CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – All offseason, the Clarion girls’ volleyball team knew that despite being District 9 Class A champions a year ago, one of its goals had eluded the team — the KSAC Title.
On Thursday night against another unbeaten conference foe, Redbank Valley, Clarion made sure that wasn’t going to be something they had to worry about next offseason.
Using a 14-2 run in the first set, Clarion showed it came to play early winning that first set 25-11 on its way to sweeping the visiting Lady Bulldogs, 3-0, with only the 25-21 win in the second set being close. The Lady Cats finished off the match and the KSAC title with a 25-16 third-set victory.
Clarion senior setter Gloria Kroh, who had four kills, 31 set assists and 10 digs, talked about the win.
The Lady Cats made their presence known early using the 14-2 run in the first set to turn a 5-all tie into a 19-7 lead.
Four different Clarion players had kills during the run including two from Dorothy Kalinowski and one each from Olivia Burns, Maya Thornton and Hailey Sintobin.
Burns finished the set with four kills with Kalinowski and Thornton each recording three.
Those three led Clarion on the night with Burns finishing with match-high nine kills, Thornton adding seven and Kalinowski eight kills and a block.
Up one set to none, Clarion fell behind Redbank 11-6 in the second set thanks to a pair of kills from the Lady Bulldogs’ Macy King.
But a pair of kills from Sintobin and one each from Thornton, Burns and Kroh as well as an ace from Lexi Lauer spearheaded a 9-1 Lady Cats run that turned the set around giving Clarion a 15-12 lead.
Redbank Valley was able to get within a point a few times, the latest at 18-17, but kills by Sintobin and Thornton helped Clarion finish off the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Clarion then made sure the third set wasn’t going to have any real drama jumping out to a 14-7 lead thanks to two kills and a block from Lauer.
The lead grew to 20-10 before Redbank Valley made a mini-stand thanks in part to a block by Heather Traister. But two Kalinowski kills helped finish off the set and bring the KSAC crown back to Clarion.
Traister and King paced Redbank Valley with six kills each. Traister adding four blocks.
Clarion (11-0) returns to action Saturday when it hosts the Elite Tournament with Freeport, State College, Seneca Valley and Mercyhurst Prep. The Lady Cats are then at Erie McDowell Thursday before finishing the regular season by hosting Altoona Oct. 25.
Redbank Valley (12-1) is at A-C Valley Tuesday and hosts Keystone Thursday before finishing the season by going to the Elk County Catholic Tournament Oct. 22 and traveling to Punxsutawney Oct. 25.
