Clarion Volleyball Wins KSAC Title During Busy Week (Oct. 15-19); JV Results Included (10/19/2018)
(By CSZ Sports Writer Kenn Staub) The Clarion volleyball team finished the final week of the regular season with three games in five days. On Monday (Oct. 15), the Bobcats, ranked second in Class A by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association (PVCA), downed visiting Class AAAA Altoona 2-1. The next night (Tuesday, Oct. 16) the Bobcats were on the road, sweeping homestanding Venango Catholic to secure the 2018 KSAC Championship. Clarion played its final non-tournament match of the season on Thursday (Oct. 20), hosting State College, the third ranked team in Class AAAA according to the most recent PVCA poll. Unfortunately for the orange and black the visitors from District IV took the contest in straight sets.
Monday, Oct. 15: Clarion 3 – Altoona 1
Maddie Schi
Clarion won the first two sets of the match, 25-20 and 25-19, before falling in a closely contested third, 26-24. The Bobcats rebounded nicely, however, prevailing 25-19 to take the match.
Junior Maddie Schill had 12 points on serve, smashed 13 kills, hit the floor for 13 digs, and blocked two shots.
Sophomore Brenna Campbell served for 17 points (six aces) and notched 30 assists. Defensively, she came up with 12 digs and blocked a shot.
Bobcat freshmen Jordan Best served for 9 points (2 aces) and Korrin Burns contributed 11 kills in the attack. One defense junior KK Girvan had 13 digs, while senior Hailey Sintobin had a solo block and assisted on another.
Junior Varsity: The JV Bobcats dropped the first set 25-18 but then reeled out two straight wins (25-20, 15-11) to down Altoona 2-1. Payton Simko served for nine points (four aces), had seven kills, and helped defensively with 11 digs. Noel Anthony recorded six service points and contributed 12 assists. Jordan Best collected six service points (one ace) and nine kills. Brennah Copenhaver blocked two shots and Parker Boyden one.
Tuesday, Oct. 16: Clarion 3 – Venango Catholic 0
The Bobcats swept the Vikings 25-12, 25-5, and 25-12 to secure the 2018 KSAC Championship. KK Girvan served for 16 (six aces) and Brenna Campbell 15 (one ace). Hailey Sintobin contributed six kills, with senior Dorothy Kalinowski and Maddi Schill five apiece. Campbell had 19 assists. Senior Ali Troese blocked two shots.
Thursday, Oct. 17: State College 3 – Clarion 0
Kaitlyn Constantino
Clarion fell to Class AAAA power State College 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-8) to close out the regular season. The loss was only the second of the season for the Bobcats, who finish with a 12-2 record.
Brenna Campbell had six points from the service line and put up 15 assists. Junior Kaitlyn Constantino paced the Bobcats offensively at the net with six kills. KK Girvan hit the floor for 13 digs and Hailey Sintobin blocked a shot.
Junior Varsity: The JV Bobcats lost in straight sets (25-15, 25-20) in the evening’s opening match. Brennah Copenhaver served for six points (one ace) and Noel Anthony five. Jordan Best had four kills. Best also contributed five digs, with Ava Kiser adding four.
(featured photograph courtesy of Deanna Sintobin)