(Atlantic) There’s an old saying “never say die,” and the Clarinda volleyball team lived up to it on Monday night. The Cardinals rallied from a two-set deficit in a Class 3A Regional volleyball game at Atlantic and rallied to win the final three sets to advance to the Regional semifinals.
Atlantic, behind the solid hitting of Caroline Pellett and Alyssa Derby, won the first set 25-22. The Cardinals, trailing 19-9, ran the score within one point 19-18, but the Trojans regained the momentum and finished off the match 25-22. The Trojans built a 17-10 lead in the second set and held off the Cardinals again to win 25-21 to open up a 2-0 lead.
However, the match’s dynamics changed, heading into the third, fourth, and fifth sets. Clarinda, behind the hitting of Jessalee Neihart and Faith Espinosa, broke an 11-11 tie in the third set and never trailed on the way to a 25-21 victory. The Cardinals carried the momentum into the fourth set and never trailed in this set, winning 25-18, thus sending the match into the fifth and final set.
Clarinda jumped out to a 5-0 lead and extended it to a 9-1 advantage. The Trojans battled back and closed the gap to 11-9, but the Cardinals regained the momentum, and Emmy Allbaugh’s tip shot polished off the match 15-10.
Clarinda will travel to Red Oak on Wednesday for a Class 3A Regional semi-final.
