Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
At the net
SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber saved its best for last on Thursday night at Wildcat Arena.
The Lady Wildcats, playing their third match of the week, were strong offensively and defensively to claim a 25-15, 25-12, 25-21 6A-West Conference sweep over Rogers High.
Har- Ber ( 7-3, 5-2) snapped a modest two-match skid in a big way, controlling the first two sets before holding off a late Lady Mountie charge in the third.
The Lady Wildcats secured the No. 3 seed in next week’s conference tournament with the win, despite playing just seven of their 14 scheduled conference matches because of covid-19 struggles. HarBer didn’t play for two weeks after having players test positive and others were sidelined because of quarantine. But it also missed three other matches because Har-Ber’s opponents also had issues with the virus.
But Har-Ber coach Cassie Loyd likes what she sees from her team now, despite losing to Fayetteville and Fort Smith Southside earlier in the week.
“I’m feeling really positive right now,” Loyd said. “We were off for a little bit under a month. So where some teams were building that chemistry, we had to sit out a month. I mean you can build chemistry in practice but it really happens on the court.
“This week we were happy playing competitive teams to make us better. One thing we’re excited about is we don’t think we’ve peaked yet. We keep getting better and better. We’re still developing that
chemistry, still developing our connections on the court offensively and defensively.”
Loyd said the Lady Wildcats’ passing was better against Rogers than in the two matches earlier in the week, which led to a very efficient offense.
“Everything was a little bit better,” Loyd said. “But a big thing was our passing numbers, our first contacts offensively and defensively were more consistent and obviously that’s the relation why we had such a balanced offense.”
Kyla Clubb led the Lady Wildcat attack with 10 kills, while Kat Cooper chipped in nine. Kinleigh Hall and Jordan Benford chipped in eight each, while Abby Wright added seven. Junior setter Caylan Koons dished out 36 assists and
Josie McCroskey anchored the defense with 15 digs.
Rogers (8-5, 3-5) got within 13-12 in the opening set, but then served out and Har-Ber went on a 12-3 run to end the set. The Lady Wildcat scored the first three points of the second set and never looked back. The third was more competitive as Brooke Park’s ace got the Lady Mounties within 17-15, but Cooper’s kill out of the middle was the first of three straight points to help HarBer pull away.
Abby Harris put up a triple-double for the Lady Mounties, who have had issues with covid-19 themselves, with 10 kills, 10 digs and 11 assists. Gracie Carr added eight kills. Park and Camiran Brockhoff also added 10 digs each.
Rogers plays host to crosstown rival Rogers Heritage at noon on Saturday to close the regular season.
FAYETTEVILLE 3, ROGERS HERITAGE 0
Rosana Hicks hammered 14 kills to help the Lady Purple Bulldogs secure the top seed for next week’s 6A-West Conference tournament with a 25-5, 25-11, 25-13 win over the Lady War Eagles.
Brooke Rockwall and Regan Harp added nine kills each for Fayetteville (16-1, 11-1). Gracyn Spresser also chipped in nine digs, including the 1,000th of her high school career.
GREENWOOD 3, MOUNTAIN HOME 0
The Lady Bulldogs claimed their 15th straight win with a 25-21, 25-22, 25-12 triumph over the Lady Bombers.
Greenwood improved to 15-1 overall and 12-0 in 5A-West Conference play. The Lady Bulldogs haven’t lost since falling in four sets to Class 6A Fayetteville in the season opener.
FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 3, BENTONVILLE WEST 0
Avery Fitzgerald hammered 10 kills to go with four aces to lead the Mavericks to a 25-16, 2514, 25-8 win.
Hannah Hogue dished out 29 assists to go with two aces. Aleigha Johnson added eight kills and two blocks. Olivia Melton chipped in five kills, six digs and two blocks for Southside (13-2, 10-1).
BENTONVILLE HIGH 3, SPRINGDALE HIGH 0
Bella Engledow had 10 kills as Bentonville closed out the regular season with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-17 victory over Springdale in Tiger Arena.
Maddy Hughes had a double-double with 28 assists and 15 digs, and she recorded six of the Lady Tigers’ 12 aces. Jamie Myrick contributed a team-high 29 digs and five aces, and Trinity Hamilton chipped in 10 dig for Bentonville (116, 5-6 6A-West) and secured the No. 4 seed in next week’s conference tournament.
SHILOH CHRISTIAN 3, PEA RIDGE 0
The Lady Saints completed a perfect run through the 4A-Northwest Conference with a 25-13, 25-22, 25-21 win over the Lady Blackhawks.
Emerson Traweek led the way with 16 kills and 11 digs, while Rylee Odell added 10 kills, three aces and three blocks.Kat Murphree dished out 15 assists, while Ryli Russ added 14 digs for Shiloh Christian (18-2, 16-0).