Lady Bulldogs Split

By Clint Cox

The Marianna Lady Bulldogs volleyball squad traveled to Calhoun County on Monday night and fell 3-1 to the Lady Tigers. Three of the four games played went right down to the wire but the Lady Bulldogs could muster only one win on the evening.

Game one started the nail biting as Blountstown rallied in the final points to get a 25-23 win. Game two saw Marianna take an early 3-1 lead on a kill by Meghan Hinson. But Blountstown came right back and reeled off 7 straight points. They pushed their lead to as many as 10 points before Marianna fought back. With Eron Milton serving and Ciara Ham coming up with 3 kills Marianna pulled to within a 17-12 margin. Blountstown then outscored the Lady Bulldogs 8-3 to capture a 25-15 win.

Game three proved to be another thriller as again Marianna took a 3-1 lead. And again Blountstown battled back to tie the game. But Marianna kept up the pressure and stayed tied at 10-10 on an ace by Michelle Bassin. Cayce Griffin’s kill later gave Marianna a 12-11 lead. The two squads battled toe to toe right down to the wire. Milton and Bassin served up winnings to keep the Lady Dogs close. Sharhae Williams got a kill to give Marianna a 23-22 lead. Williams then came up with a nice block for the game point as Marianna won game three 25-22.

In game four Blountstown took an early 7-2 lead but with Williams coming up with several kills Marianna tied the game at 7-7. The two squads then traded the lead back and forth as Griffin got a kill and Williams came up with 2 blocks in one rally to make it a 15-15 game. Blountstown surged to a 3 point lead by Marianna and pulled to within 1 point at 19-18. The Lady Tigers looked like they would walk away with a win as they pushed their lead to 24-19. In what appeared to be the final point Blountstown looked to be the winner. But the officials ruled that a Lady Tiger had hit the net and the point went to Marianna. The Lady Bulldogs sent Hinson to the service line and she came up with four winners to tie the game at 24-24. But Blountstown got the next two points and pulled out a 26-24 win to capture the match.

In Junior Varsity Action Marianna posted a win over Blountstown, winning both games by scores of 25-17 and 25-20. The Lady Bulldogs will be back in action on Thursday when they play host to Arnold.

The loss to Blountstown followed a win by the Lady Bulldogs last Thursday as they beat Bay High on the road. Marianna won the match 3-1 as they fell in the opening game 25-21. The Lady Bulldogs then reeled off 3 wins by scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-22. The JV squad also picked up a win at Bay, winning 25-22, 25-14 and 15-2.