Decatur pulls out win over Eureka Springs
DECATUR — It looked as though the Decatur Lady Bulldogs were headed for the third loss of the week on Thursday when the team faced its longtime rival, the Eureka Springs Lady Highlanders, at home. Down two sets to one, with the fans, students and even the coach’s support fading away, the Lady Bulldogs rallied late in the fourth set to tie the match at two each, forcing a tie-breaker.
The first set of the conference match in the new gym at Decatur Middle School in Decatur went to the Lady Bulldogs, 25-21. From this point, the next two sets were close with both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Highlanders slugging it out for each and every point. Set two went to Eureka Springs, 25-20, while set three turned in favor of Decatur, 25-20, giving the Lady Bulldogs a two set to one advantage.
Then the bottom fell out for Decatur when the team went cold, putting Eureka Springs in the driver’s seat. The Lady Highlanders eventually won the set, 2521, over the Lady Bulldogs, tying the match at two sets each and sending the match into a tiebreaker.
During the 3-minute break, coach Tajhe Turner and assistant coach Ladale Clayton both uttered one simple word that altered the course of the contest, “focus.” For the Decatur Lady Bulldogs, that word ignited a spark that brought the team together for the first time in two weeks.
The Lady Bulldogs came alive in the final set, pounding Eureka Springs. Decatur built a seven-point lead in the 15 point set. Several long volleys between the two teams had fans from both sides of the bleachers on their feet to the end. When the game ended, the Lady Bulldogs took the final set, 15-9, for a 3-2 victory over the Lady Highlanders and the conference win.
With this victory, Decatur retained its fourth-place slot in the 2A West conference race behind the Alpena Lady Leopards, to whom they lost two days earlier. The Lady Bulldogs are now 7-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference going into the final two weeks of the 2019 regular season.
In two earlier matches, both the Decatur junior high A and B teams defeated Eureka Springs A and B teams in straight sets. Decatur B won its match, 25-14 and 25-18, over the Eureka Springs B while Decatur A defeated Eureka Springs A, 25-6 and 25-15.