Clippers repeat as Starcevich champs

CEDAR RAPIDS - After an upset loss to Williamsburg on Tuesday, the Clear Creek Amana Clippers needed a jolt. A boost.

'Competition raises our level of play,” said CCA senior Natalie Brimeyer. 'We finally started to pick up some things today, and meet our potential.”

The Class 4A eighth-ranked Clippers won all five of their matches Saturday, and captured the Michelle Starcevich Invitational volleyball tournament title at Prairie High School.

It was CCA's second straight Starcevich title. But because of this year's presence of 5A No. 4 Ankeny and the improvement of 5A No. 10 Cedar Rapids Prairie, this one carried a little more weight.

'We had to make some adjustments,” said CCA Coach Jackie Clubb. 'We've had some injuries, and some girls have stepped up and done a nice job.”

Four of the six teams in the round robin were ranked. The Clippers (16-6) fought through a pair of three-setters, outlasting eventual runner-up Prairie (16-7), 19-21, 21-16, 15-13 in their second match and 3A No. 7 Mediapolis (25-4), 16-21, 21-12, 15-12 in their third.

'You get to that third set, and you can't let up,” Brimeyer said. 'You have to play your best, all the time, to keep up with these teams.”

With the title on the line, CCA swept Ankeny (26-4), 23-21, 21-17 in its finale.

You think of all the necessary ingredients to volleyball success, you think passing and ball handling. But the key to Saturday's title, Brimeyer said, was chatter.

'Our communication and celebrating were great,” she said. 'You have to get excited in this sport, because momentum is everything.”

Prairie grabbed runner-up honors, recovering from the CCA defeat to go 4-1, including a 24-22, 21-17 sweep of Ankeny. The Hawks were pushed hard by Cedar Rapids Washington (4-19) in their final match before prevailing, 23-21, 21-19.

'Give Washington credit; they played well,” said Prairie Coach Lynnette Stecklein. 'Both sets were in position that they could have gone the other way. But our girls kept fighting and kept fighting. I'm not sure our teams of yesteryear would have done that.

'That's growth.”

Prairie trailed in the first set, 16-12, and shoot off a pair of set points at 20-19 and 21-20. In Game 2, the Hawks rallied from a 15-10 hole.

MICHELLE STARCEVICH INVITATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

At C.R. Prairie

Teams - 1. Clear Creek Amana 5-0, 2. C.R. Prairie 4-1, 3. Ankeny 3-2, 4. Mediapolis 2-3, 5. South Tama 1-4, 6. C.R. Washington 0-5.

Round 1

Ankeny def. Mediapolis, 21-13, 21-17

C.R. Prairie def. South Tama, 21-8, 21-8

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Washington, 21-12, 21-7

Round 2

Ankeny def. South Tama, 21-7, 21-4

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Prairie, 19-21, 21-16, 15-13

Mediapolis def. C.R. Washington, 21-14, 21-19

Round 3

C.R. Prairie def. Ankeny, 24-22, 21-17

Clear Creek Amana def. Mediapolis, 16-21, 21-12, 15-12

South Tama def. C.R. Washington, 21-19, 21-19

Round 4

Ankeny def. C.R. Washington, 21-11, 21-11

C.R. Prairie def. Mediapolis, 21-14, 21-11

Clear Creek Amana def. South Tama, 21-18, 21-16

Round 5

C.R. Prairie def. C.R. Washington, 23-21, 21-19

Clear Creek Amana def. Ankeny, 23-21, 21-17

Mediapolis def. South Tama, 21-8, 21-8

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net