Clear Creek Amana volleyball goes 5-0 at the Michelle Starcevich Invitational

CEDAR RAPIDS — Double-double potential in the winter.

A high-jump state placewinner in the spring.

Part of an excellent pitching tandem in the summer.

Yes, junior Bliss Beck is an athlete for all seasons at Clear Creek Amana.

But volleyball is her favorite, her future. And blocking is her forte.

“I love blocking,” she said. “I don’t get to play back row, so blocking is my contribution to our defense.

“Honestly, a block feels better than a kill.”

Beck did plenty of both, blocking and attacking, in leading Class 4A 12th-ranked CCA to a 5-0 mark and the championship of the Michelle Starcevich Invitational tournament Saturday at Prairie High School.

“She is a huge presence for us at the net,” CCA Coach Jackie Clubb said. “She has grown in confidence a lot since last year.”

A recent commit to Drake University, Beck made the big plays late as the Clippers (24-8) topped 5A No. 12 Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the pivotal match of the day, 21-16, 14-21, 19-17.

That was the fourth of the day’s five rounds, and as it turned out, it determined the champion.

The Clippers erased three match points in the final set, at 14-13, 15-14 and 17-16.

Beck’s block squared the set at 17-17. Then, after an attack error by the Cougars (13-9), Beck got her hands on another Kennedy spike try, snuffing it out.

CCA then concluded its day with a 21-14, 21-10 romp over Benton Community.

“We’ve been talking a lot about serve receive and cutting down on our hitting errors,” Beck said.

“(The Kennedy match), it was hard for us coming back right after the lunch break. We wanted to mix our shots, go to different places on the court.”

Beck averages 3.5 kills and 1.3 blocks per set and owns a kill efficiency of .409. She collected 15 kills in the match against Kennedy.

The Clippers won their first two matches — against Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Rapids Prairie — via sweep, then overcame a first-set loss to beat Muscatine before the lunch break.

Kennedy’s four wins were all two-setters. Prairie finished 3-2 Saturday, Benton was 2-3, Muscatine 1-4, Washington 0-5.

MICHELLE STARCEVICH INVITATIONAL

At Cedar Rapids Prairie

Teams — 1. Clear Creek Amana 5-0, 2. C.R. Kennedy 4-1, 3. C.R. Prairie 3-2, 4. Benton Community 2-3, 5. Muscatine 1-4, 6. C.R. Washington 0-5.

Round 1

C.R. Kennedy def. Benton Community, 21-17, 21-11

C.R. Prairie def. Muscatine, 16-21, 21-13, 15-7

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Washington, 21-14, 21-17

Round 2

Benton Community def. C.R. Washington, 12-21, 21-18, 15-10

C.R. Kennedy def. Muscatine, 21-13, 21-18

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Prairie, 24-22, 21-9

Round 3

C.R. Kennedy def. C.R. Washington, 21-10, 21-19

C.R. Prairie def. Benton Community, 21-17, 10-21, 15-6

Clear Creek Amana def. Muscatine, 18-21, 21-12, 15-7

Round 4

Benton Community def. Muscatine, 22-20, 23-21

C.R. Prairie def. C.R. Washington, 21-14, 21-18

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-16, 14-21, 19-17

Round 5

C.R. Kennedy def. C.R. Prairie, 21-16, 21-15

Clear Creek Amana def. Benton Community, 21-14, 21-10

Muscatine def. C.R. Washington, 14-21, 21-14, 15-6

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com