Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – The focus for Clear Creek Amana this season has been taking things one at a time.

One day at a time.

One step at a time.

One point. One set. One match at a time.

“We talk all the time about focusing on one thing at a time,” Clear Creek Amana junior setter Emily Henderson said. “(Coach Clubb) is always saying, ‘focus, focus’. We just focus on getting through the next day, the next game, the next set.”

The next step for Clear Creek Amana in what has already been an impressive season was wrapping up a WAMAC West Division title.

Class 4A fourth-ranked Clear Creek Amana took care of that on Tuesday with an efficient 25-23, 25-13, 25-8 sweep of No. 15 Grinnell (11-11) in the regular season conference finale for both teams in Tiffin.

“This was the next step,” Clubb said. “This was step one, we are going one day at a time with this group, we don’t do any more than that but this was step one and we really wanted to have this.”

Averie Lower hammered a match-high 14 kills to lead four Clippers with at least five kills as Clear Creek Amana improved to 30-5 and finished a perfect 5-0 against WAMAC West Division foes.

The West Division title was the fourth straight for the Clippers.

“I think this was a goal the whole season,” Lower said. “This is our fourth time in a row so it’s something we wanted to do for sure.”

Grinnell was up to the task early.

The Tigers built leads of 9-5 and 13-10 in the opening set before Clear Creek Amana got rolling.

Clear Creek Amana rattled off four straight points behind back-to-back ace serves from Lower to take a 15-14 lead.

“It’s kind of the way we always are, we always start a little slow,” Henderson said. “That’s definitely something we are working on but once we get into a groove we are off and going.”

Grinnell made one final push, pulling even at 21-all but the Clippers scored the next three points with the final two coming on a Bailey Simpson ace serve and a solo block by Sariah Sherman.

Clear Creek Amana put the opening set away on a Lower kill.

“We really play as a team and our energy was higher,” Lower said. “I think that was a big part of it.”

Lower had six of her match-high 14 kills in the opening set while Bailey Simpson, Sariah Sherman and Henderson all had two kills in the opening set.

“I think it takes this group a little while to get warmed up and get started but what I feel like what is working to our advantage is we have options,” Clubb said. “When something isn’t working we can adjust and try something different and that is super helpful.”

Clear Creek Amana was never challenged after the opening set.

The Clippers didn’t trail in either of the final two sets winning 25-13 and 25-8.

Clear Creek Amana scored the final nine points in the third set.

“Right now this was our top priority,” Henderson said of the conference title. “We are taking it one step at a time. We had to get this and then we move on to this weekend.”

Clear Creek Amana closes the regular season with its home tournament on Saturday and at the WAMAC Tournament on October 17 at Marion.

The Clippers will be chasing a third straight state tournament appearance when the postseason begins.

“They didn’t come into the season scared, they were ready to play, they’ve experienced high-level volleyball, they’ve experienced what it means to be a good team and those girls that came back set that standard right away,” Clubb said. “We had some bumps that happened but as we get into it they keep having higher expectations for themselves.”

Grinnell                                 23  13   8

Clear Creek Amana          25  25  25

Clear Creek Amana (Kills-aces-blocks)

Kylie Koehn 0-2-0, Kendra Eckrich 1-0-1, Elizabeth Timmerman 5-0-0, Kendall Ronnfeldt 0-2-0, Bailey Simpson 5-3-1, Emily Henderson 4-0-0, Julia Schlarbaum 6-0-0, Sariah Sherman 3-0-3, Averie Lower 14-2-0, Totals 38-9-5.

Assists – Emily Henderson 29

Grinnell (Kills-aces-blocks)

Aiden Gosselink 4-0-0, Mackenzie McClelland 6-1-0, Kaela Lavender 2-0-1, Kendra Nolton 12-0-0, Kennedy Harms 0-1-0, Reagan Stensrud 4-1-0, Totals 28-3-1.

Assists – Isabel Hart 24

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