BULLARD — As feisty, and pesky, Lady Panthers proved in the first game of the season opener against Pine Tree what was possible in the future.

The next night on Tuesday, they put it all together as Bullard swept Jacksonville in all the matches at Panther gymnasium.

Then on Friday night, it all fell apart as Overton beat the Lady Panthers to make the season mark 1-2 going in to the game against Nacogdoches last Tuesday night.

The Lady Panthers will try to get on track at the Nacogdoches Tournament set to begin on Thursday.

In the Jacksonville win, a former Maiden of Jacksonville, Ashlee Shidler had a banner games Bullard ran their record to 1-1 with winning scores of 25-11, 25-22, 25-6.

Shidler’s play at the service line had a big part to play in her team’s victory as she collected 14 successful serves and had seven service aces, giving the Maidens (0-1) fits all night.

Above left, is an over-view of the Lady Panthers 2010 squad on the floor versus Jacksonville last week. The Lady Panthers took The Lady Maidens out in three straight games, as did the junior varisty and freshmen teams. Above right, senior Ashlee Shidler makes a kill from the backline in the win over her former school, Jacksonville for the Lady Panthers first win of the season. Things did not go a s well for the Lady Panthers as they lost to Overton on Friday night. After playing Nacogdoches last night, the Lady Panthers will play in the nacogdoches Tournament beginning on Thursday. (Banner Staff Photos by Doc Smith) The senior, Shidler, knocked down eight kills on the offensive side and scrambled for seven digs defensively.

Bullard went on an 8-0 run to start the night off, and really never looked back from there, taking the 25-11 win, although the Maidens kept it interesting in Game Two.

Game two was highlighted with ties 11 times, during the game.

A kill off the hand of Bullard’s Chelsie Southerland that bounced off the Jacksonville defender propelled the Lady Panthers to a 20-18 lead, but the Maidens refused to surrender.

Jacksonville profited from a strong solo stuff by Amber Hawkins off the weak side and then a block at center net from Shelbi Laney that knotted the game at 20. The match continued to flow in see-saw fashion until Bullard went on a 3-0 run in the closing stages of the game in tallying the 25-22 decision.

During the progression the Lady Panthers received a kill off the defender by Kylee Nichols before cashing in on back-toback unforced errors by the Maidens.

A 12-1 start made the statement for Game Three as seven of the Lady Panthers’ points came on Maiden miscues.

Nichols aided the Bullard cause with a dozen clean serves, 11 digs and a solo block while Southerland proved to be an offensive force, collecting seven kills.

Bailee Callens was the Lady Panther assist leader with nine and Nikki Fuller picked up four solo blocks.

Bullard made it a clean sweep by winning the junior varsity match (25-18, 25-19) as well as the freshman skirmish (25-22, 25- 18).

“I was really pleased with the way the girl’s fought back after the loss to Pine Tree,” said BHS head coach of four years, Kala Morrow. “We communicated a lot better tonight against Jacksonville, and we did a great job of getting the offense set and it paid off for us.

“We are not as big as we have been in the past few years, but we are making up for that it hustle and court positioning.”

No scores or statistics from the Overton match were available at press deadline.

“We were just a completely different team on Friday when we played Overton,” Morrow said. “Not taking anything away from Overton, they are a very good Class 1A team, but we made too many mental mistakes, and unforced errors which we are usually pretty good about but we just were not focused.

“IF you have to find a positive in the loss, maybe it will wake our girl’s up so they know they have to bring their ‘A’ game every time we step on the floor, or we will get beat.”

Leading the team after two games in attack kills is Chelsie Southerland with 16, Kylee Nichols leads in two categories (total blocks (2), and Digs (29).

Shidler has received 14 services, and seven service aces. Raiven Whatley leads the team in assists with 29.