Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Top-ranked Clear Creek Amana got key contributions from players throughout its lineup during its three matches at the WAMAC Conference tournament on Thursday.

With a conference title on the line the Clippers turned to two of their longest tenured and most trusted seniors to close things out.

Kills from seniors Emily Henderson and Averie Lower accounted for six of the final nine points for 4A top-ranked Clear Creek Amana as the Clippers edged 4A eighth-ranked Solon 25-18, 21-25, 15-13 in the WAMAC title match on Thursday in Solon.

“I think other people feed off of them and they are team first but when the rubber hits the road we want the ball in their hands,” Clear Creek Amana coach Jackie Clubb said of Henderson and Lower.

Lower had six of her match-high 14 kills in the third set as Clear Creek Amana (39-3) staved off a furious rally from Solon (28-9) to win its second WAMAC tournament title in the past three seasons.

Henderson added two kills in the third set that saw Clear Creek Amana rally from an early 5-2 deficit.

“Next play mentality is what we’ve been working on all week, good or bad move on to the next play,” Henderson said. “It got a little dicey at the end but we’ve been working a lot lately on pushing through that and that was the exciting thing tonight is we showed we can push through and come from behind and win these matches.”

Clear Creek Amana and Solon provided the WAMAC title match most wanted to watch.

East Division and second-seeded Solon reached the finals with consecutive sweeps of Center Point-Urbana and Marion.

The Spartans defeated 3A No. 11 Center Point-Urbana 25-23, 25-20 in the quarterfinals and downed 4A No. 9 Marion 25-13, 25-21 in the semifinals.

West Division champ and top-seeded Clear Creek Amana defeated 3A eighth-ranked Mount Vernon 25-22, 25-13 in the quarterfinals and knocked off 3A ninth-ranked West Delaware 25-19, 25-15 in the semis.

“One game at a time,” Clubb said. “We tried to figure out what we were going to have coming up against us to day but for us it’s what we do well and not being overcome by what the other team is doing well. We get everyone’s best game so we have to play our best volleyball all the time.”

The finale didn’t disappoint.

Lower and sophomore standout Julia Schlarbaum each had four kills in a 25-18 Clipper win in the opening set.

Clear Creek Amana scored the final five points of the opening set.

“This week we’ve really been practicing next play mentality and not being overcome by what just happened,” Clubb said. “We know that in the postseason that all the things that are coming at us have to be that way.”
Clear Creek Amana led 17-13 in the second set before Solon stormed back.

The Spartans scored seven of the next eight points to take a 20-18 lead and closed the second set on a 5-1 run to even the match at one set apiece.

Senior Kiley Devery had nine of her 14 kills during the second set including five in the final 12 points for the Spartans.

“It’s really dawned on me that this is my last year, this is it so it’s really just playing all out all the time,” Henderson said. “We even said that before the last set is, ‘let’s play all out’.”

Solon took a 5-2 lead in the third set on an ace serve by sophomore Reese Hahn but the Clippers answered with 4-0 run that featured back-to-back kills by Schlarbaum.

With Solon leading 7-6 Lower and Henderson went to work.

A Henderson kill started a 3-0 Clear Creek Amana burst that gave the Clippers a 9-7 lead.

Henderson made it 12-9 with a kill and after Solon pulled even at 12-12 Lower posted back-to-back kills to give the Clippers a 14-12 advantage they would never give up.

“We really stuck together as a team and kept that positive mindset,” Lower said. “Coach has been talking to us a lot about next play mentality and I think that was our biggest growth and the game is never over until it’s over.”

Schlarbaum finished with 12 kills for Clear Creek Amana while junior Bailey Simpson had five kills and three blocks.

“Everybody has stepped up, the younger girls have stepped up, Averie has stepped up and having everyone available to set is amazing and it makes it so much easier to get one block,” Henderson said. “It’s better for the hitters, I love having everybody to set. It’s a setter’s dream.”

Clear Creek Amana  25  21  15

Solon                          18  25  13

Clear Creek Amana (Kills-aces-blocks)

Elizabeth Timmerman 0-0-1, Bailey Simpson 5-0-3, Emily Henderson 3-0-0, Julia Schlarbaum 12-0-2, Sariah Sherman 2-1-0, Averie Lower 14-0-0, Totals 36-1-6.

Assists – Emily Henderson 26

Solon (Kills-aces-blocks)

Reese Hahn 0-1-0, Macy Fuller 0-2-0, Amelia Guinn 6-0-0, Kalynn Timmons 1-0-0, Jozie Lahr 2-0-2, Ava Hohn 0-1-0, Kiley Devery 14-0-1, Gable Knight 5-0-1, Avery Kellen 3-0-1, Totals 31-4-5.

Assists – Ava Hohn 19, Scarlett Ferin 9

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating