Advance wins Dig For Life title, Notre Dame reaches final four

First impressions go a long way.

The Advance Hornets made a memorable impression at the Dig For Life Tournament on Saturday, the first appearance for the group in nearly 10 years.

“This is the first year we’ve been in,” Hornets coach Erin Hoffman said. “I think when I got to Advance nine years ago we were in it but then we got out of it. We just came back this year.”

The Hornets began bracket play taking on Winona.

They knocked off Winona and then defeated Dexter and Notre Dame to move to the championship round.

The Red Division championship lived up to the hype as the Hornets battled Park Hills Central.

After blowing a lead in set two, the Hornets rebounded in set 3 to win the championship.

“They had to pull every ounce of everything they had to finish that match,” Hoffman said.

With the day featuring a revolving door of opponents, Hoffman said sometimes that plays into their favor.

“We actually play better when we don’t know anything about who we’re playing,” Hoffman said. “Our biggest thing is our mentality and we have a lot of work to do in that area.”

Against the Rebels, Advance took set one 25-20 and in set two got to match point before allowing the Rebels to steal the set.

“We just needed to be smart hitters,” Hoffman said. “We were trying to be more muscle hitters and they didn’t let us do that. We need to learn to have a better variety.”

Set three was a back-and-forth affair before the Hornets prevailed, defeating Park Hills Central 25-23.

“This was so good for us,” Hoffman said. “Every team was good competition and this gave us a chance to see what we really need to work on.”

The Hornets (11-0-2) now have their sights set on defending their state title as they continue the regular season at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11 when they host Bell City.

__Notre Dame impresses at Dig For Life__

Like most teams, the Notre Dame Bulldogs had a long Saturday of volleyball.

The Bulldogs’ bracket play began by taking on Cape Central and St. Vincent in the first two rounds before falling to Advance in the semifinals.

“I’m just very proud of the girls’ effort,” Bulldogs coach Meredith Brinkmeyer said. “Advance is always a good game. I always like seeing them because of the style of volleyball they play. They play quicker and have hard tips. I’m just very proud of how the girls hung in there all day.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Bulldogs’ roster is the youth it features.

“I keep forgetting that I have three sophomores starting, two juniors and literally one senior,” Brinkmeyer said. “I always feel like they’re older than they are. It’s exciting what they could piece together today.”

Notre Dame’s regular season will continue at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, when the Bulldogs travel to take on the Perryville Pirates.

The Leopold girls' volleyball team celebrate winning the black division gold championship at the Dig For Life tournament on Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.Submitted