The Sturgeon Bay Clippers varsity volleyball team faced one of its toughest challenges of the young season Thursday night, traveling to take on N.E.W. Lutheran, currently ranked No. 2 in Division 5 in the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

 

The Clippers fell in three sets, 19-25, 23-25 and 13-25, but the final score doesn’t tell the whole story of the night.

 

Sturgeon Bay battled throughout the opening two sets and showed that it could compete with one of the state’s top-ranked teams. After dropping the opening set 25-19, the Clippers came back with an especially strong effort in the second.

 

Sturgeon Bay went point-for-point with N.E.W. Lutheran and pushed the set all the way to the finish before the Blazers were able to escape with a narrow 25-23 victory. N.E.W. Lutheran then found its rhythm in the third set and closed out the match, 25-13.

 

Despite the loss, the match provided another valuable early-season test for a Clipper team continuing to grow and develop. Playing a highly ranked opponent gave Sturgeon Bay an opportunity to see where it stands, while also identifying the small areas that can make the difference against high-level competition.

 

The Clippers will look to take what they learned from Thursday’s match and carry it into a busy stretch of the season ahead. With conference play underway and tournament competition on the schedule, Sturgeon Bay will continue to focus on consistency, communication and competing together.

There is plenty of volleyball still ahead for the Clippers — and Thursday night was another step in that journey.

 

Offensively, Audrey Harrington led the Clippers with nine kills on 22 attempts, highlighted by an impressive second set in which she put down five kills on nine swings while hitting .444. Reen Walker added four kills, while Izzy Schoeneman contributed five. Makenna Coyhis directed the offense with 21 assists. Defensively, Walker led Sturgeon Bay with six digs, while Harrington added five. The Clippers also showed some of their best serve-receive volleyball in the tightly contested second set, posting a 2.45 team passing rating as they pushed N.E.W. Lutheran to a 25-23 finish.