Dogs’ Losses End Season

WALLA WALLA -- The Dayton Lady Bulldogs lost two matches in a row last week and were eliminated from Blue Mountain District play.

After finishing the regular season in first place with an11-1 record the Bulldogs fell to the WP Cardinals in three games last Wednesday night in Dayton.

The Cardinals were first to score in game one, but Bulldogs Shelby Smith and McKayla Bickelhaupt fought back at the net throwing down kills to a 10-all tie.

The two teams would take turns scoring on missed attacks until serving aces from Cardinal Rhiannon Chapman put the Bulldogs down,19-14.

The Bulldogs would benefi t from three straight missed attacks from the Cardinals. A serving ace from Courtney Mings and a kill from Bickelhaupt put the Dogs up, 22-21.

The Bulldogs fell to the Cardinals 23-25 after a Chapman kill ended game one.

The Bulldogs came out strong in game two jumping to a 3-9 lead with four kills from Bickelhaupt and serving aces from Jessica Tate and Nicole Lambert. The Cardinals snuck up on the Bulldogs scoring on failed attacks and unreturned vollies. The Bulldogs continued to struggle and were called for lifts and double hits to tie the game up at 23.

Back-to-back kills from Cardinals Sarah Mascall and Chapman put the Bulldogs down two games.

The Bulldogs jumped to a 21-5 lead in the third game with kills from Lambert and Mings, but the Cardinals rallied with multiple kills from Dionna Baker and Ronnie Hulce and serving aces from Chapman.

A kill from Mings would tie the game at 24. The two teams would exchange points to a 28- all tie keeping the chance for a Bulldog victory alive.

But a failed Bulldog attack gave the Cardinals game point and the Bulldogs lost the match, 30-28, after Bickelhaupt couldn't quite reach a Hulce kill.

Saturday the Bulldogs faced the Desales Fighting Irish in a do-or-die loser out match up in Walla Walla.

After receiving their first place league trophy the Bulldogs came out flat in a game one loss to the DeSales Irish, 25-9. They picked things up a bit in game two, but fell short 25-21. The Bulldogs gave the Irish a bit of their own medicine in game three defeating the Irish 25-9, but were eliminated from a state tournament berth with a 25-21 loss to the Irish in game four.

"We had a great season," said Bulldog head coach Shannon Turner. "I am very proud of the girls. They worked hard and earned a league title."