Dayton Goes, 2-2, In League Play

DAYTON - Coming off of a win against Waitsburg- Prescott last Thursday, the Dayton Bulldog volleyball team was energized and ready to take down the De­Sales Lady Irish. The Bull­dogs' energy was rewarded with a three-game win over the Irish.

Both teams played com­petitively out of the gate and had the backing of bois­terous crowds from both schools.

In the first game, the Bull­dogs started to perpetuate energy and momentum and flexed their strength to hold the Irish while dropping the ball into Irish territory.

Game one was paced moderately with no excep­tional volleys, but the Bull­dogs weren't ready to play just any average game. The Bulldogs ignited their confi­dence and fought to hold the Irish down to win game one.

The Bulldogs kicked off game two with hard hitting and a pride in their game that resonated on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs scored five points before the Irish were able to reclaim some footing. Both teams were determined to maintain possession of the ball, but the Bulldogs were able to execute plays and deliver consistently to put points on the board and win the second game, 25-12.

In game three, the Bull­dogs hit the court running with a burst of renewed energy, but stuttered, fall­ing behind the Irish for the first points of the game. The Bulldogs closed the gap quickly and pushed onward without looking back. The Bulldogs' excitement lead to big hits and cinematic movements, but the Irish weren't ready to give up the game so quickly. The Irish found the Bulldogs' weak spots and were able to slow down the scoring with a few well-placed hits into unmanned Bulldog territory. The Bulldogs bit back and ended the game to win the match in three.

McKayla Bickelhaupt had nine kills and eight digs. Jessica Tate 17 assists and 11 digs and went 19-for-19 at the service line. Courtney Mings had six kills, seven digs and went 23-for-24 at the service line. Lexi Ramirez had five kills, two blocks and went 10-for-10 at the service line. Sarah Phil­lips had 11 digs. Melanie Mings had 10 blocks.

Head coach Shannon Turner said this was a good win for the Bulldogs and she was happy the girls were able to get the win in three games because they didn't have a night off to break from a long match.

"We're peaking at the right time," Turner said. "Now the girls are really learning how to finish a game."

Turner said she was hap­py to see the girls working together to put sets where they need to be to best use key players' strengths. Turn­er said the team is focused and improving all around and learning how to stay focused and finish a game.