Down-to-the-Wire Disappointment
Patriots Lose Back-and-Forth Sub-State Game in 5
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After a tremendous season and fantastic 29-4 record, the Patriot volleyball team’s hopes for another state run were dashed on Saturday, November 2 when they fell just short of winning their sub-state district final match-up against the Gothenburg Swedes held in Leigh. This marked the
Their journey to a district final began on Monday, October, 28. This was the first time Leigh has ever participated in Class C-1 volleyball. When the Patriots entered their Sub-District, they were ranked #1 and defeated the Wayne Blue Devils in the first round. They started off strong defeating Wayne in the first set 25-14. They then defeated them again in the second set 25-15 and third set 25-19.
Next, on Tuesday, October, 29, the Patriots faced the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Bears. The Bears were a great team, but the Patriots swept them in three sets. The Patriots had a close score against the Bears in the first set, but they pulled through, defeating them 28-26. They won again in the second set 25-21, and in the third set with another close score of 25-23. The Patriots season continued, leading them into the district finals on Saturday.
Sophomore Vylet Hollatz said, "Seeing a large crowd in the bleachers had us coming out against Wayne with a lot of energy. We had already watched them play LVSS earlier that night, so we knew we were prepared and we took care of business in three sets. Then on to LCC on Tuesday night. We understood they were a top team with some big hitters. We still continued to have great energy and determination to make it to the next round. We came out with another huge win in three sets to keep our season going."
On Saturday, November, 2, the Patriots faced Gothenburg Swedes in the district finals. This was a very challenging yet exciting game for the Patriots. The match against the Swedes went into five sets; the Patriots winning two of the five sets. They started off strong in the first set leading the Swedes by a score of 25-22. The Swedes won the second with a score 25-18. The Patriots came through and won the third set with a score of 25-21. The Patriots fell short in the fourth set ending 25-19, and again in the fifth set with a close score of 16-14. This match ended their successful season in C1!
Senior Baylee Settje said, “I’m proud of how our team played this season and how much closer we have all gotten! Even if we didn’t have the outcome we hoped for, we can proudly say we fought until the very last point, left everything out on the court, and ultimately played patriot volleyball. We proved that we can be in C1 and compete with any team that we play. Overall, we had great defense on Saturday, which helped our setters get the ball to the hitters to attack, but in the end, we came up a little short!”
Head Coach Rebecca Schneider said, “We are extremely proud of the way our girls battled in the district final against Gothenburg! Going into that match, we knew it was going to be tough as we felt we were very evenly matched, but we had all the confidence in the girls and believed that they could win! Unfortunately, it did not end that way, but our girls definitely didn't go down without a fight! It was absolutely amazing to see them battle back from behind, down 2-9 in the 5th and have the opportunity to win it at 14-13. They showed a tremendous amount of grit and perseverance, and we couldn't be prouder of them. They played outstanding volleyball, which made the loss hurt a little bit more because of the fact we were playing so well; we were just not ready to be done! C1 didn't phase these girls one bit and they left it all on the court!”
Although this year marks the first time in five years the Patriots have not qualified for the state tournament, they still had a fantastic season with a final season record of 29-4!
Clarkson-Leigh vs Wayne
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
Clarkson-Leigh: 25 25 25
Wanye: 14 15 19
Individual Stats vs Wayne (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izabel Hollatz: 12, 19, 2, 1, 11; Maizie Stoklasa: 4, 1, 5, 0, 2; Kendall Schneider: 5, 14, 0, 0, 8; Cadence Indra: 0, 4, 0, 1, 4; Brynn Settje: 9, 1, 1, 1, 10; Baylee Settje: 10, 0, 2, 0, 0; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 1, 0, 2, 8; Ava Kasik: 5, 4, 2, 2, 7
Clarkson-Leigh vs Laurel-Concord-Coleridge:
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
Clarkson-Leigh: 28 25 25
L-C-C: 26 21 23
Individual Stats vs Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izabel Hollatz: 12, 18, 4, 0, 13; Maizie Stoklasa: 7, 0, 7, 0, 2; Kendall Schneider: 3, 19, 1, 0, 11;Cadence Indra: 0, 1, 0, 0, 9; Brynn Settje: 11, 0, 3, 0, 11; Baylee Settje: 9, 0, 3, 0, 1; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 1, 0, 1, 8; Ava Kasik: 3, 2, 1, 2, 17
Clarkson-Leigh vs Gothenburg
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
Clarkson-Leigh: 25 18 25 19 14
Gothenburg: 22 25 21 25 16
Individual Stats vs Gothenburg (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izabel Hollatz: 6, 22, 0, 0, 15; Maizie Stoklasa: 9, 0, 4, 0, 0; Kendall Schneider: 2, 28, 0, 1, 10; Cadence Indra: 0, 0, 0, 0, 9; Brynn Settje: 13, 0, 1, 2, 13; Claire Holoubek: 0, 0, 0, 0, 1; Baylee Settje: 8, 0, 5, 0, 1; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 0, 0, 0, 19; Ava Kasik: 13, 1, 0, 2, 4