Opening-match jitters get the best of Lady Bulldogs
CENTERTON — The bleachers were filled to capacity in the gym/ sanctuary at First Baptist Church in Centerton Aug. 26 as fans from Life Way Christian Academy and Decatur gathered for the opening volleyball match of 2019 for the Lady Bulldogs.
The Decatur varsity team stood in formation, ready to receive the first serve from the Lady Warriors. The ball flew over the net and into the back row where digger Stephanie Sandoval intercepted it. Unfortunately, Sandoval’s contact with the ball sent it flying onto the stage area behind the end line giving Life Way the first point of the night.
Tajhe Turner, Decatur Volleyball head coach, called a time out when the Lady Warriors built their lead with four unanswered points. Once Turner was able to calm her players’ first-game jitters, the Lady Bulldogs got back into the match. Bronwyn Berry, Decatur forward, delivered a hit past Life Way for Decatur’s first point of the 2019 season.
Life Way again took control of the set, extending its lead by 10. But Decatur picked up the pace and began a rally to cut the Life Way lead in half. But a series of simple lapses in concentration by the Lady Bulldogs allowed the Lady Warriors to maintain their lead and eventually take the first set, 25-14.
A lineup change at the beginning of the second set helped Decatur to play better. But Life Way had the home-court advantage and the Lady Warrior fans got behind their team, cheering it on to a 25-14 win in Set 2.
Not to be outdone, the Decatur fans, chanting “Bulldogs,” finally rallied the Lady Bulldogs in the third set as the team sought to take control. Decatur overtook Life Way and moved ahead by five. But the Lady Bulldogs were unable to stave off an attack by the Lady Warriors, who eventually rolled over Decatur to take the third and final set, 25-18, and handed Decatur its first loss of the new season.
The junior high volleyball team won its first set of the 2019 season by defeating Life Way, 25-23, in a hard-fought match. The second set went to Life Way, sending the match into a tie-breaker. The match went back and forth, with both teams capturing the lead, until the junior high Lady Warriors pulled ahead for good on a series of mistakes by Decatur. Life Way took the match, 2 sets to 1, over the Decatur junior high team.