By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The attitude cranks up in the postseason.
Or, in Strafford’s case, the vibe.
“(Assistant) coach (Abbie) Lane told us today to pick up our vibe,” said Stafford senior Ashley Suter. “We wanted a lot of excitement in the gym. We had to figure out who we were, how we were going to excite each other and keep each other together.”
Early on in Monday night’s Class 2 District 10 Tournament finals, all the noise was a little too much for Strafford.
Clever won the first two sets and had last year’s Class 3 state runner-up searching for answers.
“We came out a little jittery, a little frantic,” Suter said. “We haven’t played in front of a crowd like this all season. We finally settled down and got it together.”
Strafford recovered from the sluggish start, roaring back to take the final three sets and defeat Clever 3-2 (21-24, 24-26, 25-19, 25-19, 15-6).
The victory marks Strafford’s eighth district title in the last nine years.
The key for the 2022 squad: Staying calm and confident, said coach Ashley Bough.
“We’ve learned this year that when we panic, we’re not very good as a team,” Bough said. “I’ve had to learn that about myself, even in my 10th season as a coach here at Strafford. I’ve had to learn how to approach this group. Each group is always different. This group, they have the tools, it’s just about them making that choice.
“We went into that third set and said, ‘Hey, here’s the deal: We’ve worked too hard this season, we’ve grown too much as a team. You’ve grown as individuals. Now it’s our time. We have to pull this out.’ They did. It’s all about them.”
Suter and fellow senior Sophia Frerking led a balanced Strafford attack with 11 kills apiece. Sophomore Halle Forester added 10 kills.
Strafford will host Mountain View Liberty at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday in the Class 2 sectional round.
It’s a rivalry renewed – Strafford and Liberty met in the state playoffs four times within a five-year span from 2014-18. Liberty won three of those four meetings.
The Eagles (27-4-3 overall) also prevailed 3-1 over Strafford at home earlier this season.
Strafford (24-8-1 overall), molded by a challenging non-conference schedule, has home court advantage in Thursday’s rematch.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
“We haven’t had a bad loss this season,” Bough said. “We’ve lost some games where we should’ve won, but it’s been against great teams. We’ve been preparing ourselves for this moment.”
Strafford had its season in peril on Monday night, falling behind 2-0 against a fired up Clever squad.
“Clever came out and played balls to the wall,” Bough said. “They were aggressive, in sync and focused. They were out here ready to compete. We came out, had some adversity and started playing tight.”
For Strafford, it was a chance to flip the script.
Suter pointed out that the Lady Indians have been on the other side of the same scenario this season – ahead 2-0, only to falter and lose in five sets.
“We knew since we had been on the losing side of that situation before, there was a chance for us to pull it off,” Suter said. “If (teams) can do it to us, surely we can do it to them. It’s finally nice to be on the other side of it.”
Strafford led from start to finish in the third set. The fourth set saw Clever cut an early Strafford lead to 12-11, but the Lady Indians took control down the stretch.
“When we started doing the little things that were going to make a difference, it swung the momentum,” Bough said. “We got some hustle plays we hadn’t gotten in those first two sets, which created some huge runs.”
Strafford slammed the door shut in the fifth set. The Lady Indians reeled off nine unanswered points after a 4-all tie.
“(Setter) Abby Chadwell stepped up and ran a really diverse offense,” Bough said. “She spread the ball out well. We were able to get some kills where it opened up other attackers.”
Strafford’s service game also sparked the comeback. Chadwell finished with eight aces, and Suter added four.
Clever finishes 22-13-3 overall under first-year coach Bri Walsh. The Lady Blue Jays graduate three seniors in Lindy Twigg, Rylea King and Abbi Street.
Strafford heads back to the state playoffs – this time in Class 2 – a year after graduating two all-state players from a state runner-up team.
“We felt like we had some spots open coming into this year. It was just a matter of figuring out who we were going to be,” Suter said. “I think we showed up tonight and proved who we can be.”
