Dexter VB grabs first W after challenging start

DEXTER – As far back as MSHSAA records go (about 15 years, give or take), the Dexter High School volleyball program has never opened a season with four consecutive losses. The Bearcats came close in 2018 when they dropped three straight to start that year. However, Dexter rebounded to finish that season with a very strong 17-9-3 mark.

First-year Bearcat coach Haylee Orf isn’t focused on history with her team this fall, she is focused on where the Bearcats are today, as well as where they are headed.

“It’s been a start,” Orf said, “that is for sure.”

Orf won her first career match on Wednesday at the Bearcat Event Center, as her team swept Richland (Essex) 25-2, 25-7, 25-6. The victory followed losses to Saxony Lutheran, Arcadia Valley, Jackson, and Cape Central, who are a combined 12-3 so far this season.

“What I love about life is that you learn something every day,” Orf said. “The challenges, the hardships, and the adversity, that is what builds you.”

And the film study.

Orf has spent hours breaking down the film of each of those four losses, and she sees an enormous amount of potential for growth.

“We lack height in the front, which we knew,” Orf said. “So, we have been working hard on all of the ways to get those skills. We are working harder to try and reach those blocks.”

That wasn’t an issue against the young Rebels (0-5) on Wednesday, but it could be on Friday and Saturday at the Dig For Life Tournament in Cape Girardeau, as the Bearcats battle within the Red Division: Pool D teams of Fredericktown (2-0), Notre Dame (2-0), and Winona (2-2).

“The game tape has really shown us things we aren’t doing,” Orf said. “We’re not looking at our spacing, looking at the little details about transition on where the hitters are coming in and it looks a little different every time.

“We’re learning a lot. Our biggest deal over the last few weeks has been the mental game.”

The tests won’t get any easier for the Bearcats anytime soon, which is fine with Orf. She has maintained a level of exuberance and is seeing nothing but learning opportunities in each challenge.

Following the Dig For Life Tournament, Dexter has games against Kennett (3-1), Bernie (3-1), and Woodland (4-1).

“We have to believe in ourselves and know that the hardships and trials and tribulations,” Orf explained, “those are the things that we have to seek out.”