Lady Bulldogs win first match in new home
DECATUR — Cheers of elation filled the air in the new gym at Decatur Middle School Aug. 28 as the Decatur Lady Bulldog varsity team inaugurated its new home court with a win over Bentonville Thaden High School Lady Barnstormers.
For Coach Tahje Turner, the win was the perfect way to rally Lady Bulldog fans in support of her team, as well as the junior high team.
Both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Barnstormers were evenly matched throughout the contest as several long rallies brought fans from both sides to their feet.
In the first set, Decatur jumped out in front by as much as 14 points when a series of errors brought Thaden back into the contest. But the Lady Bulldogs prevailed to take the first set, 25-22.
Decatur made easy work in the second set as the Lady Barnstormers were unable to get any defense going and handed the Lady Bulldogs the second set, 25-13.
But the third set was by far the most exciting of the match. It came down to Thaden tying the set at 20. Bronwyn Berry, Decatur’s strong outside hitter, was up to serve. One after another, Berry’s serves found holes in Thaden’s defense for points. The Lady Bulldogs won the final set and ultimately the match on five straight serves by Berry.
The Lady Bulldogs were back on the road for the second away and the first conference match of the week, traveling east to take on the Alpena Lady Leopards in Alpena Aug. 29. This match did not go well for the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Leopards overwhelmed Decatur in three sets to take the conference victory, 25-16, 25-19 and 25-9.
The Lady Bulldogs will be back in Decatur Sept. 5 to take on the Lady Yellowjackets from Mulberry. Match time is 4:30 p.m.