By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

PUXICO - The Lady Bearcats of Dexter Middle School are ready to put their undefeated records on the line tonight when they battle for the 2012 SCAA Volleyball Championship on both the seventh and eighth grade levels.

The 'Cats both earned #1 seeds in the tournament, with the seventh grade squad taking a bye in the first round.

The eighth grade squad picked up an opening round win over Richland on Saturday (April 14) morning; head coach Melissa Hahn noted that Matney Davis had some outstanding hits in the 25-10, 25-19 victory. Kendall Adams served six straight points in the second set.

On Monday (April 16) both squads were in action in the semifinal round; the seventh grade squad dispatched Advance, while the eighth grade squad sent the host Puxico Lady Indians packing in two sets.

The seventh grade squad had a tough battle with the Hornets, but ultimately emerged on top of a 25-19, 25-23 decision.

"They didn't play their best game last night and struggled to execute their offense for most of the night," Hahn said in a email earlier today. "We did some good things, however; as a team, we struggled with our mental game and playing under pressure. The girls know what they need to do tonight and I feel they are up to the challenge."

In the eighth grade contest, the Lady 'Cats won 25-9, 25-10 over the host Indians. Amber Spence and Julia Hahn combined for nine aces in the first set, while Hahn and Madison Bishop both served seven straight points in the second.

"I was very pleased with my 8th grade team's performance. We had some great sets and hits. I thought Matney Davis had another good night at the net," Coach Hahn noted. "Delaney Pullen, Ashlyn Werneck and [Julia] Hahn also had some big hits in the contest. Pullen made a nice block in the 2nd set. Lauren Thrower and Madison Bishop made some great passes to set up our offense. Overall, the girls played good team ball.

The seventh grade squad will face off with the Bloomfield Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. for the SCAA Title; the eighth grade team will face off against Advance in the championship game immediately following the seventh grade contest.

"We know that tonights game will be a tough one as Advance has taken us to three sets earlier in the season," Hahn said of tonight's eighth grade contest. "We have talked for the past week about what it takes to finish strong, and I believe my girls have what it takes to get the job done."