Clarkton clinches Tri-County volleyball title

WARDELL, Mo. - After flying through the opening two rounds of the Tri-County volleyball tournament, Clarkton and Holcomb met in the championship match.

Clarkton was able to win the conference title 3-0 after battling through 3 hard fought sets.

The first two sets were only two point victories, while the first set went into extra points. Clarkton took set one 27-25.

The second set was also a close loss for the Hornets as Clarkton won 25-23.

Clarkton’s head coach Amy Cowart said her players had a rough start in each game of the tournament, but ultimately pulled things together for a win.

“I don’t know if they were just tight or nervous,” Cowart said. “Serving was an issue in the semi-finals and in the championship game. I’m not sure if it’s just that gym or what.”

They finally started to find a rhythm and closed out the first set against a determined Holcomb squad.

Holcomb has beaten every team in the Tri-County conference, including Gideon who they beat in the semi-finals to make it to the championship match. The only team they have not found a way to overcome is Clarkton.

“Props to Holcomb,” Cowart said. “They brought fire. They wanted it and I feel like it showed. They were working hard, they were enthusiastic and they brought a good crowd with them. They weren’t just going to roll over for us.”

Cowart noted some difficulty facing the Hornets, especially against their left-handed middle hitter Chloe Hendrix.

Despite the loss, Hendrix showed up for Holcomb in hopes to beat Holcomb and win the Tri-County Title.

“She really just put on a show,” Cowart said. “She served well, she was passing well and defensively gave us trouble. She was really smart at the net too.”

Clarkton still had the last say winning the conference title by the ‘skin of their teeth’, as Cowart put it.

She said by the third set they were able to settle in after beating Holcomb in two close sets. The Reindeer won the third set 25-16.

Outside of their troubles serving, Clarkton still found efficiency at the net through their hitting. This allowed them to pull out the hard fought victory.

Senior Nabriya White had eight kills on 21 swings with only one error. Junior Nayely Rivera had 10 kills on 22 swings.

Along with those two hitters, Angel Johnson led the team with 26 kills on 49 swings.

“Honestly, our hitting efficiency kept us in the game,” Cowart said. “We also had some great hustle points on scramble plays.”

Junior Abby Goings finished with 10 digs while Rivera picked up 11 digs and helped lead the team defensively.

According to Cowart, this was a big goal for her team after last season. They won the conference tournament last year, but lost the regular season conference title after falling to Gideon early in the season.

The goal this season was to win both.

“They did just that,” Cowart said. “It wasn't easy at all. We had some tough matches. Everyone brought their best A-game against us and wasn’t going to let us take it easy. It was nice to see them reach that goal.”

Clarkton finished the regular season and the conference tournament without dropping a single set in conference play.

Cowart said this group of girls, especially her seniors, have been setting high goals for the past three years.

Now they look to come back and win their district championships.

“To see them achieve something they wanted so desperately was cool,” Cowart said.