By Bart Moss / For the FCT

The Belgreen Bulldogs defeated the eighth-ranked team in class 3A last week, the Colbert Heights Wildcats, in two out of three sets.

Colbert Heights won the first set 25-23, but the Bulldogs stormed back, winning the second set 26-24 and the third set 15-9.

Sophomore Emma Dempsey had 12 kills, three aces and 13 service points. Junior Katie Dempsey had 11 kills.

Belgreen lost to the third-ranked team in class 3A, Lexington, later in the day.

Belgreen’s varsity volleyball team also finished second in its home tournament Saturday. The Bulldogs hosted seven varsity teams in its second annual volleyball tournament.

“My team represented Belgreen well by winning their pool without losing a single set,” Coach Teresa Whitten said.
Belgreen defeated Colbert County, Cherokee, and Belmont, winning six sets to zero and outscoring their opponents 150-76. Belgreen advanced to play the runner-up of Pool 2, Covenant Christian, and the Bulldogs took the semi-final match 2-0, winning 25-13 and 25-6.

In a close and hard-fought championship match, Belgreen fell to Colbert Heights 1-2 with scores of 26-28, 25-20, and 11-15.
Emma Dempsey had 39 kills in the tournament, three digs, 17 service points and 12 aces.

Junior setter Autumn Bragwell accumulated 61 assists, 17 kills, 25 service points, 29 aces and six blocks.

“Overall, it was a great day for the program,” Whitten said. “We had a large crowd, and my team played hard in very warm conditions. I am very proud of my girls’ tenacity and grit. The players all did their jobs well.

“I totally believe that we have made a lot of progress by changing our perspective on competition,” Whitten added. “Every practice and match I remind my girls to keep their focus on their job and the process. For the most part, they have bought into it, but it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of fans yelling, and they start thinking about the outcome.

“If we as a team continue to put our priorities in the right place, we will continue to grow, and lessons learned from the experience of our tournament will help us.”