Decatur, Gentry in Washburn volleyball tournament

Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur’s Desi Meek (1) bumped the ball back into Lady Trojan territory during the Decatur-Southwest game of the Southwest High School Volleyball Tournament in Washburn, Mo., on Sept. 23.
Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur’s Desi Meek (1) bumped the ball back into Lady Trojan territory during the Decatur-Southwest game of the Southwest High School Volleyball Tournament in Washburn, Mo., on Sept. 23.

WASHBURN (Mo.) -- Where would you have to travel to see two conference rivals playing in the same gym, on the same court, at the same time, with neither team serving a single volleyball to the other? The answer: Washburn, Mo.

Both the Decatur Bulldogs and the Gentry Pioneers traveled north to compete in the Southwest High School Invitational Volleyball Tournament in Washburn Sept. 23. The tournament consisted of two brackets, one for larger schools like Gentry, and the other for smaller schools like Decatur. While the two teams never competed against one another, they did play side-by-side on a split court with only a 10-foot gap between nets.

The Lady Bulldogs competed in Bracket Two of the tournament, facing three Missouri teams -- including the Southwest Trojans, Wheaton Bulldogs and Cassville Wildcats -- and one Arkansas opponent, the Berryville Bobcats. In Bracket One, the Lady Pioneers faced the Crane Pirates, Diamond Wildcats and Verona Wildcats from Missouri, and a conference rival, the Huntsville Eagles.

The Lady Bulldogs were defeated by each team they played. But in the third match with the Wheaton Bulldogs, Decatur took an early lead in the second set, causing the Wheaton coach to rethink his game plan. A timeout and lineup changes by the Wheaton girls stopped Decatur. The Lady Bulldogs fell, 2-0.

Decatur carried the momentum from the Wheaton contest to its final opponent of the day, the Cassville Wildcats. The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to an eight-point lead on a series of serves by Mailee Xiong. The Lady Wildcat coach was blindsided by the Decatur run, forcing her to use one of her timeouts. After the timeout, the momentum shifted in Cassville's favor and the Cassville girls eventually overtook the Lady Bulldogs' lead and went on to win the set and the match.

The Decatur Lady Bulldogs were eliminated from their bracket with a 0-8 record.

The Lady Pioneers fared much better in their bracket, with a 2-6 record, enough to get them a berth in the elimination bracket. Gentry was able to win two more matches before being eliminated in the third match.

For the Decatur Lady Bulldogs and the Gentry Lady Pioneers, the experiences of playing different teams in a different setting proved to be a valuable tool. It allowed both teams to study different game plans and to formulate defensive and offensive strategies, giving each the ability to adjust and grow.

Scores

Diamond, Mo.-Gentry 25-10 and 25-21

Verona, Mo.-Gentry 25-27 and 15-25

Huntsville-Gentry 25-13 and 25-17

Crane, Mo.-Gentry 25-10 and 25-13

Berryville-Decatur 25-6 and 25-16

Southwest, Mo.-Decatur 25-16 and 25-13

Wheaton, Mo.-Decatur 25-15 and 25-19

Cassville, Mo.-Decatur 25-14 and 25-13

Sports on 10/04/2017