Lions slay Dark Horses 3-0

In another early-season rematch, the Mintz Christian Academy Lady Lions traveled to Clinton to face the Lady Dark Horses in volleyball. After taking the first game 3-1 on their home court in their Aug. 20 showdown, the Lady Lions got the full sweep on the season, besting the home team 3-0.

Clinton entered the game at 8-1, their lone loss being to MCA. They had only dropped two sets in the time since then, putting together a five-game win streak. Mintz hadn’t lost a set since dropping one to the Dark Horses, but remained undefeated overall, coming into the game at 9-0. They had only lost three sets all year prior to this — one to Clinton and two to Berean Baptist Academy.

Both teams are full of young talent, with Mintz only rostering two seniors and five juniors. Two sophomores and five sophomores round out their lineup. Clinton is led by three seniors and four juniors. Four sophomores and two freshmen are on the Dark Horses’ roster.

As action got underway in one of the best volleyball matches in the county this season, neither team jumped out to a big lead. Long volleys led to back-and-forth scores early, but it was clear that both teams came to give their best. Clinton’s Kailee Parrish and Mintz’s Audrey Rich set the tone early, with Parrish serving and Rich defending the net.

Mintz’s McKenzie Street and Sarah Millen got in the action, as Street was also a presence near the net and Millen getting digs and returns. Clinton’s Bass spiked one early that Mintz couldn’t return, which knotted the first set at three points a piece.

Bass tried again on the next point to spike one after a long volley, but came up short as it hit the net, giving Mintz the 4-3 advantage.

This set off a small run for Mintz, as Sadie Parrish, Mintz’s Libero, stepped back to serve and grabbed an ace. Clinton’s Brittany Britt spiked it but it was blocked by Mintz, but on the next point, a spike was successful, and the small run ended at 6-4 in favor of the Lady Lions.

The Lady Dark Horses reeled the set back in, tying it up at six points, the sixth point coming off a Nellie Bass serving ace.

Mintz tried to break away from this point, but they just couldn’t make a run on Clinton. Scores of 8-7, 9-8, and 12-11, all in favor of the Lady Lions were seen, as the teams traded blows like a heavyweight bout. A controversial call from the referees nullified a point at the 12-11 mark, and this again set off a Lions run.

Things started to get out of hand for Clinton, and when the score was 15-12 in favor of their opponents, coach Shelia Davidson called for a timeout to stop the bleeding. Out of the timeout, Audrey Rich spiked it to widen the lead to 17-12. Bass attempted to block a shot by Mintz on the next play, but it barely landed out of bounds, again widening the score to 18-12 in favor of the Lions.

The five-point run by Mintz was led by Sadie Parrish and her intense serves, often showcasing her aces.

Clinton stopped the run at 18-13, and eventually brought it back to a 20-19 score, still in favor of the Lions. Davidson called her second timeout of the set at a score of 23-20, and it proved useful. A three-point rally tied things up at 23 after the break. At 24-23, Clinton’s Kailee Parrish got a dig, but Mintz defenders were waiting at the net and blocked it, giving the Lions the set win, making it 1-0.

The Dark Horses jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second set, but the Lions quickly took advantage again, making it a 5-3 game in their favor. Things started to get away from Clinton, and Davidson called a timeout when the score was 8-4 for Mintz.

The second set proved to be an onslaught of an attack by the Lions, who widened things out to a 14-7 lead on a spike from McKenzie Street. Later, Stereet had another spike, giving them the 17-8 lead. Another five-point streak by the Lions was led this time by Aubrey Herring’s serves, going from a 14-8 lead to a 19-8 advantage. Clinton tried to mount a rally, but it was to no avail, as the Lions captured the second set by a score of 25-12, now with a 2-0 set lead over the home team.

As the third set got under way, Clinton had to win to extend the match. Things got off to a contested started, as the teams were tied at three points early. Mintz tried to pull away again, holding onto a small lead. They increased the spread between them and the Dark Horses, pulling out to an 8-4 lead before Clinton brought it back to 8-7. Still, though, the Dark Horses could never truly gain advantage against the defensive skillset of the Lions.

Clinton’s Jenna Jackson and Kailee Parrish had back-to-back spikes in the middle of the set, with Parrish’s tying the set up at nine. Again, the Lions crept away from the Dark Horses, holding them just far enough out of reach to kill any momentum they had.

Arizona Tyndall, of Clinton, tipped one barely over the net to bring the score to 13-12, with Mintz still winning. Mintz’s McKenzie Small spiked one, but Brittany Britt was there for the block. Nellie Bass returned the ball in what ended up being another controversial call, as the referee deemed that it went outside of the out-of-bounds pole, but Davidson argued.

Things got more contested late in the set, as the Dark Horses tied it up at 20 and won the next point, giving them the lead at 21-20. Mintz’s coach, Dan Heinz, called a strategic timeout, trying to squash the run that Clinton had, as they had scored five consecutive points.

The set was tied again at 22, but the Lions jumped out to a 24-22 lead. Davidson called her final timeout, trying to give her team a swing to get back into it. This was moot as the Lions took the set and the match on the next point, winning 25-22, and 3-0 overall.

“I was pleased with how hard our girls played tonight,” Mintz coach Dan Heinz said after the match. “We knew coming in that it would be tough and Coach Davidson would have a game plan.”

“We worked on some things this week and they paid off big tonight,” he continued. “Our two outside hitters — McKenzie Street and McKenzie Small — are undersized, but they combined for 30 kills.”

On the Clinton side of things, Davidson was frustrated with her team’s performance, but knew this was a tough matchup. Last week after a different Dark Horses volleyball match, she had said that Mintz was the best defensive team they’ll play all year, and she “would put them up against any team in the state.”

“When things get difficult, and things aren’t easy, we start doing things abnormally,” she said, about last night’s game. “All of a sudden we start not servicing the ball well, or start servicing the ball over the net when we’re down by four or five, or we’re down by a set or two. And that comes from the pressure.”

One last thing that Heinz wanted to mention was his gratitude for Clinton. “I am thankful that Clinton High School is willing to schedule us in multiple sports. I hope in the future that other county schools will agree to play us. We bring a great crowd and they are well-behaved,” he said.

Clinton is now 8-2 and they travel to Midway on Thursday for another area volleyball heavyweight fight. Mintz advanced to 10-0 on the season, and they face Penderlea Academy and The Point Christian Academy on Thursday.