Nothing like an “emotional” match with Chelsea to fire things up for the playoffs. And nothing like a victory over a very good team to bring confidence to your side of the net heading into a very challenging District playoff tournament.
The Dreadnaughts have another week before Districts begin but it’s good to know you are battle-tested for the postseason, and they proved that with an impressive four-set victory over Chelsea on Thursday night.
Dexter dropped the first set 25-23 in an emotional opening game. But the Dreadnaughts settled down and bounced back with convincing 25-13 wins in games two and three to go up 2-1. They closed out the evening with a 28-26 victory to lock up a victory in the annual Dig Pink battle with the Bulldogs.
“It is always an emotional, intense match when we play Chelsea, and it was a match we knew we would be battling the crowd and fighting to communicate with a lot of negative energy coming at us,” Dexter Coach Paula Palmer Burns said. “We are so grateful for the support and turn out of our fans and the best student section in the SEC!
“It took us a while to calm down and build our own energy and then we could focus on working together, staying connected, and being consistent in our game plan. It was exactly what we needed heading into the SEC Red Jamboree.”
Bedford hosts the SEC Jamboree on Saturday.
Dexter stat leaders:
Braedy Wineman – 31 assists, 8 kills, 4 aces
Veronica Sannino – 18 digs, 4 assists, 1 ace
Jamie Giese – 15 digs, 10 kills
Anna Creech – 19 digs, 5 kills, 4 aces
Savannah Smith – 14 digs, 6 kills, 3 aces
Mikah Salemi led the attack, hitting a 0.429 out of the middle
On Tuesday, Dexter swept Monroe (25-12, 25-11, 25-19) to improve to 5-1 in the SEC Red. “We were prepared for a battle from traditional powerhouse Monroe with almost our full roster back,” Palmer Burns said. “We were instantly back in rhythm to control every rally and rise with the momentum.”
Dexter stat leaders:
Jamie Giese – 19 digs, 10 kills with a 0.375, serve receiving a 2.4
Veronica Sannino – 18 digs
Braedy Wineman – 24 assists, 12 digs. 4 service aces
Ali Parachek and Mikah Salemi each had 6 digs
