear Creek Amana controlled play at the net.

“I think this is as good as we have been this year,” Calia Clubb said. “Losing a ton of seniors and gaining some new players this year I think this is as good as we have played all around.”

Clear Creek Amana was impressive in every facet of the game from the outset.

The Clippers trailed 8-6 in the opening set but scored the next four points on kills from Clubb and Sly and an ace serve from Grace Bedford to take a 10-8 lead they would never give up.

That 4-0 spurt turned into a 17-4 run that put Clear Creek Amana on top 23-12 in the opening set.

“We are always going to be growing more and more but I think tonight really showed our potential and what we have been striving and working for,” Bunch said. “I am really proud of how far we have come so far.”

Clear Creek Amana used a late second-set rally to take control of the match.

Independence scored four straight points to take a 21-20 lead and force a Clipper timeout.

Clear Creek Amana responded by scoring the final five points to win the second set 25-21.

Gabrielle Bedford had a pair of ace serves in the 5-0 burst to end the second set and Clubb capped the win with her six kill of the set.

“Winning the second set is so important and we learned that in the five-game match against Benton,” Clear Creek Amana coach Jackie Clubb said. “We work on those disciplinary things that help with anxiety when it comes to winning that second set. Get your serves over and in, be in the right spot on defense, don’t make an error. Those types of things and that has really helped in those high-pressure situations.”

Leading two sets to none the Clippers wasted little time putting the match away.

Clear Creek Amana jumped to a 5-0 lead and never trailed in the third set while completing the sweep.

“At first I thought it was going to be a five-setter and then once we started rolling it just clicked,” Bunch said. “We got rolling and it just steamrolled for us.”

Pollock had six kills and Sly added four as the Clippers finished with a 30-27 edge in kills.

The Clippers came up with six ace blocks, three from Sly and two from Pollock while controlling the net on both sides.  

“I would say this is probably the best we have been this year but we still have room to grow,” Clubb said. “We need to play our best ball by the time we get to October and we are looking forward to that but they really stepped it up tonight.”

Clear Creek Amana    25  25  25

Independence              16  21  21

Clear Creek Amana (Kills-aces-blocks)

Lauren Riggle 3-0-0, Grace Bedford 0-2-0, Gabrielle Bedford 1-2-0, Hailey Pollock 6-1-2, Calia Clubb 16-2-1, Emily Sly 4-0-3, Team 30-7-6.

Assists – Cheyaenne Bunch 25

Independence (Kills-aces-blocks)

Alexis Hearn 2-0-1, Grace Bohlken 4-0-0, Reese Martin 5-0-2, Brooke Beatty 0-3-0, Elle Greiner 2-0-0, Allie Jo Zieser 7-2-0, Alaina Butters 5-0-0, Katie Henkes 2-0-0, Team 27-5-3.

Assists – Ellie Greiner 21

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