Melinda Shepherd of the Jackson County Tornadoes serves during unified volleyball matches Sept. 21 at Seymour High School. Looking on are teammates A.J. Engel, center, and Cailen Shepherd.
Zach Spicer | For The Tribune
Ashleigh White of the Jackson County Tornadoes serves during unified volleyball matches Sept. 22 at Dollens Elementary School in Oolitic. Looking on are teammates Tim Ashburn and Chloe Shepherd.
Zach Spicer | For The Tribune
Jackson County’s two unified volleyball teams, the Tornadoes and Twisters, battle it out Sept. 21 at Seymour High School.
Robin Freeman | For The Tribune
Todd Smith of the Jackson County Twisters prepares to serve during unified volleyball matches Sept. 21 at Seymour High School.
Zach Spicer | For The Tribune
Cailen Shepherd of the Jackson County Tornadoes prepares to serve during unified volleyball matches Sept. 21 at Seymour High School.
Zach Spicer | For The Tribune
Jan Engel of the Jackson County Twisters serves during unified volleyball matches Sept. 22 at Dollens Elementary School in Oolitic.
Zach Spicer | For The Tribune
Special Olympics Indiana Jackson County already offers the sports of track and field, bocce, softball, cornhole, bowling and basketball.
New to the list this year is unified volleyball.
The sport consists of teams of up to 12 people, and there must be an even number of athletes and unified partners (Special Olympics volunteers) on the court at all times.
The first practice was Aug. 29 at Gaiser Park in Seymour, but throughout September, they have been held at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour.
This past weekend, the program’s two teams participated in their first competitions.
On Sept. 21, Jackson County hosted Bartholomew Brown Jennings Counties and Ripley Ohio Dearborn Counties in the auxiliary gymnasium at Seymour High School.
The Jackson County Tornadoes went 2-1, losing to BBJ 25-14, 26-24, defeating ROD 23-25, 25-17, 15-12 and defeating the Jackson County Twisters 25-13, 21-25, 15-9.
The Twisters went 0-3, losing their other matches to ROD 25-10, 25-14 and BBJ 25-7, 25-22.
On Sept. 22, both county teams traveled to play in the gyms at Dollens Elementary School in Oolitic.
The Tornadoes finished 3-0, defeating Monroe County 25-23, 25-15, Lawrence County 25-20, 13-25, 15-13 and another Lawrence County team 26-24, 25-20.
The highlight of the day happened in the first set of the first match. Trailing 23-11, the Tornadoes had strong serving to score the final 14 points of the set.
The Twisters went 0-3 on the day, falling to Lawrence County 25-14, 25-9, Monroe County 25-13, 25-15 and another Lawrence County team 25-12, 25-15.
For the weekend, the Tornadoes were 5-1 and the Twisters were 0-6.
Both teams will now continue practicing until the state tournament Oct. 19 at Munciana Volleyball in Yorktown.