Lady Wildcats sweep Lady Bears

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 3, FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 0 (25-20, 25-9, 25-14)

SPRINGDALE — Fort Smith Northside gave Springdale HarBer all it wanted early, but the Lady Wildcats found their stride in the middle of the opening set and went on to a 25-20, 25-9, 25-14 victory in nonconference volleyball Thursday at Wildcat Arena.

Outside hitters Mackenzie White and Jayci Carpenter each finished with a match-high 11 kills to lead the Har-Ber attack, while 6-foot freshman middle Kat Cooper chipped in seven.

Har-Ber (2-0) trailed much of the first set but went on a 5-0 run to snap a 16-16 tie and really never looked back. The Lady Wildcats took control with an 11-2 run in the second set, after being tied 3-3 and then finished off the Lady Bears (0-2) outscoring them 11-4 in the third set.

Har-Ber coach Shyrah Schisler said her team is starting to get comfortable on the court together, but she acknowledged Northside played well early.

“We’re starting to settle into our own skin a little bit,” Schisler said. “We’re just kind of enjoying the game a little bit. And once we get into that flow, I think we’re really hard to stop.

“I thought Northside did a fantastic job in serve receive. They gave us a run for our money and made us have to work and get our legs going faster than what I think we thought they were going to come out.”

Senior Molly Kingston anchored the defense with 11 digs, while setter Natalie Williams contributed 18 assists and Lauren Cloud added three aces.

Northside coach Matt Waack said his team is still trying to find its way early in the season with just three seniors.

“We tried a new lineup today, so I was real happy the way they came out,” Waack said. “We actually didn’t even practice it yesterday. I just threw it on them. I wanted to see how it was going to work. We’re still trying to find our ground. HarBer’s always a good team.”

Junior middle blocker Nicole Medlin led the Lady Bears with kills, while Grace Ann Hollenbeck added seven.

Har-Ber will take part in the Early Bird Invitational on Saturday at Bentonville High, while Northside will play in the Little Rock Spikefest over the weekend.

BENTONVILLE WEST 3, SHILOH CHRISTIAN 1

Kortney Puckett had 18 kills to help West win its home opener with a 25-18, 25-17, 24-26, 25-11 decision over Shiloh Christian.

Puckett also delivered four aces and had six solo blocks and three assisted blocks for the Lady Wolverines (2-0). Lexi Carter added 22 assists.

West goes to Bentonville’s Tiger Arena to compete Saturday in the Early Bird Invitational.

SILOAM SPRINGS 3, ROGERS HIGH 0

Ellie Lampton recorded 13 kills and 12 digs in leading Siloam Springs to a 25-15, 25-18, 25-12 sweep of Rogers on Thursday in nonconference action at Panther Activity Center in Siloam Springs.

Madison Lanker added five kills for the Lady Panthers (2-0), while Mackenzie Cook had 10 digs. Setter Chloe Price had 31 assists.

Anna Randels led Rogers (0-2) with eight kills, while Allie Stephens had six. Cameron Brockhoff and Tori Bayles each had seven assists for the Lady Mounties.