October 23, 2014
Dexter volleyball team finds rhythm in three-set thriller, claims first district title since 2000
Note: A photo gallery of the Dexter-Perryville game is available at this link: VIew Photos Here DEXTER, Mo. - Dexter volleyball coach Carmen Morgan tells her players 'rhythm is your friend in volleyball and hesitation is your enemy.' The Dexter Bearcats remained in search of its friend after dropping the first set of the Class 3, District 1 championship to the Perryville Pirates 25-21 Wednesday night...
Note: A photo gallery of the Dexter-Perryville game is available at this link: VIew Photos Here
DEXTER, Mo. - Dexter volleyball coach Carmen Morgan tells her players 'rhythm is your friend in volleyball and hesitation is your enemy.'
The Dexter Bearcats remained in search of its friend after dropping the first set of the Class 3, District 1 championship to the Perryville Pirates 25-21 Wednesday night.
And with the season on the line the Bearcats played to the right tune soon enough.
"Everybody took a deep breath in the huddle and relaxed," Dexter senior hitter Jessica Lindsey said, when asked how her team regrouped after the first set. "We started playing in rhythm like we should have the whole game. I'm so happy with the way we played."
The end result of the right rhythm was the Bearcats' first three-set victory of the season as top-seeded Dexter rallied to dethrone second-seeded Perryville 21-25, 25-19, 25-23 for its first district title in 14 years.
"Once we got coach Morgan we worked, worked, worked," Dexter senior Shyann Jines said. "It feels like three years of hard work. There is nothing to describe how it feels. We all came together as a team and played as a team."
Dexter's quest for the title came down to the wire.
Neither team led by more than two points in the decisive set until a kill by freshman Krysten Garrison put the Bearcats on top 19-16 and forced a Perryville timeout.
The Bearcats padded its lead to four at 20-16, 21-17, 22-18 and 23-19. The Pirates followed with consecutive points to trim the deficit to 23-21 and force a Dexter timeout.
A kill by Ahnie Hoff brought Perryville within one at 23-22. Lindsey followed with a kill to push the margin to 24-22 before another kill by Hoff cut the deficit to 24-23. The matched ended a minute or two later on a Perryville missed serve.
"That last timeout when we were in the huddle I felt confident with the girls," Morgan said. "We began to settle down. We were way too tight that first set. Honestly, we haven't lost very many first games, but that first game we were tight. I felt like confidence was on our side during the last timeout."
The second set was tied 8-8 before Dexter scored four straight points to move ahead 12-8 and force a Perryville timeout. Lindsey caught fire after the timeout as she scored four points on three kills and a block to increase the margin to 18-13 and force the Pirates to use another timeout. The Bearcats maintained momentum after the timeouts as it increased its advantage to as large as 23-14 in the second set.
The first set was tied 11-11. Perryville followed with a 10-3 run to move ahead 21-14 and did not trail after.
Brooke Hogard paced Perryville with 12 kills and seven blocks. Alexa Spears also had 12 kills for the Pirates.
Hogard had five or her kills in the opening set.
"We wanted to neutralize [Hogard] and stop that shot they were hitting to our setter's defensive position," Morgan said. "They were putting the ball there and why we didn't have a double block up at that time I don't know, but that's what we wanted to do and part of our conversation at the end of the first set was to not let her have that shot."
Jines paced Dexter with 15 kills. Lindsey added 13 more kills.
"Those two are our seniors and those two will always leave it on the floor and we know that about them," Morgan said. "I kept saying 'you've got to hit the ball.' We wanted Perryville to have to play our game. We didn't want to have to play Perryville's game.
"Our game is a hard-hitting style coming at you, Morgan continued. "We know Perryville is a good defensive team, but we also know they can hit so we didn't want them to have the opportunity to get the ball up and hit at us, and they did some. Perryville's also the tip queens. They will drop the ball in on you and they do it very well. They are a good team."
Jines had four of her team's seven blocks.
"We had trouble tonight on pulling our double block over," Jines said. "[No. 2] kept swinging across her body and we thought she was going to go the other way . . . Just getting a touch on any ball is better than nothing, so that's what I kept in my head."
Garrison had seven kills and a team-high 13 assists.
"When we played Perryville the other night up there she led the team in kills," Morgan said of her freshman talent. "She's a very good player that sets for us and hits for us, but like I tell them 'it takes the whole team and everybody has to pull together to win a big game like this.'"
Jines had eight assists and Julia Hahn finished with seven assists.
Lexie Barnes had Dexter's only ace serve.
Lindsey had 15 of her team's 47 digs. Jines added 11 digs and Hahn collected six digs.
"Actually, our defense was better tonight than our offense and that's usually not the case," Morgan said. "Perryville is a very good defensive team, also. You cannot ever put a ball down and think it's down because they'll pick it up. We had to scramble a little bit, but at the end I felt like we began to power them down a little bit and wear them down."
Perryville finishes it season with a record of 24-9-1. It graduates seven seniors.
"I thought both teams probably peaked tonight and that this was the best game we've played against a good team," Perryville coach David Mirly told the Southeast Missourian. "I'm extremely proud of the fight and effort we put up right to the very end. This wasn't the way we wanted to end the season, but there isn't one thing that I would look back on and say, 'If we had done that we would've won.' Dexter has built a great program and they were the better team."
The Bearcats (29-3-1), which won 10 straight district titles from 1991-2000 before a championship drought that lasted more than a decade, claimed its 21st district championship in school history Wednesday.
"It's huge," Morgan said of beating the three-time defending district champion. "I told the girls tonight 'Dexter is here to stay. We are sending a loud, clear message to people we are here to stay. Take note. We are not going anywhere. We are going to be up there and we are going to be coming at people.
"I think Dexter had to get over that hump," Morgan continued. "There is a little hump there. Perryville is used to winning districts and they've got that on their side a little bit. When you win a district it's always good for your young kids to see that, also. We had a good group of young kids sitting there and it's good for them to see that they can do it. It's a trickle-down effect. We needed to get over that hump and did tonight.
"Those two seniors Jessie and Shyann came in with me as sophomores," Morgan added. "They were two of the best sophomores I've seen. They play their hearts out, work hard and are leaders on the floor. It couldn't be a better thing for them as seniors and they deserved that."
Dexter hosts the Class 3 sectionals and quarterfinal Saturday afternoon. The winner of the quarterfinal advances to the state final four.
"I honestly cannot think straight," Lindsey said. "I'm so excited right now. This has been me and Shyann's goal for four years to lead a team to a district championship, and then to state."
The starting time of the sectional and Dexter's opponent has not been determined at this time. Dexter plays the winner of District 3 in its sectional. The District 3 championship is Thursday.
"We appreciate all the support from the fans, the Dexter School and the community during our tournament," Morgan said. "It's a joy having the students cheering for us as well."
Editor's Note: This story will also be available in the next print edition of Dexter Daily Statesman Friday morning.
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