Young Sikeston shows 'glimpses,' but (very) tough Dexter is just too much

A pair of Sikeston (left) and Dexter middle hitters battle at the net on Wednesday at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

DEXTER – There were flashes throughout Sikeston’s three-set volleyball loss at Dexter recently in which the (very) young Bulldogs showed their potential. However, in the end, the host Bearcats demonstrated their ability and experience and won easily 25-14, 25-12, 25-12 at the Bearcat Event Center.

“We played Jackson (just 24 hours earlier),” veteran Bulldog coach Steve Beydler explained, “and we actually expended a lot of energy there.”

Just like against Dexter (12-2-1), Sikeston (3-12) showed potential, but couldn’t sustain strong runs throughout the match.

“We got (Jackson) to 20-25 in one set,” Beydler said, “and I thought maybe we had turned a little bit of a corner.”

Against the Bearcats, who are off to the program’s best start since the magical 2014 season, where they won 29 matches and advanced to the MSHSAA Class 3 State Finals, Sikeston fell behind quickly 7-2 but rallied to a 13-9 deficit and later a 16-13 margin. However, Dexter scored 9 of the final 10 points to take a 1-0 lead.

“We are trying to steer clear of where we are (history-wise),” Orf said following the win. “We’ve got to keep the pedal down.”

In the second set, Dexter dominated from the outset taking leads of 7-2, 17-7, before easily winning the set.

“There have been glimpses,” Beydler said, “but we are trying to figure out how to get consistency. That is the thing that we are having trouble achieving right now.”

In the final set, Sikeston, which has just two seniors and 12 sophomores and freshmen, grabbed an early 5-3 advantage, and still led 6-4, before the Bearcats rolled off five consecutive points for a 9-6 lead.

The Bulldogs pulled to within 9-8 and 11-9, but the hosts stormed away with a 6-0 run to take a 17-9 lead and never were threatened again.

“We’re trying to not let the girls get too comfortable,” Orf said, “because the season is really just now getting going and working towards what we really want.”

The Bearcats stretched their win streak to five games on Thursday with a 3-0 sweep of Bell City (11-7-2) and will host Bloomfield (6-8-1) on Monday at 7 p.m.

Sikeston will host Portageville (21-3-2) on Monday at 6:15 p.m.