Bernie downs Puxico in SCAA clash

PUXICO -- Bernie made it back-to-back SCAA conference wins Thursday when the Lady Mules traveled to Puxico and came away with a 25-20, 25-18, victory.

Kristin Eaves led the way at the net with eight kills, followed by Bailey Martin with 5.

Sarah Deason's 14 digs were tops for the Lady Mules, while Sami Palmer dished out a team-high 16 assists.

"The varsity came out with the energy and enthusiasm that they must have to win," Bernie coach Jeff Rodgers said. "It was a team effort tonight (Thursday) with everyone doing their job and having fun. We got excellent serving again (12 aces) and had very few hitting errors again. If we can get this kind of energy every night we can compete with most teams."

Puxico avoided a sweep when the jayvee Lady Indians rallied from one game down to take a, 24-26, 25-13, 25-8, decision.

"The JV did a poor job on serve receive tonight," Rodgers pointed out. "But Puxico has some very good servers. We couldn't get many attacks because our passes were everywhere thanks to Puxico's serving."

Lyndsey Stone's six kills were tops in the jayvee tilt for Bernie, while Ashley Williams paced the squad in digs with 18.

Bernie's varsity record improved to 5-8-1 overall and 2-2 in the SCAA. The jayvee team now stands at 8-4-1, 1-2.

Bernie will next be in action at the annual Arkansas State University Tournament this weekend in Jonesboro, Arkansas.