Clarkton triumph over Twin Rivers in straight sets

Clarkton teammates celebrate with Denise Wellington, 12, after she made a diving dig which led to a point.

Photo by Kaelin Triggs, Delta Dunklin Democrat

CLARKTON, Mo. - The Clarkton Reindeer hosted Twin Rivers in a three set shut out on Monday, Sep. 16.

The Reindeer took the first set 25-13. They were led by senior Angel Johnson, who is coming off a weekend in Cape where she broke the 1,000 kill barrier at the Dig for Life tournament.

She recorded seven kills in the first set against Twin Rivers with the help of her fellow senior Brinley Cowart. Cowart also recorded her 1,000 digs over the weekend and extended the all-time assists record for Clarkton to over 3,000.

Cowart had eight assists in the first set as well as two aces. Sophomore Maranda Hernandez put down three serving aces while leading the team defensively with five digs.

The second set also went in favor of Clarkton as the Reindeer won 25-18. This was led by an early service run by Hernandez who added three more aces to her stats. She also picked up five digs and an assist. Cowart had 11 assists and an ace of her own in the second set while Johnson hit eight kills. Johnson also had a block in the second set along with Nabriya White who had three blocks and two kills.

The third set was a commanding win for the Reindeer with a 25-9 victory. Riley Plunkett, a senior, helped lead Clarkton to a victory with a service run which included three aces. Plunkett would finish the night with four digs and four kills as well.

Johnson added four more kills to her stats to finish with 20 total. She also had five digs and a block through three sets. Brinley Cowart led the team with 26 assists while Hernandez led the team with 13 digs. Hernandez also completed six aces while Cowart completed five to lead the team from the service line.

With this victory, the Reindeer remain undefeated in regular season matches, 8-0.

After dropping their first match of the season against Poplar Bluff and Bismark in the Dig for Life Tournament, they were able to return back to regular play pretty strong. According to Clarkton’s head coach Amy Cowart, the girls motivation to continue playing hard is hidden behind their ability to have fun while on the court.

“They work together when they enjoy playing through every single point,” Cowart said. “Sometimes they can goof off and not take it seriously, but I feel like all the way to the end they didn’t let up. They were running the offense and moving and talking as a team.”

A big step up for Cowart’s team was found in Wellington.

Cowart wanted to use Wellington more to give some of the Clarkton starters a rest after a weekend tournament and four matches this week.

Wellington stepped up big with nine digs on the night plus an assist and a serving ace.

“Denise Wellington came off the bench and played really good defense,” Cowart said. “She was excited, she was making plays, she got her shot and she took it. She’s a senior, so to see her come off the bench and fill in was exciting.”

The next game for the Reindeer will be on the road against Malden. Then they will return back home to face Risco on Thursday and Bernie on Friday for the first two games of a four game home stand.