DECATUR --The second half of the season is well underway for the Decatur senior girls' volleyball team as it played host to area rival Gentry Pioneers at Peterson Gym in Decatur on Sept. 27.
Earlier this month the Bulldogs traveled to Gentry for their first conference match between the two schools. In that Sept. 1 match, the Bulldogs took the first set, 25 to 22, before the Pioneers rallied and took the next three sets to win the match, 3 to 1.
The Pioneers came to Decatur with a 1 and 7 conference record against the Bulldogs' 1 and 9 record. Both teams were currently at the bottom of the 1a/4A conference race, looking to add a win to their record.
The Bulldogs were not playing their usual game when they took the court, at least not when compared to the last three matches with Shiloh Christian, Elkins and Bergman. Gentry, which was in seventh place in the 1A/4A conference standings, took advantage of this and pounded the Bulldogs to pull ahead and take the first set, 25 to 13.
The Bulldogs tried to get back into the match in the second, putting the first few points on the scoreboard early. After a Gentry timeout, the momentum switched in favor of the Pioneers, and they soon overpowered the Bulldogs and took the set, 25 to 15.
It was all Pioneers in the third and final set as the Bulldogs failed to get the ball to fall their way, giving Gentry the set, 25 to 7, and a three-game sweep.
This victory gave the Pioneers their second conference win so far this season and would elevate them to sixth place in the standing by the end of the week, ahead of Lincoln and Decatur.
The Decatur Bulldogs slipped to 1 and 10 in conference play going into the Sept. 29 match with Lincoln at Peterson Gym in Decatur.
The Gentry girls lost games against Southwest and Huntsville on Sept. 24. The sets were close against Southwest, 25-22 and 26-24. Against Huntsville, they lost 25-14 and 25-13. Scores were not yet available on Monday for a scheduled game Thursday at Elkins.
Sports on 10/05/2016