Volleyball Wins District IX Title (11/04/2018)

Hailey Sintobin with a kill.

(By CSZ Sports Writer Kenn Staub)  The Clarion volleyball team downed Ridgway in straight sets on Saturday (Nov. 3) in St. Marys to claim the 2018 District IX championship. Though the Bobcats swept the Elkers, Ridgway did not go down without a fight, pushing Clarion to the limit in two of the three sets. Following a tightly contested 30-28 first set win, Clarion took the second by a 25-13 margin. The third proved to be another nailbiter, with the Bobcats eventually prevailing 26-24 to take the match.

Seniors Hailey Sintobin and Dorothy Kalinowski proved to be a force at the net for Clarion, both on offense and defense. Sintobin smashed 11 kills and Kalinowski eight, while each had a solo block and assisted on another. Their efforts earned the duo recognition as co-Hagar Player Paving Players of the Game by D9Sports.com.

Brenna Campbell at the service line.

Sophomore Brenna Campbell had the hot hand on the service line, leading Clarion with 12 points (one ace). Freshman Korrin Burns served for seven and junior KK Girvan six (one ace). Senior Lexi Lauer (one ace), junior Kaitlyn Constantino, and freshman Jordan Best were good for five each. Constantino had seven kills, while fellow junior Maddie Schill drove down six. Campbell put up 38 assists. On defense Burns recorded 11 digs and Girvan 10.

Following the match Bobcat head coach Shari Campbell commented, “This district championship is extra sweet because of how hard this group of players work. Their dedication and commitment is impressive and it has allowed them to grow all season. It’s always great to see the fruit of your labor. I am looking forward to seeing how a district title increases the team’s confidence.”

Clarion open the PIAA Class A tournament against District X’s Cambridge Springs on Tuesday evening (Nov. 6) at 6:30 in Dubois. The tournament bracket can be found at: http://www.piaa.org/assets/web/documents/2018%201A%20GVB.pdf

(photographs courtesy of Kim Constantino)