Lions top Fort Dodge in exciting 3-2 victory

The Clear Lake volleyball team opened North Central Conference play with an exciting 3-2 victory over Fort Dodge St. Edmond Tuesday, Sept. 13, 3-2.

The Lions dropped the opening game by a score of 25-19, but battled back in the second for a 25-23 win.  Momentum kept the team rolling to a 25-21 victory in the third game, but the Gaels wouldn’t quit in a 25-22 fourth game.  The fifth and final game was just as close.  The Lions got the best of the home team, 18-16.

“I was very pleased with the way that the team battled,” said first year Coach Jill Smith.  “After dropping the first set, they came back and fought for set two.  Especially as the match progressed, there were several players who stepped up and made big plays when we needed them. It was an exciting match and I’m extremely proud of the way the team worked together.”

The Lions had strong net play from seniors Emily Snelling and Jessica Faber.  Snelling put down 16 kills in the match, while Faber had 12.  Each player also had 26 digs to lead the team.  Kiersten Baalson also had a good night with six kills and 13 digs.  Chloe Mueller made 18 digs to help the team.

Carson Frahm set up the offense with 34 assists.

The Lions served at 90 percent, led by Faber going 19/19 and Mueller 14/14.  Frahm was 18/19 with four aces and Snelling was 23/26 with two aces.

Crestwood 3, CL 1

Crestwood caught the Lions on an off-night and sent them home with a 3-1 loss on Thursday, Sept. 15.  The Cadets won the opening game, 25-20, then dropped game two, 19-25.  They finished off the Lions 25-15 and 25-14.

“It was an emotional week for the team, with the five-set battle at Fort Dodge on Tuesday.  I don’t think mentally we were prepared to play, and it showed as we progressed through the match,” said Coach Smith.  “We did some good things, but struggled to string them together.”

Emily Snelling had a team-high 11 kills and 16 digs for the Lions.  Kiersten Ballson put down six kills and had 10 digs.  Carson Frahm was credited with 24 assists.  Kayla Ritter had two blocks at the net.

Jessica Faber had a good night on serve, going 18/19 with three aces.  Chloe Mueller was 16/17 and Snelling went 9/10.

Forest City Tournament

The Clear Lake volleyball team had one of its best weekend tournament appearances in years, going 3-2 Saturday against top North Iowa competition at Forest City.

The Lions fell to perennial power and tournament champ Lake Mills 2-0, as well as runner up Central Springs, 2-1.  The Lions got the best of St. Ansgar, 2-0, and defeated Algona and Roland-Story 2-1.

“Overall, a great day for the Lions. The team’s effort, all day, was outstanding,” said Coach Lisa Smith.  “It was really good to see the resiliency and the fight that the team displayed throughout each of our matches. I feel that we grew throughout the day and learned a lot about our team.”

Against Lake Mills, the Lions were largely on defense. The powerful Bulldog team won by scores of 25-8 and 25-15. Emilie Jandebeur and Emily Snelling had three kills apiece for the Lions. Jessica Faber was the leader in digs with 10. Snelling recorded seven digs and a block. The Lions served at 87 percent. Faber was 7/8 at the line, while Chloe Mueller was 4/4 and Snelling 3/3.

It was a much closer match against St. Ansgar. The Lions prevailed, 25-19, 25-16. Kayla Ritter helped Clear Lake score with three aces in her 13/13 performance at the service line. Carson Frahm was also effective, as she was 7/9 with two aces. Kiersten Baalson and Mueller each were 8/8 serving. Snelling led the team in kills with six. Frahm had a team high five digs.

The Lions got the best of North Central Conference foe Algona in a three game match. Clear Lake dropped the first, 25-20, but bounced back to win the next two, 25-22 and 15-12.  Frahm made 17 assists, helping Snelling put down 10 kills and Faber seven. Mueller recorded 15 digs.  Baalson spent a good deal of time serving, going 17/17 with one ace. Snelling was 11/11 with an ace and Ritter went 7/9 with two aces.  Faber and Mueller were each perfect with 7/7 and 8/8 efforts respectively.

The Lions also had a slow start against Roland-Story, but got the win 10-25, 25-15, 15-9.   Faber and Snelling each put down four kills and Faber finished with 13 assists. Snelling paced the team in digs with eight and serving, 13/13.  Mueller was 6/6 at the service line with an ace. Baalson was 9/11 with an ace and Faber was 8/9 with an ace.

The Lions gave Central Springs a fight, but the Panthers came out on top, 25-21, 9-25, 15-5.  Nines were wild for Snelling, as she finished with nine kills, nine digs and was 9/10 serving. Frahm led the way with 17 assists and Ritter had a solo block for Clear Lake. Baalson was a flawless 8/8 serving, while Faber and Mueller each went 9/10. Mueller had an ace. Ritter was 6/9 with a pair of aces.