DECATUR -- Sometimes during basketball games, the ball gets stuck between the goal and the backboard. A similar occurrence took place during the second set of the Decatur Lady Bulldogs and Elkins Lady Elks senior volleyball match at Peterson Gym in Decatur. The incident stopped the game for about five minutes.
Halfway through the second set, Decatur and Elkins were in the middle of a long volley when the ball was hit to Mailee Xiong. She bumped the ball hard, sending high into rafters. As it went up, the Lady Elks front line readied themselves to intercept it and send it back to Decatur. But, with a thunk, the ball stuck in between a pair of metal struts on the rafter above the net -- and there it stayed. Everything stopped for a few minutes before officials awarded the point to Elkins and picked up the second game ball and resumed the match.
Prior to the start of the game, the Lady Bulldogs honored their senior members Mathline Jesse, Talor Thompson, Mailee Xiong and Leticia Fuentes for their long dedication to the volleyball program. All four were original members of the first volleyball team in 2015, with Xiong having had the original idea for the team.
The Lady Elks dominated play, taking all three sets, 25-16, 25-17, and 25-11, winning the match, 3-0.
The good news for the Bulldog volleyball program is that the junior-high A team, which has won seven matches this season, brings a lot of new talent. Players like Lilly Lee, Bronwyn Berry, Ithzel Martinez and Stephanie Sandoval -- ninth graders this season -- will join the senior-high ranks next season.
Sports on 10/18/2017