In related news, Jamestown did defeat Grafton to win the Conference 18 final over Grafton last night, but both teams will be in the 4A South region tournament, which will begin next week.
With
the win, the second seeded Clippers (21-4) will travel to top seeded Jamestown
(18-3) on Thursday for the Conference 18 final. Jamestown swept Smithfield on
Wednesday to earn their place in the conference final. Last week, Grafton
defeated the Eagles 25-21, 25-23, 25-15.
Speaking
about the possibility of a second straight win against Jamestown, Grafton coach
Karissa Cumberbatch preferred to look toward the 4A South Region tournament
next week.
“We’re
hyped, but there’s no pressure tomorrow. We just have to play our game and take
care of our side of the floor. Next week is what matters.”
The
first set followed a pattern after the initial 14 points seesawed back and
forth. With the score tied at seven, Grafton scored the next four points, and
seemed to be gaining the momentum. But the Rams clawed back, not once, but on
three separate occasions. Their last run narrowed a 20-16 Clipper margin to
22-all. But Grafton closed the door, scoring the set’s final three points, with
Sophia Beaudoin providing the set-ending kill.
The
second set was tight throughout. Lafayette relied on their heavy hitter Abby
Orem, while Grafton countered with recent CNU-signee Rachel Blitt. Blitt
delivered the key kills to keep the Clippers in the set. But with a tie at 17,
Sam Heard took control, accounting for an ace and kill as part of a 4-0 Clipper
surge that served as an impetus for Grafton to hold on and win Set 2.
The
Grafton servers also performed well against Lafayette.
“We
serve teams tough, and put balls away. Kaitlyn Young was particularly tough
tonight, with lots of serving runs. She must have had at least three aces,”
added Cumberbatch.
The
third and final set was all Grafton. On one particular exchange, the Clippers
first two hits of a return sent the ball sailing way backwards and over the
back line. With a burst of speed, Haley Sutton ran ten feet behind the back
line and with her back to the net, sent a powerful return back over her head
and over the net, a shot which stunned the Rams and fell to the ground to give
the Clippers a 9-3 lead which they would not relinquish.
Lafayette
coach Lee Thornhill could only praise the team concept, while pointing out his
two best players.
“We
rely heavily on Abby (Orem) and Julia Howard. The Abby-Julia combination will
cover a lot of deficiencies. But they couldn’t overcome the six players on the
other side of the net tonight.”
Grafton def. Lafayette
25-22, 25-20, 25-14
Grafton
(21-4): Sophia Beaudoin (6 kills, 19 digs), Rachel Blitt (11 kills, ace, 4
digs, 5 blocks), Haley Sutton (11 digs). Lafayette (12-10): Abby Orem (15
kills, 12 digs), Julia Howard (23 assists, 8 digs).
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