Lady Bulldogs move to state title match

By Demetrice Elmore
UCA sportswriting

St. Joseph’s Lady Bulldogs defeated Lavaca, the defending state champion, in the semifinals Thursday of the Class 3A State Volleyball Tournament at the Harrison Youth Center.

St. Joe won, 25-11, 25-19, 25-21, to improve to 23-0 and advance to the championship match Saturday at the Convocation Center at Arkansas State University.

“This was a huge win for us,” St. Joseph coach Luke Davis said. “This tournament has given us a lot of experience, and it’s great for our future as a team.”



The Lady Bulldogs came out hungry as they squared off with Lavaca for the first time in tournament play and ended the first game strongly, winning by 14. The Lady Bulldogs remained consistent with their regular season play, ending most matches by three games.

“We got a little excited after the first win,” Davis said. “ The girls began to encourage each other to stay focused on the game. They knew that they had to have three games to win the match.”

Junior Amy Schichtl led the Lady Bulldogs with 15 kills while sophomore Courtney Briggler contributed seven. Junior Jessica Justice served seven aces and had 26 assists. Junior Jessica Justice recorded 14 digs. Senior Katie Reinhard also assisted with three blocks.

The Lady Bulldogs had no missed serves the entire match.

Davis said he told his team not to get satisfied with just making to the state championship match.

“We don’t need to get satisfied until we see the last point scored in the championship match,” he said. “We have to keep going and stay prepared for Saturday.”

Davis said this season has started new traditions at St. Joe. The Lady Bulldogs hope to influence more students to play volleyball after the huge success from the tournament and season play.

The Lady Bulldogs will face last year’s runner-up, Mansfield, for the state championship title. The Lady Tigers are the No. 1 seed from the Northwest. The Lady Tigers defeated Conway Christian and Crowley’s Ridge Academy alongside Union Christian to advance to the championship match.

“We know they have only lost one girl from last year,” Davis said. “They play eight girls, and six of them are seniors, so they are experienced. They hit the ball well and it’s going to be a tough chore. We have to bring our 'A' game, and have a little luck to win Saturday.”