Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Tough week ahead for Lady Bulldogs


By Abigail Hodgson
UCA Sportswriting

The St. Joseph Lady Bulldog volleyball team is in the midst of a challenging week as it prepares for a tournament at Vilonia.

St. Joseph, which finished third in the 3A-Central conference and district last year, swept league foe Conway Christian on Tuesday to improve to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

Coach Luke Davis, in his seventh season, hopes the leadership on his roster leads the team to victory this week. With six returning starters, including five seniors, he believes the talent level is there.

“So far, it has been a little more sloppy than I’d like,” Davis said Monday. “The good thing about the seniors is that they know that as well. They know some of the things we need to work on and fix.”

The returning senior starters from 2012 include 5-foot-8 outside hitter Meagan Briggler, 5-5 setter Rachel Briggler, 5-7 utility player Madison Seiter, 5-6 utility player Linzy Hoelzmann and 5-6 utility player Sydney Spradlin.

Madeline Moix, a 5-9 junior, returns as a middle hitter. Holley Rega is a 5-7 sophomore utility returnee.

Heading into the Conway Christian match, Davis said his team was focused.

“Neither of us wants to lose,” he said. “But around here we try to play against them as any other conference match. That’s what I stressed to the girls at practice (Monday).”

The Lady Bulldogs’ match at Harding Academy on Thursday will be rescheduled.

“They have been a good team, and for the most part we have also had a pretty good team over the years,” Davis said Monday. “We haven’t specifically targeted them in practice yet.”

On Saturday the Lady Bulldogs travel to Vilonia to begin tournament matches against Beebe at 9 a.m. Depending on the result, they will face either Vilonia or Heber Springs in the second round.

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