Fort Sweeps Eagles To Win Region 2B Title

FORT DEFIANCE – A year ago, Clarke County rolled into the Don Landes Gymnasium and defeated Fort Defiance in the Region 2B championship game, sending the Indians on the road for the state tournament.

Not this year.

Fort Defiance dominated the Eagles on Tuesday, winning in straight sets 25-17, 25-16, 25-12 to hoist the 2B Championship Trophy and guarantee a home game in the state quarterfinal round this Saturday, The Indians will host the loser of the Amelia County-Poquoson Region 2A title match that will be played Wednesday. The game time will be announced later this week.

“Winning tonight was important. I told the girls that it still helps us to play a two seed and to be home and not have to travel,” said Fort coach Amber Pitsenbarger. 

The Indians jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set and the Eagles would get no closer than four points. 

Livia Clinedinst hammered a kill to tie the score 1-1 and Caroline Hanger served an ace to give Fort a lead it would not relinquish. A block by Maecy Frizzelle followed by a combined block from Clinedinst and Alexis Miller push the margin to 4-1.

Fort continued to pad its lead, and they did so without relying on Frizzelle to carry the offensive load. Frizzelle’s first kill in the opening set, gave Fort a 17-11 lead.

Two more kills by Frizzelle and an ace by Norah Anderson made the score 20-13. Kills by Hanger and Autumn Weber closed out the first set, 25-17.

The Eagles matched Fort kill-for-kill early in the second set. Isabel Aliveto put down three kills and Gracie Brown added two as Clarke put six points on the board. Fort scored their six points with Savannah Crookshanks recording two kills from the middle while Hanger and setter Alexis Miller each added one kill. A block by Hanger and Clinedinst put Fort up 7-6 before a kill by Clarke’s Bryn Franzen tied the score.

Fort then took control of the set with nine straight points. Hanger served two aces, Frizzelle powered two kills off of blocks and Clinedinst added a block and a kill as the Indians pulled away for a 16-7 lead.

A late Clarke spurt trimmed the margin to 20-16, but Fort ran off the final five points to win the set. Madison Bragg served an ace, Clinedinst and Miller combined for a block and Clinedinst added a kill to give the Fort set point. Bragg served another ace to close out the 25-16 victory, giving the Indians a 2-0 lead.

Uncharacteristic Fort errors helped the Eagles take a 6-3 early in the third set before Frizzelle scored with a kill and then served a pair of aces to tie the score. 6-6.

A kill by Brown and a Fort hitting error put the Eagles up 8-6 but the Indians outscored the visitors 19-4 the rest of the way to finish the match. Three service aces by Bragg gave Fort a 12-8 lead before a kill by Clinedinst and a combined block by Hanger and Clinedinst pushed the lead to 14-8.

Leading 17-11, Fort scored seven straight points, three on Frizzelle kills to lead 24-11. After a kill by Clarke’s Aliveto, Frizzelle finished the match with another kill, closing out the third set 25-12.

Frizzelle led the Indians with 14 kills and Clinedinst added eight from the middle. Miller orchestrated the offense with 27 assists. Fort served 14 aces, led by Bragg with five and Hanger with four. Anderson paced the defensive effort with 14 digs followed by Frizzelle and Hanger, each with 10 digs. Clinedinst controlled the middle with seven blocks.

“Tonight was really a team effort,” praised the Fort head coach. “We really went to Maecy a lot against Madison County, but tonight it was everyone, everyone contributed. We needed that tonight against a good team.

“This group has worked super, super hard and I’m super proud of the way they played tonight,” added Pitsenbarger. “I thought our blocking was probably the best we’ve had. Our passing was great, our serving was aggressive, our hitting was really good. We put it all together on the right night.”