Clare Volleyball Falls in Straight Sets to Shepherd

By BEN MURPHY Cleaver Sportswriter The Clare volleyball team went down to Shepherd on Wednesday, Sept. 18 for a Jack Pine Conference match. Things weren’t able to go favorably for the Lady Pioneers however, and they lost the contest in straight sets, 27-25, 25-21 and 25-22.

“We struggled to get good passes and be efficient,” head coach Shannon Taylor said. “It’s a bump in the road, but we will be back on track with the way they work hard, push each other, and encourage each other to get 1-percent better every day.  Shepherd played well and kept us out of system.”

On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Pioneers played in a tournament at Birch Run, getting one win and suffering three losses during a day that saw them take on some challenging opponents.

“Facing some tough teams provided us with a chance to improve throughout the day,” Taylor said. “It's encouraging to see our progress as we strive to get one percent better each day.”

Clare opened with a match against Manton and lost 25-22 and 25-22. Next, they came up short against Swan Valley 25-215 and 25-23, then they bounced back to defeat Saginaw Nouvel 25-22 and 25-16. Their day ended with a loss to Essexville-Garber, 25-11 and 25-12.

Tessa Kelly had a big day, getting 20 kills, four aces, two blocks and six digs. Amelia Ryzyk had a good showing at setter too, getting 52 assists, seven kills, three blocks and 10 digs. Madeline Ryzyk had 12 kills, eight aces and nine digs and libero Addie McMillan added two kills, two aces and six assists. McMillan also had an impressive day on defense, chasing down the ball for 30 digs. Syerra Mills added 11 kills and four blocks to help the Pioneer cause as well.

Clare had a road league game at Ogemaw Heights on Monday, was at home to take on Standish-Sterling on Wednesday and will host Bullock Creek on Wednesday, Oct. 2.