Eighth-grade Du Quoin Lady Warriors make quick work of conference foe Nashville

The eighth-grade Du Quoin Lady Warriors made quick work of their conference foe Nashville Tuesday night, sweeping the Lady Hornets in straight sets, 25-19, 25-12, to pick up their 14th win of the season. <br />DMS came out to a quick start in the first set, with Sophie Miller serving them to a quick 6-0 lead, tallying an ace along with a kill from Ayanna Dunklin. <br />Nashville struggled to get back into the game, s Du Quoin extended its lead to 10-3 with the help of an ace from Aubrey Barwick. <br />The Lady Warriors remained in control, extending its lead to 18-10, capitalizing on unforced errors from their conference foe. <br />Barwick added her second ace of the set shortly after to extend the lead even further, 21-12.<br />However, the Lady Hornets made a final push, stringing together a 7-0 run, as a kill brought them within three, 22-19. <br />But, Lexi Cobin would give her team the momentum back, closing out the first set with a pair of aces to hold on for the win, 25-19. <br />The Lady Warriors strong play from the serve (seven aces in the first set) carried over into the second set. <br />Despite a quick start from Nashville, who jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in large part due to some receive errors from the Lady Warriors, Du Quoin was able to take over from there. <br />An ace from Dunklin sparked Du Quoin's offense, as Ella Hirsch followed up with a kill and block to tie the game at five apiece. <br />Hirsch continued with another kill to give DMS it's first lead of the game, 7-5. <br />Nashville answered with a point of its own, but it would not see another lead in the game as Du Quoin took over. <br />After trading serving errors, the Lady Warriors strung together a 4-1 run with an ace from Lauren Heape and kills from Barwick and Loveleen Dunklin, taking a 13-8 lead. <br />DMS continued to pour it on, extending its lead to 16-9 on an ace from Brylee Stratton. <br />The Lady Hornets managed to cut the lead to six, 18-12, with an ace of their own, but that would prove to be their final offense. <br />Dunklin took over from the serve with her team ahead 19-12 and closed things out on a 6-0 run, with Hirsch picking up her third kill of the set as the Lady Warriors took the second set, 25-12, and match. <br />Stats<br />Serve points: Miller 7; Dunklin 11; Barwick 4; Heape 2; Madeline Robinson 1; Stratton 4; Cobin 4<br />Aces: Miller 1; Dunklin 2; Barwick 2; Heape 2; Stratton 2; Cobin 2<br />Digs: Delainie Dearmond 6; Barwick 1; Miller 1; Stratton 2; Heape 2; Dunklin 1<br />Kills: Dunklin 3; Barwick 2; Dearmond 3; Hirsch 3<br />Assists: Miller 7<br />Blocks: Hirsch 1<br />In seventh-grade action, DMS found similar success with a two-set sweep over Nashville, 25-19, 25-15. <br />Heape led the way with a team-high six kills, while Miller finished with a team-high five assists. As a team, they racked up 12 aces, with Cobin collecting a team-high four. <br />The Lady Warriors (14-7-3) will resume action Thursday night as they travel to take on conference foe Sparta. Seventh-grade action is slated for 4:30 p.m.