It was a night of several firsts for the Cape Central girls’ volleyball program.

First-year head coach Sommer McCauley-Perdue made her home debut. Several underclassmen played in front of a home crowd for the first time in their high school careers.

What wasn’t a first? The Tigers getting the best of Sikeston on the court.

A large crowd at Cape Central High School watched the Tigers take control from start to finish with impressive serving and volleying as they never gave the Lady Bulldogs a chance to rally in a 3-0 sweep behind the 25-15, 25-18, 25-17 triumph.

Cape Central (6-1) extended its winning streak to 12 matches against Sikeston (0-2) dating back to the 2018 SEMO Conference tournament.

“I tell them that we always have something to work on because I don’t want them to think beyond,” Perdue said. “I think that was part of our issue last game when they got hyped up and built up a little too much. They’re buying into a lot of things and looked good tonight.”

Cape Central raced out to an 18-5 lead within the blink of an eye in the opening set, as the Tiger offense was clicking on all cylinders.

After a few more Cape Central points, senior captain Piper Underwood registered an enormous kill to finish off a well-rounded opening set for the black and orange. The Tigers took the first set 25-15 behind a strong showing from Underwood and six-foot-four junior Sydney Miller.

“She (Piper) was everywhere today,” Perdue said. “Her consistent serves and her hitting were terrific.

“Sydney is a rocket too. If you can get it to her, she can hit it from anywhere. She performed very well today for us.”

The second set, filled with runs, saw the Lady Bulldogs pull away early. Trailing 13-12, Cape Central didn’t get rattled and responded with a 5-0 run backed by Underwood and fellow senior Ella Hukel to pull in front and eventually claim the set 25-18.

A long rally at 24-17 ended with some excellent volleying on the Cape Central side to pull off the upset sweep, putting the home crowd and Tiger bench into a frenzy.

This season, Cape Central has gotten off to a hot start under Perdue. Along with several underclassmen still learning the ropes, the Tigers had a bump in the road early on with a loss to Hillsboro in the Hillsboro Invitational championship final last Saturday, Aug. 31.

Perdue said that the loss was a good early-season gut check.

“Sometimes there’s always going to be people who want it more than you,” she said. “They are going to look at pieces that we are weak in or not really focusing on. I think we got a little lackadaisical and they put it to us. We accept that but I think there was probably a little something that we needed for the season and that we have to work for success.”

Still, the 6-1 start is nothing less than a momentum builder for Perdue and her squad.

“I think it’s good for the girls,” she said. “I’ve been feeding into them all summer and saying what they can be and how they can look. Every game is a milestone. We’re just trying to create a winning culture.”

The Tigers will look to keep the momentum going tomorrow night, Sept. 5 when they host Perryville at 7 pm. Cape Central has won three straight over the Pirates.

AROUND THE SEMO CONFERENCE

Powerhouse Jackson opened regular season play today with an out-of-state tri-match in Carterville, Illinois.

Tenured head coach David Mirly, who is entering his 20th season, and his squad swept the competition behind a 25-6, 25-11 win over Carterville High School and a 25-11, 25-15 win over Pinckneyville High School.

A handful of productive playmakers chipped in for the Lady Indians in the pair of games on Thursday, as promising freshman Lauren Dorey posted 14 assists against Carterville and SEMO commit Katy St. John led the team with 12 kills against Pinckneyville. Also making an impact were senior Amery Winston (11 digs, three aces vs Carterville), junior Kat Elefson (seven kills vs Carterville), freshman Avery Brune (five kills, 12 digs vs Pinckneyville), and senior Lynn-avery “LA” Crowley (eight digs vs Pinckneyville).

Jackson will head back for its home opener against Dexter tomorrow evening, Sept. 5 at 6:30 pm before jumping back into out-of-state competition on Saturday, Sept. 7 for the Jackson Multi-State Showcase tournament against Northpoint (MS), Dyer County (TN), and St. Clair High School.