Semoball

Saxony Lutheran claims Dig For Life championship

The Saxony Lutheran volleyball team poses with the Dig For Life championship trophy on Saturday at the Show Me Center.
Clay Herrell ~ cherrell@semoball.com

Saxony Lutheran beat Farmington on Saturday to win the Red Division Gold Bracket championship in the 2022 Saint Francis Healthcare Dig For Life Challenge.

The Crusaders swept both Northwestern (26-24, 25-17) and Farmington (25-19, 25-18) to claim the title.

Crusaders coach Stephanie Brown was speechless following the victory.

Saxony Lutheran players celebrate scoring a point during the Dig For Life tournament on Saturday at the Show Me Center.
Clay Herrell ~ cherrell@semoball.com

“I really honestly have no words to describe it,” Brown said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

The Crusaders finished 3-0-1 in pool play — beating Jefferson, Park Hills Central and Gideon while tying with South Iron — before advancing to bracket play.

Brown was pleased with her team and its effort all weekend.

“We had to get here early and we had a lot of long breaks in between,” Brown said. “They came and they fought with everything they possibly had. We were up against some big teams that didn’t expect us to do what we did. The girls have a lot of fight in them and they don’t quit.”

Notre Dame fell in the Red Division-Gold Bracket semifinals to the Knights, losing in straight sets 25-20, 25-21.

Bulldogs coach Meredith Brinkmeyer liked what she saw out of her team on the weekend.

“I couldn’t be happier with how my girls played,” Brinkmeyer said.

Brinkmeyer likes the Dig For Life tournament because she believes playing many games in such a small amount of time builds mental toughness.

“Yeah, you’re tired, but you have to dig down deep and you still have to give it all you’ve got,” Brinkmeyer said.

While Brown and the Crusaders are pleased with their championship win, they know they still have work to do.

“We may have won this but we aren’t done yet,” Brown said. “It’s a long season and we’re still early on so we’re going to keep working. We’re going to focus and we’re going to keep pushing to the end.”

Bell City took first place in the Black Division Gold Bracket, beating Scott City in straight sets 25-22, 25-19, while Puxico took first in the Silver Bracket with a three-set win over Bernie.

The Dig For Life Tournament began in 2000 and was founded by former Southeast Missouri volleyball coach Cindy Gannon. Since it began in 2000, Dig For Life has provided nearly 2,000 free mammograms to women in the Southeast Missouri region.

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