Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include quotes and additional info on Trenton
This weekend, Bell High School will once again host the Lady Bulldog Invitational (LBI).
Eight volleyball teams, including five in the Mainstreet coverage area, will be participating in the two-day event.
“We always enjoy hosting the Lady Bulldog Invitational every year,” said Bell volleyball coach Drue Barry. “It is a good gauge as to where the teams are at this point of the year. We have hosted this tournament for over 10 years, and it always runs smoothly and delivers great competition.”
The teams will be grouped into two pools.
Pool A will consist of host Bell, Crescent City, Countryside Christian of Gainesville and Taylor County (Perry), while Pool B will include Newberry, Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala), Trenton and Bronson.
“This should be a very competitive field this year,” Barry said. “We have some teams that have been coming to this for years. Crescent City has been attending for at least the last six to seven years. We take that as a compliment to the tournament since they travel so far every year. Newberry and Meadowbrook Academy are both very good teams, and they will be an interesting matchup when they meet in pool play.
The teams will play on side-by-side courts with action beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday as Countryside plays Taylor County and Trenton takes on Meadowbrook.
Newberry, which lost at home to Union County (Lake Butler) on Tuesday, also fell at Bradford (Starke) in four sets on Wednesday night to drop to 5-3.
The Panthers will play Meadowbrook at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, followed by Bronson at 7:30 p.m.
“We are struggling with our serving right now,” said Newberry coach Hank Rone. “The past two games, our serving has went down from where we started the first five games. We fight. This group doesn’t get down on themselves and we fight to the end. We came up a little short, but they give you their best when the ball is in the air. We are a little undersized with our top middle hitter (sophomore Baylee Akers) out, but other players are stepping up.”
Junior Taylor Wells, who is more of a right-side hitter, is getting better every set, replacing Akers, according to Rone.
“Our two outside hitters, Carly Myers and Meadow Moses, are picking up the slack with having to hit more,” he said. “Our two setters, junior Kinsley Harvey and sophomore Elizabeth Fowler, are starting to get the timing down with the hitters. If we fix our serving, this group will be hard to beat.”
Bell, which is 3-4 this season, will host Hilliard at 6 p.m. tonight. The Bulldogs will play 3A Crescent City (2-4) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
“We are super athletic this year and can hit,” Barry said. “We have four players who can get a kill when needed. Our two outsides have been killing the ball when they get good sets. Senior Alayna Harvey and junior Gracelynd Joiner-Solis had 20 and 16 kills each in our last game against Fort White. Krista Scott and Dacy Graham both are very dynamic at the net as well. Our setter, Canaan Johnson, has been a very pleasant surprise early in the year and I feel she is doing a great job for us.”
The Bulldogs compete in Rural-District 6.
“We are in probably the toughest district in rural volleyball,” Barry said. “Our district includes Bell, Branford, Lafayette, Union County, Dixie County (Cross City), Fort White, and Taylor County. There will be some good programs left out of the playoffs from our district.”
Trenton (3-4) will play Meadowbrook Academy at 5 p.m. on Friday and Newberry at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“My team is working to find each other and their strengths together as a team,” said Trenton coach Brandi Sumlin. “They are young and still navigating through the ups and downs. I am excited to see their continued growth as we continue to play.”
The Tigers, who were swept at home on Tuesday by FHSAA Rural state runner-up Branford, are competing in Rural-District 7 this year with Chiefland, Wildwood, Cedar Key, Bronson, Hawthorne, and Williston.
They will also play Bronson in a non-district game at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
“We have played in this tournament for the last several seasons and enjoy the opportunity to participate so close to our home gym,” Sumlin said. “We are looking forward to playing this weekend and continuing to grow as a team.”
Sumlin said there are several players on her team who were standing out.
“Kayley Sloan is fierce in her drive to win and battle on the court,” Sumlin said. “She is a leader for our team as one of our two seniors and pushes herself to be better each match. Hailee Sumlin is a sophomore setter helping to drive the team to be stronger each match. She is fierce in leading the offense as a setter but also poses a significant threat when hitting in the front row.”
She also praised the play of sophomore hitter Alexis Scarborough and senior libero Presley Akins.
“Lexi has really grown from last season,” Sumlin said. “She pushes herself to be better each set, working through minor errors to maximize on each contact. She continues to grow and be an asset to our offense. Presley is putting in the extra work each day to push herself outside of her limits. She brings fire and heart to this team, trying to lead them through any ups and downs.”
Bronson (2-2), which travels to Wildwood tonight, will play Meadowbrook Academy at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, following their game against the Panthers on Friday.
“Drue does a great job bringing in great competition and splits up the sides really well,” Rone said. “This tournament has been going on a long time. Meadowbrook is a really great team. They have two hitters that can terminate the ball at any time.”
Rone said his team will have to play solid defense.
“Bronson is getting better,” he said. “We saw them this summer and they have some athletic players. Trenton, who we play Saturday, will always be tough. Brandi (Sumlin) will have them ready to play and her daughter, Hailey, is one of the best all-around players in the area. We look forward to playing this weekend and always enjoy playing in the LBI.”
Lady Bulldog Invitational schedule
Friday, Sept. 5
5 p.m. – Countryside Christian vs. Taylor County (Perry)
5 p.m. – Trenton vs. Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala)
6:15 p.m. – Crescent City vs. Taylor County (Perry)
6:15 p.m. – Newberry vs. Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala)
7:30 p.m. – Bell vs. Crescent City
7:30 p.m. – Newberry vs. Bronson
Saturday, Sept. 6
10 a.m. – Bell vs. Countryside Christian
10 a.m. – Trenton vs. Bronson
11:15 a.m. – Countryside Christian vs. Crescent City
11:15 a.m. – Bronson vs. Meadowbrook Academy (Ocala)
12:30 p.m. – Bell vs. Taylor County (Perry)
12:30 p.m. – Newberry vs. Trenton
1:45 p.m. – #3 Pool A vs. #3 Pool B
1:45 p.m. – #4 Pool A vs. #4 Pool B
3 p.m. – #1 Pool A vs. #1 Pool B
3 p.m. – #2 Pool A vs. #2 Pool B
Tie breakers for Pool Play
- Best record in Pool Play
- Head-to-head (if two teams)
- Sets won
- Points allowed
- Coin toss