Volleyball bulldogs take Druid Hills in opener
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August 23, 2010 • Decatur Athletic Booster Club
Filed under Sports
On Thursday, August 19th, the team traveled three miles due west to the home of the Druid Hills Red Devils. Druid Hills (a 3A school) came into the match sporting a 2-0 record after opening season victories over Southwest DeKalb (4A) and Stephenson (5A). Druid Hills has a very tall front line and great athleticism in both their front court and the back court. They looked like a well oiled machine as they ran through their warm-ups prior to the opening serve. Some of the Decatur faithful were concerned that we had to face such a formidable foe after only seven days of practice. The contest that followed can best be described as a war between two determined opponents that appeared to be in midseason form.
Decatur won the first point of the match, lost the second on a net serve, and then lost the next four as Druid Hills played “hammer-time.” The Red Devils’ offense set the ball to their front line, who promptly and adeptly drove the ball over the net and down onto the court for kills. They opened a 5-1 lead only a couple of minutes into the contest. Our Bulldogs quickly regrouped and proved that they were up to the challenge. They came right back at them with two kills by leaping lefty Rosie Parker, an ace by Emily Rowe and another kill by Rosie to tie the game at 5-5. Druid Hills won the next point and Decatur tied it again 6-6 on a kill by Jessica Jones. Druid Hills won the next point and Decatur tied it again at 7-7 on a kill by Lydia Elmore.
However, the confident Red Devils took back control of the court. They rattled off three straight points and won five out of the next six to build a 12-8 lead. Decatur battled back, won the next point and put Lydia Elmore on the line to serve. Her subsequent serves were strong and deep and helped take Druid Hills out of their offensive rhythm. Our Bulldogs won the next four points, including one where Emily Rowe jumped high at the net to block a kill attempt and then scored a kill of her own on the next volley to tie the game again at 12 all. The determined Red Devils responded once again, opening a three-point advantage at 15-12, and the slugfest was on. Each side was skilled at setting up their offense, then going for the kill. Very few points were won on unforced errors. Decatur knotted the score again at 18-18 on two kills by Lydia Simms and one by Rosie Parker. The game was tied again at 19 all, then 20 all and again at 22 all. Decatur looked to take charge 24-22 on the strength of two consecutive aces by Lydia Elmore. But the Red Devils came back, winning the next two and tying the game once more at 24-24. As the tension mounted, Druid Hills gave up a point on a net serve. Madelyn Hill stepped up to the line to serve the potential game point for Decatur. She delivered a floater which dropped in just inside the right sideline for an uncontested ace. The Bulldogs won the first game by a final score of 26-24.
The second game of the match was just as nerve-wracking as the first. This seesaw nail-biter included eight ties and nine lead changes in just the first half of the contest. The game started with Decatur again winning the first point and Druid Hills winning the second. The game was tied again at 4 all, before Druid Hills would open up a three point lead at 4-7. The Bulldogs clawed their way back to tie the game again at 10 all. The teams traded points like a couple of heavy weights exchanging jabs as they battled to a 16 -16 tie. Decatur took a two point lead after a kill by Lydia E and an ace by Rosie Parker. The next point proved to be the pivotal volley of the day. Rosie launched another serve as Druid Hills handled it cleanly. Their setter made a near perfect set at the net to their super-sized middle hitter who slammed the ball straight towards the floor. Emily Rowe was able to flip out her left hand and deflect the ball to the left side of the court. Lydia Simms dove to the floor, slid her hand under the ball before it hit the floor and flipped it back towards the center of the court (a “pancake.”) Lydia Elmore tapped the ball back over the net with her right hand as the ball flew across the court. The ball barely cleared the net and fell inside the left sideline on the Red Devils’ side of the court. The Druid Hills team was stunned as what appeared to be a sure point for them turned into a point for Decatur. The Red Devils were unable to recover their confidence thereafter. They lost six of the last nine points in the game and Decatur won the second (and final) game of the match going away by a score of 25 to 19.
Some of the individual stats (albeit unofficial and probably undercounted) that are noteworthy include the superior play and leadership of senior Rosie Parker, who scored at least six kills and two aces. Madelyn Hill had four kills, two blocks and one ace. Lydia Elmore had two kills and three aces. Emily Rowe added three kills, one block and two aces. Lydia Simms contributed two kills, one ace and one “pancake.” Jessica Jones had one kill. The game action was so fast that I was unable to record the number of digs and assists turned in by this team. (A dig is when a player reaches down to receive and pass the ball after it has been served or returned over the net by the opponent.) Needless to say, many digs were executed by the whole team. Many came from our libero, Madelyn Turner, and by defensive specialist Paola Villafane. Rosie Parker, Emily Rowe and Lydia S also contributed a number of key digs during the match. Assists were well distributed among all the players. Quality assists and digs by the entire team where key to the team’s overall success for the day.
The next game for the varsity volleyball squad is on Tuesday, August 24 at 5:00 p.m. at the Decatur High School gymnasium, when we host 5A powerhouse, the Parkview Panthers. This should be a great match-up and will mark the first varsity volleyball game to be played at “The Spike.” Come on out and watch some great volleyball and cheer our team to victory!
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