Danna Evans Lewis, left, veteran North Hopkins Lady Panther Volleyball Coach, will meet her younger sister, Dee Ann Evans, Sulphur Bluff
Lady Bear Volleyball Coach, "across the net," on August 28th.

 

The "Stakes" In Northern Hopkins
County Volleyball, Just Got Higher

A Little "Sister Rivalry" Opens 2009 Season

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Dee Ann Evans, Sulphur Bluff Lady Bear Volleyball Coach, explains strategy to
her team on Monday morning, in Sulphur Bluff.

 

Sports at Hopkins County's two northern-most schools have always been competitive. A long-standing rivalry has existed between North Hopkins and Sulphur Bluff, but this year the competition has risen a "notch" as the 2009 Volleyball Season gets underway. Veteran North Hopkins Lady Panther Volleyball Coach, Danna Evans Lewis, will be meeting her younger sister, Dee Ann Evans, Sulphur Bluff Lady Bear Volleyball Coach, "across the net."

"I knew we'd be meeting North Hopkins and Danna, when I accepted the job," explained Dee Ann Evans, coaching in her first year at Sulphur Bluff, after moving closer to home from Detroit. "It just goes with the territory and I played for North Hopkins, when I was in school, so I know just how competitive the game will be, when we meet on the court, for the first time, on August 28th!"

 

Sulphur Bluff Lady Bears began their second week of volleyball practice,
getting prepared for the match-up with North Hopkins and the entire season.

 

"At least Danna and her girls have got to come over here and play for that first match-up!" exclaimed Dee Ann, as she put her girls through another drill on Monday morning. "I've told my girls to be ready and to work hard on the fundamentals. We practiced twice-a-day, last week, and began practicing from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., this week!"

When told that her sister, Coach Lewis, was practicing from 9:00 until noon, Evans allowed that "maybe we'll be practicing a little bit longer over here, too!"

 

 

Meanwhile, only 15 miles to the west, Danna Lewis was "putting her girls at North Hopkins through the paces!"

 

And, North Hopkins Lady Panther Volleyball Coach, Danna Evans Lewis, works with her girls on
fundamental moves, at Monday's practice.

 

"We're going to hate to go over there to Sulphur Bluff and show Dee Ann up!" exclaimed Lewis, with a laugh. "But, it's a matter of family pride, to make sure we win that game!"

Lewis, in her twelfth season as coach at North Hopkins allowed that the sister's dad, Danny Evans, was commissioner in her precinct, so he'd have to sit on her side of the gym.

"But, I'll get Mom to sit on my side!" proclaimed Evans. "And, she'll probably get more excited than Dad ever thought about getting!"

"Seriously, it will be a great match-up for both teams and both communities," expressed Danna Lewis. "We'll both have had three weeks of practice with our teams and will have just completed the first week of school, so it will be a highlight of the season, as everyone kind of gets back into the groove of going to school and attending games!"

"And, maybe with the little bit of rivalry between Danna and me, we'll have even more of both communities come out and watch the girls play!" inserted Dee Ann Evans. "It's just about 15 miles between the two schools and everyone from Sulphur Bluff knows everyone from North Hopkins, so it should be one of the best games of the season!"

Both Evans and Lewis are working toward having their teams in-shape and at their very best, so you will want to circle your calendar for August 28th and be in Sulphur Bluff for the match-up between these two Hopkins County natives and their teams, as county volleyball action gets underway for 2009!

 

And, the Lady Panthers, in North Hopkins are working hard with the upcoming
season almost here.

 

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