Bulldogs take second conference victory
DECATUR — Coach Jessi Castagna had plenty of reasons to celebrate Sept. 29 as her Decatur senior girls’ volleyball team posted its first conference victory since winning the 3A opener against Eureka Springs on Aug. 25 in Decatur.
The Lincoln Wolves traveled to Decatur’s Peterson Gym to take on the Bulldogs in a 1A/4A conference match. The Wolves overwhelmed the Bulldogs in a three-set sweep in Lincoln on Sept. 6.
Castagna made a few modifications to her lineup, including switching Desi Meek and Cameron Shaffer. This move proved to be a game-changer for Decatur and marked the beginning of a winning streak.
“Desi has been setting for us all season,” Castagna said. “I decided to put Cameron as setter and moved Desi to the outside hitter’s position, and I think that helped a lot. It helped Desi calm down a lot and gave Cameron a steady and calming presence on the court.”
Lincoln jumped ahead of Decatur in the first set by as much as nine points. But the Bulldogs fought back to tie at 23-all. Two straight Lincoln points gave it the win, 25-23.
In the second set, Lincoln won, 25-16. The changes to the Bulldog lineup took hold in the third set, which was the start of one of the most exciting volleyball sets Decatur played all season.
Castagna’s well-orchestrated plan caught Lincoln off guard and its game plan began to unravel as the Bulldogs took the third and fourth sets, 25-23 and 25-22, setting up a tie-breaker.
In the final set, the Bulldogs’ strategy worked as Meek, Shaffer and Talor Thompson blasted balls past a rattled Lincoln team to take the 16-14 win for Decatur’s second conference match of the season.
“I knew that we had it in us to play at our absolute best,” Castagna said. “They pulled it out and it was amazing.”
A complete schedule of the remaining Decatur Bulldog volleyball matches is available online at decatursd.com/athletics.
In other Decatur-Lincoln volleyball action, Decatur’s junior high B team defeated Lincoln in two straight sets, 25-14 and 25-22. Decatur junior high A lost to Lincoln, 25-10 and 25-11.