CENTERTON -- After splitting a pair of matches against the Lady Griffins and Lady Yellowjackets earlier in the week, the Decatur Lady Bulldog varsity and both the junior high A and B teams were on the road once again for a short journey to Centerton on Sept. 30.
The Lady Bulldogs' final opponents of the week were the Life Way Lady Warriors in a match played at First Baptist Church of Centerton.
Just before the matches began, a thunderstorm hit Centerton, bringing with it very heavy rain and lots of lightning. The rain, with some hail, hit the roof so hard at times it nearly drowned out the sounds of the volleyball matches below. But all this noise barely affected the players as the focus was on the match at hand.
The Lady Warriors quickly took charge of the contest in the first set, chalking up eight points before the Lady Bulldogs were able to score one. A short run put Decatur back into the contest. But the Life Way coach called a time out to cool down Decatur's streak. After the time out, the momentum shifted back in favor of the Lady Warriors and Life Way went on to take the first set, 25-8.
In sets two and three, several long volleys kept the Lady Bulldogs in the contest. Soon, however, the Lady Bulldogs began making mistakes, once again giving the Lady Warriors the advantage. Life Way took both sets -- 25-16 and 25-13 -- to claim the conference win in straight sets over the Decatur Lady Bulldogs.
Life Way walked away with a win against the junior high B team in two straight sets, 25-8, 25-13. In the first set against Decatur's A team, the young Lady Warriors easily took the win, 25-12. However, the second set was close, with the Lady Bulldogs keeping pace with the Lady Warriors. Eventually, the Life Way junior high A team took the win, 25-20, and the match in two straight sets.
The Decatur Lady Bulldogs finish up their 2021 road trip on Oct. 4 with a match with the Fayetteville New School, and Oct. 5 in play against Eureka Springs. Both matches are scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start. The girls return to their home in the Decatur gym on Oct. 7 for a contest with the Thaden Lady Barnstormers, again with a 4:30 p.m. start time.
