By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Lady ‘Cats picked up their first district win during Tuesday night’s home opener against the Kennett Lady Indians.


Despite a less than perfect performance against Richland the night before, head coach Lauren Hutchcraft is pleased with her team’s performance so far, and is glad that her players are getting some valuable experience before they face some stiffer competition.

“I'm glad we've got two games under our belt since we're going up against Jackson on Thursday,” Hutchcraft noted.

The JV squad dropped Kennett in straight sets, 25-9, 25-12; the freshman group of girls continue an undefeated streak running to when they started playing school ball in the seventh grade!


In Varsity action, the ‘Cats took the first set 25-9, largely due to outstanding some outstanding serving from libero Erika Mouser (3 aces), Lindsey Hindman (2 aces), McKenzie MItchell, and Hannah Noe (1 ace each).

Despite taking the second set 25-18, Hutchcraft felt the Lady ‘Cats struggled defensively.

“Because the first set was won by quite a bit, I think the girls went in on that second set not as prepared and ready as they were in the first set,” Hutchcraft said.  “There were some plays where we had some miscommunication, and some bad passes off serve-receive. A couple times my girls went over the line or were in the net.  Those things, as well as a few missed serves, cost us points.”

“I feel my girls' effort tonight was overall better than last night against Richland, but it's still nothing compared to what I saw of the girls over the summer,” Hutchcraft added.


With the win, the Lady ‘Cats move to 2-0 on the season, but they face a tough opponent in their next contest: the Jackson Lady Indians. Hutchcraft gave high praise to the Bearcats’ upcoming opponent.

“Jackson  has traditionally always had a very solid, good volleyball program,” Hutchcraft noted.  “They've got a wonderful coaching staff, so I know their girls are well-prepared for Thursday night.  We went to three sets with Jackson last year, so I'm thinking it should be a good game. We are going to have to be on top of our game in all areas: hitting, serving, defense, and blocking.”

“I also hope to see and hear lots of Dexter fans rooting on their Dexter volleyball players!” Hutchcraft added.

The Lady ‘Cats will face off against the Jackson Lady Indians this Thursday (Sept. 1). The JV is scheduled to kick things off at 6:00 p.m., with Varsity action immediately following.

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Photo Above:
Senior McKenzie Mitchell tries to fire up her team after a good play. Mitchell ended the contest with five digs, four kills, four aces, and was 8/9 from the service line. SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller.