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Fire, win escape Lady Bulldogs in first home game against Saxony
SIKESTON -- Just over a week after their season opening loss to Bernie, the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs were back in action on Wednesday as they hosted Saxony Lutheran in their first home game of the year.
Though they grabbed the first four points of the night the Lady Bulldogs were unable to fight through consistency issues that haunted them well into the second game allowing the Lady Crusaders to win in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21.
"They had no fire in their belly," Sikeston head coach Steve Beydler said. "I don't know why. They're excited to be here in front of our crowd. We opened in Bernie and had a lot more fire in the first game against them.
"Tonight we didn't have any until (late in the second set)."
After taking the first four points off the night, starting with an ace from Lauren Beydler, things quickly fell apart for the Lady Bulldogs as Saxony took 11 of the next 12 points. Sikeston burned their first timeout when trailing 14-5 to try and regroup, but couldn't catch up with the Lady Crusaders as they pushed ahead 22-14 before the Lady Bulldogs once again called for a break.
A bad serve on the Lady Crusaders (4-4) gave Sikeston (0-2) the point coming out of the timeout, though not long after a kill from Lauren Hecht put Saxony at game point.
Miscommunication on a third volley by the Lady Bulldogs allowed the ball to drop to the floor as Saxony took the set.
"We started off the night with Lauren serving and she had that little jump, pop serve," Steve Beydler said. "They weren't able to do much with it. Then they got back in it and I guess after they got back in it we started getting kind of a little stiff, worried or something."
Things didn't much better for Sikeston early in the second set as Saxony took six of the first seven points and rolled to a 10-5 lead. Unlike the first set, however, the Lady Bulldogs were able to keep things from getting out of hand and were able to close to within two points, at 11-9, shortly after.
Back down by five, at 18-13, following a run that included a bad serve and a foot fault, Sikeston used another timeout to try put together one last stand to try and save the match.
Whatever was said in the huddle seemed to work with the Lady Bulldogs going on a 6-2 run to close back to within a point and force the Lady Crusaders to call their first timeout of the game at 20-19.
Before they could come back and tie the two teams split the next four points to bring Saxony just three points from winning the match. It was a 3-0 Lady Crusader run that was capped by a hard volley out of bounds by Sikeston that sealed the match.
"They played pretty good," Saxony's head coach Alissa Ernst said. "We're kind of coming out of a slump of passing and working as a team. So I'm happy with the way we were able to pull back together and get back in to the game tonight."
Some of the Lady Crusaders leaders on the night include Kirsti Pohlman with seven assist and six digs and Courtney Bergman had a four kills.
For Sikeston, senior Trenice Greer had a teamhigh eight kills while adding seven assists and a block. Lauren Beydler topped the team with 10 assists and two aces.
Leading the Lady Bulldogs in digs was Monica Carter with 11 while Esther Chinwuko and Lauren Beydler had eight and six respectively.