Lady Bulldogs pick up two home wins last week; sit 8-3 overall

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 8-3 overall with two home wins and one road loss over the past week and a half. The ladies in red fell to Wiggins in five on Tuesday evening, Sept. 17 but bounced back for a sweep over Crowley County at home on Saturday, Sept. 21 and a five-set victory to top Wray in the Lady Bulldogs annual homecoming contest on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

Haxtun traveled to Wiggins early last week for both junior high and high school match ups with the Tigers. The varsity high school team fell in set one, 25-18, but battled for a 27-25 set two win. Set three went to the home team, 25-19. Set four kept everyone on the edge of their seats, mostly the Haxtun fans as the Lady Bulldogs put up a fight to come back from being down by double digits to claim a 25-20 win to force a fifth set. Wiggins commanded the fifth and final for a 15-3 win and the victory in a highly anticipated 2A top-10 ranked match up between the two teams.

Seniors Jayleigh Bullard and Bobbi Starkebaum led the Lady Bulldog attack game with a combined 24 kills. Bullard put 13 kills on the floor followed by Starkebaum with 11. Josie Freeman added six kills and Emma Henry and Emma Lemesany each contributed four.

Henry registered four total blocks at the net, the team high, followed by Bullard, Freeman and Starkebaum, each with three.

Lilly Lemesany served 100 percent in the five set contest with Wiggins. She also registered five aces. Senior Maggie Kilgour tallied seven aces in the match up, the team high. Kelsie Hadeen registered two aces and Starkebaum had one.

Lilly Lemesany led defensively with 18 digs in the back row while Starkebaum dug up 11. On serve receive, Lemesany registered 27 passes followed by Kilgour with 26 and Emily Anderson with 26.

Hadeen added 18 assists on the night followed by Starkebaum with 12.

On Saturday, Haxtun swept the Lady Chargers from Crowley County who visited from Ordway. The Lady Bulldogs took sets one through three 25-9, 25-8 and 25-4.

Bullard and Starkebaum again led in attacks with six kills apiece. Emma Lemesany added five followed by Freeman with three and Henry and Kilgour, each with two. Bullard, Henry, Emma Lemesany and Starkebaum each registered one block.

Lilly Lemesany sent eight aces over the net in the service department. Anderson tallied three aces followed by Starkebaum, Kilgour and Rozi Crossland, each with two. Kilgour and Crossland each went 100 percent from behind the serving line.

In the back row, Kilgour led in digs with seven followed by Hadeen with four.

Hadeen registered 15 assists followed by Starkebaum with six.

Tuesday's homecoming match up pitted the Lady Bulldogs on the court with the Lady Eagles from Wray, a fellow Lower Platte League team. According to MaxPreps, following the loss from the Lady Bulldogs, Wray stands at 6-6 overall.

Haxtun took sets one, four and five in front of a packed home crowd hyped for homecoming week festivities. Stats for the contest were not yet available as of Wednesday's morning press deadline.

The Lady Bulldogs return to the court on Sept. 30 when they travel to Cheyenne Wells to face the 5-5 Lady Tigers.