Sweet Revenge! Lady Jackets Sting the Lady Bulldogs!

By Terry Futrell – September 18, 2018

They say revenge is sweet. If so, the Coalfield Lady Yellow Jackets volleyball team feasted on triple-decker sundaes with chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top as they avenged an earlier loss and demolished the Wartburg Central High School Lady Bulldogs 3-0 this evening in the John Jackson Memorial Gymnasium. It was a contrast of two styles – Coalfield played close to the net and attacked, while Wartburg played more of a defensive game away from the net.

The highly motivated Lady Jackets played aggressively, continually attacking the net and delivering vicious, hard spikes to the Lady Bulldogs. From six attacks in the first set, Coalfield quickly escalated to 18 attacks in the second set and 19 attacks in the third. Breanna Rich, the “Little Giant”, seemed to grow a foot taller as she leaped high, driving hard spikes at the Lady Bulldogs all evening. Carlee Kees and Taylor Landrum also made their presence known at the net, blocking Wartburg attacks and delivering carefully placed attack shots across the net. The intensity of the Coalfield spikes resulted in an average of seven setup errors per game for the Lady Bulldogs. Wartburg’s Allie Aytes, Sara Jones, and Raelee Jones drove their own spikes at the Lady Jackets, but were overwhelmed by the Jackets attack. Coalfield’s driving attack was complemented by 11 service aces, while the Lady Bulldogs had none.

Set 1 was tied at 4-4 when the Lady Jackets pulled away, triggered by a service ace by Breanna Rich. The Lady Jackets had 5-point scoring runs served up by Skylor Jeffers and Ashlyn Roberts. Wartburg was never able to serve more than two consecutive points. Coalfield concluded Set 1 with a service ace by Belle Conlon, winning by a score of 25-12. The Lady Jackets served up a total of six aces in the set.

Both teams escalated their attacks in Set 2, but setup errors by the Lady Bulldogs and the inability to maintain serve cost them dearly. Again, the Lady Jackets pulled away after the score was tied at 4-4. Skylor Jeffers served nine consecutive points for Coalfield, including one service ace. The Lady Jackets cruised to victory by a score of 25-11.

Wartburg came out strong in Set 3, taking a 6-3 lead. The Lady Jackets then began to slowly chip away at the Wartburg lead. With the Lady Jackets behind 7-5, Carlee Kees served four consecutive points, including two aces, to give Coalfield a 9-7 lead. The Lady Jackets then pulled away, fighting off every Wartburg comeback attempt, and won by a score of 25-16.

The win gives Coalfield a 7-4 District 3 record. Wartburg’s district record is now 6-4 after losing their four most recent matches. Van Buren County continues to lead the district with a 10-1 record, their only loss coming at the hands of Coalfield on August 30. Bledsoe County remains in the mix for the top four seeds in the upcoming District 3 tournament.

Match Summary:

Wartburg won the Junior Varsity Match 2-1.