WOLVES SWEEP WAY TO REGIONAL FINAL
The Clarkston volleyball team has a lot of ways it can beat you.
On Tuesday, it was Sydney Hasenfratz’ night to do the damage.
The senior middle hitter was dominant offensively and defensively, racking up a total of 14 kills and 12 blocks to help lead the Wolves to a 25-13, 25-15, 25-17 win over Troy in the Division 1 regional semifinal at Stoney Creek High School.
“We have been working on the slide with her and our other middle, just trying to execute a little better. I think it’s getting better,” Clarkston coach Kelly Pinner said of Hasenfratz. “It’s got to get a lot better for Thursday, but (Hasenfratz) played great for us tonight.”
The Wolves (27-8) have had four main offensive weapons throughout the season. Along with Hasenfratz is junior Elizabeth Adams in the middle. On the outside, senior Claire Nowicki and sophomore Paige Giehtbrock have been the go-to arms.
“At this point of the season you are trying to focus on the things you do best and make them even better,” Pinner said. “We have a pretty well-balanced offense. We have Paige and Claire on the outside and Sydney and Eli in the middle. Even Madison (McGraw) against (Lake Orion) had a couple of good swing tonight as well. We have a balanced offense which should help us on Thursday.”
The balance was on display quickly in the first set, as Clarkston took a 4- 4 tie and turned it into a 10-5 advantage. The Wolves would continue to mix up the offense, with Hasenfratz eventually turning up the pressure as the set went on. She would score kills in the final two points to give Clarkston the opener.
“Clarkston is just awesome,” Troy coach Tom Vigilant said. “Have to give them credit. They have tons of firepower and can hit from anywhere. I feel good about how we handled them defensively, but we didn’t have enough firepower to get over the top.”
In the second set, Clarkston rode the hot serving of junior Anna Kuebler to establish a 9- 0 run for the Wolves. That, combined with the continued hitting of Hasenfratz put Clarkston up 14-5 and it never looked back.
The third set was more of the same, as Kuebler served Clarkston on an 11-point rally to put the Wolves up 15- 6 and keep Troy from making any kind of comeback charge.
“They do everything well. They
are very well- balanced,” Vigilant said of Clarkston. “Our only chance was to serve the best we ever served, and we didn’t quite get there.
“We had to play the best
defense we ever played, and we weren’t quite there. I think we made a solid attempt, but (Clarkston) was better.”
Along with the 14 kills from Hazenfratz, Nowicki finished with 12 while Giehtbrock had eight and Adams had seven.
Summer Jidas led Clarkston defensively with
12 digs, while Shay Bordine had 23 assists and Emery Kuebler had 20.
The Wolves move on to the Division 1 regional final on Thursday at 7 p.m. They will face fifth-ranked Utica Eisenhower, which swept Lakeland in the other semifinal.
The two teams split two meetings during the season.
“We know what (Eisenhower) is going to bring. We just have to get ready for that,” Pinner said. “We need to have a little more energy than we showed tonight. I am looking forward to the challenge.”
Troy ends its season having won a fourth consecutive district title behind a senior class of Anna An
derson, Sawyer Darish, Ella Davenport and Lilliana Giuffrida
“Everyone was always there and everyone was always into it. The girls worked really hard,” Vigilant said of his team. “Winning districts was really our high point. It was a crazy season and the girls gave me their all.”