Decatur Tops Bennett, Remains Unbeaten

BERLIN- Something had to give when Stephen Decatur’s unbeaten girls’ varsity volleyball team visited also unbeaten Bennett on Tuesday, but the Seahawks emerged victorious, winning the match four games to one to keep its record unblemished this season.

The Seahawks and the Clippers had been on a collision course since the end of last year when Decatur won a coin toss to determine the Bayside South championship after both teams finished the regular season in a dead heat. Bennett and Decatur were both undefeated again rolling into Tuesday’s much-anticipated first meeting of the 2010 season, but it was the Seahawks who emerged with a spotless record.

Decatur took the first set, 25-22, after jumping out to a big early lead and holding on after a late charge by the Clippers. The same scenario played out in the second set as Decatur steadily pulled away from Bennett before the Clippers closed the gap late in the game. However, the Seahawks held on for the 25-19 win to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Just when it appeared the Seahawks were going to roll over Bennett for the sweep in the Bayside South grudge match, the Clippers rallied for a big win in the third game, 25-19. However, Decatur returned to their early form in the fourth game, beating the Clippers, 25-18, in an impressive display of power volleyball led by Holly Melson and Catherine Winters.

With the 3-1 win over Bennett, Decatur improved to 7-0 on the season, including 4-0 in the conference, and put a little distance between themselves and the Clippers in what appears to be a two-horse race. No other team in the Bayside South as more than one win in the conference and only one, Parkside, has a winning overall record. Decatur hosts Bennett for a rematch between the two front-runners on October 14.