Clancey Bowen sparks St. Laurence past H-F
Sophomore right hitter Clancey Bowen finished the regular season on a down note for St. Laurence.
In her last four matches, she has 12 kills on 53 attempts with nine errors for a .057 hitting percentage. This resulted in poor practices and caused him some anxiety.
“I was scared about how I was going to present myself,” Bowen said of Thursday night’s regional final. “I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, but my coaches were able to talk to me to help me get through it.
Bowen let her speak against Homewood-Flossmoor.
She finished with seven kills, including her team’s first two to start, as the host Vikings defeated HF 25-22, 25-18 in the St. Laurence Class 4A regional championship match in Burbank.
Bowen also had three blocks for St. Laurence (26-11), with his final block securing the victory. Junior outside hitter Aubrey Martinez, a Ball State recruit, had 11 kills. Three came from the last row.
Sophomore outside hitter Abby Ambrose had five kills, while Leah Romano had 11 digs and Marissa Blum added six. Senior setter Keely Bowen, Clancey’s sister, recorded 30 assists.
St. Laurence will face Mother McAuley (33-4) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Rich Township Section semifinals. Earlier in the regular season, McAuley defeated St. Laurence 25-15, 25-13.
Speaking of the regular season, HF beat St. Laurence 25-16, 25-23 on September 16, so Clancey Bowen and her teammates know a little about revenge.
“We just had a little more momentum this time,” Bowen said of turning things around on HF. “We worked on all the shots. We knew they were a really good blocking team.
“We were able to make all our shots and point shots, and that’s what won the game for us.”
Clemson freshman Ihuoma Ozoh and Wisconsin freshman Kymora Scott led HF (18-17) with six kills each. Ozoh also had a solo block and three assists.
So what were the magic words that St. Laurence coach Ellen Yopchick and assistant Ryan Hackett said to the 6-foot-1 Bowen to help improve her game for a high-pressure regional final?
“Coach Yopchick gave me confidence,” Bowen said. “She told me she believed in me. And Coach Hackett always asks me if I need to talk. They’re both always there for me.
“They reassured me along the way.
Yopchick realizes there can be ups and downs for sophomores playing at the varsity level.
“It’s tough being an underclassman,” Yopchick said. “It’s just a different feel and look. The pressure is different sometimes. But Clancey is a workaholic. It’s a long season with ebbs and flows.
“I told her she didn’t look like she was having fun. And that’s really important to us. There’s nothing more fun than high school volleyball for your school and everything that goes with it. And she gets to play with her older sister. I wanted her to buy into that before it was too late.”
Martinez was also impressed with Bowen’s breakout game.
“She showed up really well,” Martinez said of Bowen. “She was incredible. She did all the trick shots we practiced, which was important because on the right, she had a huge blocker on her.
“Clancey must have outsmarted her, which she did.”
Bowen got her start in volleyball thanks in part to her mother Jen, née Rinsland, who won a state championship in Connecticut. Jen also coached her two daughters.
As a result, Clancey grew up loving the sport.
“I love competing,” she said. “When I have a good match, I have fun and I love it so much.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
