DECATUR -- The Decatur senior girls' volleyball team returned to Peterson Gym last week to take on the Elkins Elks Sept. 20 and the Shiloh Christian Saints Sept. 22 in a pair of conference matches.
The Lady Bulldogs are now halfway through their first official season in the 1A/4A District 1 and 3A North conferences, having played each rival at least once thus far.
Going into the second half of the season, the Bulldogs are one and seven in conference play and one and nine overall.
Decatur's first match of the week was against another newcomer to conference play, the Elkins Elks. Like the Bulldogs, the Elks built their first volleyball team during the summer of 2015. They faced the same challenges as that of Decatur dealing without enough teams in their prospective classification to have a solid conference. The Arkansas Activities Association, which governs the athletic programs across the state, decided to move both teams into a tougher 4A conference where they faced powerhouses like Shiloh Christian, Gravette, Lincoln and Gentry. But both Decatur and Elkins did not let this disadvantage stop them from playing some of the most hard-hitting matches this season.
Elkins came to Decatur with a three and four conference record, hoping to add one more win to its record.
In the first set, the Bulldogs jumped out into a commanding lead early. But a time out by the Elks quickly turned the tide, and they overtook Decatur to gain the lead. But the Bulldogs were determined not to go down without a fight. Returns by Cameron Shaffer, Talor Thompson, Desi Meek and Mathline Jesse at the net kept the score close. But the Elks mounted several runs late, giving them a 25-15 victory and a 1-0 lead in the best of five series.
Both Decatur and Elkins were evenly matched during the next two sets, with several long rallies by the Bulldogs. The Elks prevailed, taking the victory and the match, 25 to 16, in both sets.
The Lady Bulldogs hosted the Shiloh Christian Saints in another conference match in Decatur on Sept. 22.
The Saints came into this match with a perfect 7-0 conference record while the Bulldogs have posted only one conference victory thus far.
Shiloh took control of the first set quickly, building its lead to 10 points before Decatur posted its first point. But Decatur was not giving up easy and began to get back into the match. The ball passed over the nets several times in a series of remarkable rallies. Decatur, however, was unable to catch a break, losing the first set to Shiloh Christian, 25 to 7.
The second set of the match saw some of the best play by the Bulldogs all season. Decatur forced Shiloh Christian to work for every point. Just when it looked like the ball was going to drop out of play, giving the Saints another point, Talor Thompson, Cameron Shaffer, Desi Meek, Coral Frydrychowski, and Shaney Lee would intercept the ball, some on diving plays, sending it back to the Saints. In the end, the Saints prevailed taking the second set, 25 to 6.
The third set of the match went to the Saints, 25 to 7, who took the conference victory in three straight sets.
The Bulldogs are now one and eight in conference play and one and 10 overall going into the second half of the season.
The Decatur Bulldogs volleyball team will be at home Sept. 29 when they take on the Lincoln Wolves. They continue at home against the West Fork Tigers Oct. 6. The Bulldogs will be on the road again Oct. 4 when the team travels north to take on the Gravette Lions. Starting times for these matches are on the district website at www.decatursd.com.
Sports on 09/28/2016