Bulldogs taking on tough competition

Good volleyball teams prepare for districts by playing tough competition, and that's exactly what DeSoto is doing.  The Bulldogs participated in the Bishop Verot Invitational last Friday and Saturday, and finished fourth with a 2-3 record. The invitational featured some of the better teams in Southwest Florida, including the host Vikings who won the tournament.

There were eight teams in the tournaments," DeSoto coach Dave Bremer said. "There was a lot of good competition."

DeSoto finished second in its pool Friday with a 2-1 record behind Central Clearwater Catholic. The Bulldogs then advanced to the final four Saturday, first losing to the Vikings and then to Clearwater Central Catholic.

Amanda Mercer had 45 kills and Shelby Flint garnered 39 kills in the tournament. Chloe Boehm made 80 assists.

"They (Mercer, Flint and Boehm) did a great job," Bremer said. "We need to get more players involved in our play. That's a key to how we do the rest of the season."

The Bulldogs had a big effort in defeating visiting Cardinal Mooney 25-18, 17-25, 25-15, 25-11 last Thursday in a key 3A-11 match. The victory avenged a loss to the Cougars the previous week that was DeSoto's first defeat of the season. DeSoto is 5-1 in district action and 9-4 overall.

DeSoto will be busy again this week. They'll travel to Hardee for a 7 p.m. match tonight. Thursday, they'll host Booker at the same time. These matches should help the Bulldogs prepare for the district tournament which they will host Oct. 26-29.