Clarinda edges Red Oak to win tournament title
GRISWOLD — The Red Oak Tigers volleyball team finished second at the Griswold Tournament on Saturday afternoon, losing to the Clarinda Cardinals, 2-1 in the championship match.
Clarinda maintained a steady lead in the first game, winning 25-17.
Red Oak responded in the second game by jumping out to an 11-5 lead. The Cardinals rallied and were soon down 12-8. The Tigers held on to their lead and built it to 17-10, only to see Clarinda cut the Red Oak lead to two points. Red Oak held on and won game two 25-18.
“First [game] was a complete loss of focus. And what we needed to do and come out in the second [game] was play our game,” Red Oak Head Coach Angie Montgomery said.
The Tigers trailed in the deciding third game, 5-1 and eventually 12-7.
Red Oak cut the Cardinals lead to three points, but it wasn’t enough as the Cardinals won the third game 15-11.
Gabi French led the Tigers in kills with 11, as well as serving aces with four. Kristi Yardas had 14 digs and Adrienne Mahoney had 13 assists.
Red Oak reached the championship game by defeating IKM-Manning in the semifinals, 2-0.
The Wolves jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the first game. IKM-Manning’s lead didn’t last long as Red Oak soon led 11-10 thanks to some serves by Maddie Holmgren. Holmgren had two aces in the semifinal.
“I told the team after IKM-Manning I feel like we’re a team that doesn’t panic when we get down,” Montgomery said. “We need to take care of our business out there first.”
Red Oak soon jumped out to a six point lead, only to see it wither away as IKM-Manning soon led 24-22, with the chance to take the first game. The Tigers tied the game, as both teams swapped the lead. Red Oak won the game 28-26.
In game two, IKM-Manning took a 7-1 lead. Red Oak came back again, tying the game at 13-13. Once again, the two teams switched leads, but a kill by French started a six-point rally to give Red Oak the 22-17 lead.
Hannah Day provided the final kill to get Red Oak into the championship match as they won 25-18. Day, who was named to the all-tournament team, had six kills against the Wolves.
“She’s a much more confident hitter,” Montgomery said about Day.
French had nine kills in the semifinal, as well as six digs and three serving aces.
Red Oak reached the semifinals by winning all three of their matches inpool play, not dropping a game in the process.
The Tigers started in the morning by defeating Griswold, 21-9 and 21-15. French led the match with six kills and six digs. Holmgren had six assists, while Mahoney had five.
“We have to play our game, make sure you have a quick tempo and make sure you don’t let up,” Montgomery said.
Red Oak then defeated Guthrie Center 21-17 and 23-21. Mahoney led the Tigers in kills with seven and also had nine assists. Holmgren led the team in assists with 14.
The Tigers then defeated Audubon 21-10 and 21-6. French’s nine kills paved the way for Red Oak to go undefeated in the pool matches.
Joining Day on the all-tournament team was Yardas and French. French was the only player on the all-tournament team selected unanimously.
Last Tuesday, Red Oak defeated Glenwood, 3-0, in Glenwood.
The Tigers won 25-16, 29-25 and 25-23. French led Red Oak with 11 kills on 31 attempts, also having 13 digs.
Yardas had 19 digs, while Makelti White had 15. Holmgren and Mahoney combined for 33 of Red Oak’s 35 assists.
Red Oak is 7-1 to start this season. They’re home this week as they face Atlantic on Tuesday night. On Saturday, the Tigers will host the Red Oak Volleyball Tournament, which will feature schools in the Hawkeye Ten.