Advance works on emotions in competitive match with Dexter

DEXTER – It’s not often that a volleyball squad that has won 9 of its previous 10 matches AND is playing on its home floor, is regarded as an underdog in a match. However, that was the case on Tuesday, as Dexter hosted unbeaten Advance.

The outcome may have been as predicted, as the Hornets won 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16) to improve to 18-0-2, but without question, it was a competitive night of volleyball, despite the continued dominance of the Advance program.

“Dexter didn’t give up tonight,” veteran Advance coach Erin Hoffman said. “Dexter went and went, and went. They just kept going.

“So, this was really good for us.”

The Hornets had not lost a set in six matches, but after winning the opening set 25-22 and the second set 25-17, the Bearcats (10-8) fought back to take the third set 25-22.

“We needed to lose a set tonight,” Hoffman said of her team.

The Hornets, which lost just five matches in 113 outings from 2018 through 2020, dropped 23 matches over the past two seasons. Though in fairness, Hoffman’s program still advanced to the MSHSAA Class 1 Quarterfinals (2021) and won the MSHSAA Class 1 State Championship in 2022. However, this season, the Hornets have returned to that level of domination that their fan base grew accustomed to.

“We are super competitive,” Hoffman said of this year’s group. “Tonight, we saw that they were too competitive.”

Hoffman loves the emotion shown by her athletes, but she is seeking a consistent level of focus and emotion, rather than having their competitiveness/emotions get too high at times.

“When that happens,” Hoffman explained, “they don’t perform up to their ability.”

The Bearcats tied the opening set at 6 before first-year Dexter coach Haylee Orf had to call a timeout with her team down 15-10.

The break worked, as the Bearcats clawed back to scores of 19-18 and 20-19.

“You look at the first time we played them (a 2-0 Advance win in the recent Dig For Life Tournament),” Orf explained, “and how we played them tonight, and this still wasn’t our best volleyball.”

The Bearcats held an 11-9 lead in the second set, won the third set, and led 2-1 early in the final set.

“We did so many things well,” Orf continued. “So many things so much better in the things that we have been focusing on and the details (like) where to place the ball. We’re still having a little trouble on the quick height on the blocks but being able to place (the ball) and keep our confidence, and keeping our heads when it seems to get chaotic.”

It was just 20 days ago that Dexter was 1-6 following a 2-0 loss to Notre Dame, but in the past three weeks, Orf’s team has run off victories in 9 of 11 matches.

“We are getting mentally tougher,” Orf said. “We are getting mentally stronger. We have to continue to buy in to continue building a unity.”

Dexter will compete in the SEMO Conference Tournament today at the Cape SportsPlex. The Bearcats open the tournament with a 3 p.m. match with Charleston (1-11-1).

A Bearcat victory would advance Orf’s team to a 3:45 p.m. match with Cape Central (8-7-1).

Advance will host Puxico today at 7:30 p.m. for its annual “Pink Out” game. The Hornets will wear pink shirts to raise awareness of breast cancer and each player will honor an individual that they are playing for.