Murphysboro serves way to 2-0 win over Du Quoin Middle School eighth-grade Lady Warriors

Fresh off a tournament win, the Du Quoin eighth-grade Lady Warriors were unable to keep the momentum going, falling to conference foe Murphysboro in straight sets Monday night, 25-14-25-11.

The Lady Blue Devils were able to dominate the game from the serve, picking up over 20 aces over both sets.

The Lady Warriors opened up the first set back-and-forth with their conference foe, as a kill from Ella Hirsch and a couple of Murphysboro hitting errors gave her team an early 5-3 lead.

However, Murphysboro started to take over from there, particularly from the serve. After a serve error from Du Quoin, Murphysboro strung together a 7-0 run with all the points coming from aces.

Du Quoin was able to battle back, as Lauren Heape helped spark a 6-0 run, hitting home a pair of aces herself to tie the game at 11 apiece. But a serve error gave Murphysboro the ball back and they did not look back.

Two more aces helped fuel an 8-0 run as they recaptured the lead, 19-11.

Du Quoin responded with three straight points to trim the deficit 19-14, capitalizing on a pair of receive errors.

But, that would prove to be their final points in the first set, as Murphysboro closed out on a 6-0 run for a 25-14 first-set win.

DMS didn't fair any better in the second set, as Murphysboro opened with a 3-0 run.

Heape managed to pull her team within one, 6-5, as she delivered an ace, but that would the closest they would come to a lead.

Murphysboro jumped out to a 10-5 lead and never looked back, as they continued to serve strong in route to a 25-11 second-set and match win.

In seventh grade action, DMS seized a three-set win, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8.

The Lady Warriors (13-7-3) will resume action Tuesday night at home against conference foe Nashville, with seventh-grade action starting at 4:30 p.m.