Stephenson rallies past North Springs

The Stephenson Jaguars rallied from down one set against the North Springs Spartans to get a sweep in Region 5-4A girls’ high school volleyball at Stephenson on Sept. 29.

Stephenson’s rally gave the Jaguars two tiebreaker wins on the night, including an earlier win over the Clarkston Angoras.

North Springs took a one set-to-none lead by winning the final two points of the opening set to take a 25-23 victory.

The second set went to the Jaguars as they outscored the Spartans 14-4 after tying the set at 11-11. A kill by Abigail Odjegnide started a 5-0 run for the Jaguars to take command 21-15. Denay Thomah took over serving at 17-14 and with help by another Odjegnide score with a hit off a blocker’s hands and a kill by Gabrielle Jackson on an assist from Alyria Wilder the lead ballooned to 21-14.

North Springs (6-16) picked up a point before Wilder served out the match, including the set winner off a diving North Springs player, tying the match at one set each with the 25-15 win.

In the tiebreaker, the two teams fought to an 8-8 tie as block by North Springs at the net. Stephenson went up 12-9 on a service winner by Odjegnide before North Springs cut the lead to 13 12.

After North Springs hit shot just out on the sideline, Stephenson clinched the 15-12 set win for the match to improve to 27-3 on the season and 5-1 in Region 5-4A play.

Stephenson 2, Clarkston 1

Stephenson opened the night with another three-set victory by knocking off the Clarkston Angoras 25-22, 21-25, 15-10 for another Region 5-4A win on the night.

Zoe Lubrin broke a 21-21 tie with a kill in the first set that started a 4-1 run to end the set. Odjegnide hit the game winner to finish off the 25-22 first set win.

Clarkston (14-17) bounced back in the second set to win 25-21 to even the match at one set apiece. Clarkston was leading just 21-20 late in the second set when the Angoras went on a 3-0 run to push the lead out to 24-20 on a tap over the net by Paw Say.

Lubrin’s put away to close the gap to 24-21 was a short halt before the Angoras took advantage of a mishit by the Jaguars to close out the match-tying 25-21 second set win.

Mikayla Thomas’s put away broke a 7-7 tie in the tiebreak and started a 5-0 run by the Jaguars to take control 12-7 in the tiebreaker.

Odjegnide’s tap over the net put the Jaguars up set point at 14-10. A Clarkston shot fell short of the net to allow the Jaguars to close out the win 15-10.

Clarkston 2, North Springs 0

The Clarkston Angoras (15-17) broke open both sets in a 25-18, 25-20 win in the second match of the night against the visiting North Springs Spartans.

A 5-0 run by the Angoras helped break open a 15-14 first set as Ajaak Manyang got a block and a winner the Spartans could not return as Clarkston’s Chloe Evanculla served up five consecutive points for Clarkston

Leading 24-18, Clarkston’s Atong Deng got a tap into an open spot on the Spartan’s side of the net to close out the 25-18 win in the opening set.

Clarkston was down 20-18 before winning a point and bringing Win Than to the serving line up 20-19. Manyang hit a shot off a blocker and then hit an ace to put the Angoras ahead for good at 22-21. A block by Manyang made it a 22-20 advantage.

The Angoras reeled off the final three points to close out the match with the 25-20 second set victory.