DECATUR -- The Lady Bulldog senior volleyball team had its hands full last week as it took on Green Forest and Shiloh Christian at home at Peterson Gym in Decatur Aug. 28 and 29. Decatur struggled to keep up in both matches and eventually lost both contests, 3 sets to 0.
Green Forest was up first, Aug. 28. A series of mistakes in the early stages of the first set quickly put Decatur behind the more-experienced Lady Tigers. Decatur pulled it together and mounted a comeback on plays by Desi Meek, Talor Thompson and Destiny Meija. But after the 14th point, a series of concentration errors and simple mistakes allowed the Lady Tigers to move ahead of the Lady Bulldogs and take the set, 25-14.
Decatur continued its struggle, allowing Green Forest to take the second set, 25-11.
Coach Jessi Castagna made a few modifications to her game plan in the third set and the Lady Bulldogs quickly built a 4-0 lead. Green Forest took the lead midway through the contest. The lead changed hands twice in the later stages until the Lady Tigers stepped up their offense, eventually taking the set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.
Shiloh Christian rolled into Decatur for the third conference game of the season. But this match would prove to be too much for the Lady Bulldogs, both on and off the court.
News traveled quickly among the Decatur volleyball team that senior Savanna Dodson lost her younger brother Remington Anderson to cancer two hours before the start of the senior volleyball match. With his passing, the Lady Bulldogs' heart was not fully into the match and Shiloh Christian easily rolled over Decatur, 25-5, 25-7, 25-5, to take the match, 3-0.
In one remarkable play during the third set, the Lady Saints served to Decatur's Mathline Jesse. Jesse's return went behind her and hit the ceiling above the basketball goal supports. Resembling something out of the old movie "Tommy," the ball bounced back and forth in the structure like in a pin ball machine. As it exited, the ball fell to another Decatur player's hands and was hit into the same place. It bounced around, gaining momentum until it finally exited at the supports. It was picked up by Jesse again who sent it over the net to a bewildered Shiloh team.
Remarkably, one of Shiloh's forwards was on top of the plan and hit it back to Decatur, ending the short adventure into "Pinball Wizard" volleyball.
After both teams met and exchanged handshakes at the net, both Decatur's junior- and senior-varsity teams gathered near center court to offer a prayer for the Anderson family.
For a complete schedule of Decatur Lady Bulldogs' volleyball matches, go to decatursd.com.
Sports on 09/06/2017