By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The Dexter Lady ‘Cats picked up another big win on Tuesday night against the Cape Central Lady Tigers.


Despite rolling through the first set 25-12, the squad faced some adversity in the second set, but still came out on top, 26-24.

“We did well in the first set - I saw much better hitting from my girls than I did in the previous three games we've played this season,” coach Lauren Hutchcraft said.  “The second set, Cape came out more fired up and ready to play, and we only won that one by two.”

“[Cape Central] did a good job on pulling my middle blockers to one side and attacking from the other for a cleaner one-on-one attack,” Hutchcraft continued.  “This made it harder for my three girls on backrow defensively with not having a double-block on the majority of their attacks in that second set. However, we pulled the win off by two points in that second set.  The one thing I'm really proud of my girls for is staying mentally ‘up’ and not dwelling on mistakes.”

The ‘Cats were nearly flawless from the service line in the contest - Lindsey Hindman, McKenzie MItchell, Erika Mouser, Hannah Noe, and Lauren Ward were all perfect on the night.


Freshman standout Jessica Lindsey had another solid performance, with 5 digs, 6 kills, 2 blocks, and 2 aces in the contest.


The JV ‘Cats also won their match in straight sets, 25-12, 25-7, and both squads move to 4-0 on the season.


The ‘Cats won’t be in action again until the SEMO Tournament, held this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 9 & 10) in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The Lady ‘Cats will get a preview of an upcoming district opponent - the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs, who have been nothing short of dominant in the district for the last decade. The ‘Cats usually don’t see this matchup until much later in the season - this year, the contest with ND is the last of the year before the district tournament - so this could be a vital ‘scouting tool’ for the Lady ‘Cats.

“The SEMO Tournament will be a good tournament for anyone wanting to watch some good volleyball in the area!  We actually play a district rival on Friday night at 4:30--Notre Dame!,” Hutchcraft said.  “They have literally won districts for the past 10 years, so this will be a good progress report for my girls and I to see how we're doing so far and what we need to do when it comes down to the end of the season.  We normally wouldn't play them until the last regular season game, and then the following week is districts - it'll be nice to play a team that's in our district so early on, especially the one that is known as the team to beat.”

“On Saturday, we have one more pool play game against Meadow Heights,” Hutchcraft added.  “The top team from each pool will advance to the Gold bracket; the second team will go to the Silver; and the third team will go to the Bronze.”


The tournament will be held in various locations across Cape, but mainly the ShowMe Center and Notre Dame Regional High School. Make sure to get to Cape this weekend to check out all the great volleyball action!

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The full bracket for the tournament can be printed out here.