Tippetts helps Bonanza boys sweep Clark
Technically, volleyball isn’t a contact sport.
But Bonanza setter Dustin Tippetts used the full force of his body Tuesday to keep many nearly dead plays alive and help the Bengals sweep visiting Clark 25-17, 25-22, 25-18 for sole possession of third place in the Southwest League.
“Volleyball’s one of those sports where you’ll definitely get bruises on your hips or knees,” said Tippetts, who notched 21 assists and two aces. “One of my philosophies is that if you’re not going big, you’re going to go home. I think if you’re not getting hurt out there, you’re not playing to your full intensity.”
Tippetts had a diving save at the end of the second game to stop Clark’s late surge and give the Bengals (4-4, 4-1 Southwest) the 25-22 edge. The intensity spread to his teammates, as junior Cru Leavitt laid out two points earlier to save a nearly dead ball and give his team a 24-21 advantage.
“The kids battled today. Clark is a tough, gritty team, and if you take it easy on them, they’ll put up points and beat you,” Bonanza coach Joe Cap said. “But the guys fought hard today, and I’m impressed with the effort they put in. They could’ve laid down and died, gone with the flow, but they fought today.”
The Bengals cruised to the first-game win by going on runs of 8-2 and 8-4. But four Bonanza service errors and a first-set kill by Matt Ruedas helped the Chargers (6-2, 3-2) to an 8-5 lead in Game 2. Tippetts served up an ace, and Parker Evans and Jared Harrington added back-to-back kills to turn the momentum in Bonanza’s favor, and the Bengals never looked back.
Bedford and Jared Harrington finished with 10 kills apiece, and Bedford added four aces.
The win broke a tie between Bonanza and Clark for third place in the Southwest.
George Huang led Clark with eight kills and three blocks. David Samson added 14 assists.
