The fall volleyball season kicked off last week as the Lady Bulldogs traveled to Julesburg to compete in the Sedgwick County Cougar tournament. This year's 19-member team is under the direction of Head Coach Paige Thompson, Assistant Coach Don Schelling and volunteer coaches Callie Dickerson and Marissa Schelling.

Saturday's action pitted the Lady Bulldogs in two contests as they first faced off with the home team Sedgwick County Cougars followed by a match up with Briggsdale. The team played a total of nine sets in their first outing this season.

The Lady Bulldogs won the first set of the tournament, taking a 25-20 victory over the Lady Cougars but subsequently fell in the final three sets, 25-21, 25-22 and 25-19.

As a team, the Lady Bulldogs earned a .066 hitting percentage against Sedgwick County led by Allie Thompson with 17 kills. Taylor Schram put down 15 kills followed by Cassidy Goddard with six. Thompson also led at the net in blocks with two along with Ella Coffin. Megan Walker and Bobbi Starkebaum each had one solo block.

Haxtun served 97.7 percent in the first contest of the day. Schram and Walker each tallied three serving aces followed by Thompson with two and Grace Gibson with one.

Defensively, back row specialist K'lyn Bornhoft registered 15 digs followed by Walker with 14 and Schram with 12. On serve receive, Coffin tallied 21 passes from the back row to lead the Lady Bulldogs. Goddard and Walker each registered 19 passes followed by Thompson with 14.

The Thompson/Schram setting duo combined for a total of 42 assists Saturday morning against Sedgwick County.

In the second match up of the day the Lady Bulldogs took the Briggsdale Lady Falcons to five sets in a competitive contest on the court. Haxtun won set one by two, 25-23, but fell in sets two and three, 25-15 and 25-13. Haxtun battled for a fourth set win, 25-18, but came up short in the fifth and final, 15-11.

Thompson put down a total of 19 kills in the five-set contest with Briggsdale, the team high. The Lady Bulldogs earned a .093 hitting percentage in the second contest on Saturday. Schram added 13 kills followed by Coffin with seven and Goddard with six. Thompson also registered two solo blocks. Goddard had one.

Haxtun served 95.6 percent as a team lead by Thompson with two aces. Bornhoft, Schram and Walker each tallied one serving ace.

Schram added 20 assists followed by Thompson with 17.

(Courtesy photo from Heidi Krise)

HAXTUN junior Grace Gibson passes a ball to her setter in the Lady Bulldogs first outing this season.

In the back row, Schram put up a total of 20 digs followed by Walker with 16. On serve receive, Coffin led the Lady Bulldogs with 29 passes. Walker tallied 19, Thompson and Bornhoft each had 13 and Goddard registered 12.

This week the Lady Bulldogs are set to host the Holyoke Lady Dragons on Thursday, Aug. 26 in the season's home opener. On Saturday, Aug. 28 the team travels to Eads for a triangle with the Lady Eagles from both Eads and Stratton.