St. Joseph volleyball moves to 2-0 in conference play

By Amanda Smallwood and Demetrice Elmore


St. Joseph moved to 2-0 in 3A-Central volleyball play Thursday with a 25-20, 25-8, 25-8 domination of Rose Bud at the St. Joseph Family Activity Center.

After a close Game 1, Lady Bulldogs coach Luke Davis said he had to get his team’s attention.

“The girls started to play complacent,” he said. “We had to have a heart-to-heart and focus on playing our game.”

In Game 1 with the score tied at 15-15, Jessica Justice served nine points consecutively, giving the Lady Bulldogs a lead of 24-15.

A Katie Reinhard kill tied Game 3 at 1, and Jessica Justice served the Lady Bulldogs to a four-point lead. St. Joe kept adding to its lead before taking the match, 25-8 in the third.

Junior Amy Schichtl had 10 kills, three aces and numerous blocks. Sophomore Courtney Briggler added three blocks and six kills.

“I wasn’t impressed with the first game,” said Reinhard, the senior co-captain. “We have more ability than that, and we need to communicate more.”

The Lady Bulldogs’ goal for the season is to win the district tournament, which would be a first in St. Joseph history for volleyball. Davis said Lady Bulldog teams had won the conference but lost in the district final.

“No team in the (3A-) South or Central has ever won state, and that is our goal for the season,” he said.

Added senior captain Veronica Bausom: “We want to win the conference, state and district.”

Schichtl said she thought the season was going well so far with the 2-0 conference start.

St. Joseph’s next scheduled match against McCrory has been cancelled, so the next one will be Thursday, Sept. 10 against Nemo Vista.