Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lady Bulldogs sweep
Greenwood used a strong effort from the start to set the tone in a 25-13, 25-8, 25-13 sweep against Hot Springs Lakeside.
GREENWOOD — It’s back to the state finals for the Greenwood.
The Lady Bulldogs used a strong effort from the start to set the tone, then went on for a 25-13, 25-8, 25-13 sweep against Hot Springs Lakeside in a semifinal matchup at the Class 5A state volleyball tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will be going for their first state championship since 2017 on Saturday in Hot Springs.
“I’m super proud of this team,” Greenwood Coach Jennifer Golden said. “These seniors were freshmen when we last won a title. They got to see it. But they didn’t get to earn one. That has been a goal of theirs. It has been fun watching them progress toward this goal. I knew this was a good year for them.”
Freshman Myia McCoy led the way for Greenwood with 12 kills. Seniors Hannah Watkins (10 kills), Caylee Ciesla (eight kills) and Larkin Luke (six kills) contributed to the offensive cause.
Greenwood’s Anna Johnson also had 32 assists and 14 digs, while Jocelyn Sewell contributed 14 digs for the Lady Bulldogs.
McCoy was a big factor early in the game, finishing with seven kills in the first-set victory. She got a kill early to make it 2-0, another to make it a 16-7 then another later to give Greenwood a 21-9 advantage.
“She had probably her best game of the year,” Golden said. “The biggest thing is she didn’t even have an error. She stepped up big. It’s so nice for us to have her out there. We trust her and give her the ball. It’s a pretty good feeling with the talent around here.”
A Lakeside ( 21-2) error gave Greenwood (20-1) its victory in the first set.
The Lady Bulldogs held a 7-3 edge in the second set, then went on a 14-0 scoring spree to extend the lead to 21-3 before finishing the set comfortably.
Allison Rose was a big part of the key run of points. She had three aces and several key digs for the Lady Bulldogs in the critical stretch of the set.
Lakeside was able to find its way on offense to begin the third set. The Lady Rams jumped out to a 7-2 lead with the help of a 5-0 run. Lakeside got a couple of aces from Macy Landry to spark the run.
Greenwood was able to take back control of the match after that. The Lady Bulldogs used an 11-1 run to take a 13-8 advantage. A 4-0 scoring run capped by a block from Larkin and McCoy made it 17-11.
The Lady Bulldogs closed out strong with the final six points of the match to clinch the victory and the state championship appearance. Rose got the game-ending kill for Greenwood.
Greenwood had its season end to Jonesboro and now will get a chance at redemption in the state championship match.
“We played against Jonesboro in the semis last year and lost in five sets,” Golden said. “It was a great game. We wanted to get past this game after losing in the semis last season. We had a little extra motivation. And now plus we get to see Jonesboro again. It’s kind of bittersweet.”
Lakeside was without Maddie Trusty, who was injured about two weeks ago.
“I’m so proud of this group,” Lakeside Coach Rhonda Thigpen said. “This is my third year. We were in the first round my first year, the quarterfinals last year and now the semifinals. We really missed Maddie. This team has really rallied around that and tried to make a run. We had to change things up without her. We did the best we could.”
JONESBORO 3, BENTON 1
In a rematch of the Class 5A state championship from last season, it went the way of Jonesboro again.
Jonesboro was able to pull away for a 25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 25-18 semifinal victory after winning the opening set then the final two sets after dropping the second in a back-and-forth game.
“This was a heck of match,” Jonesboro Coach Craig Cummings said. “We met each other in the finals last year. We knew they’d be here again. For our team to come together and show the growth we have had with the turnover we’ve had, it is remarkable. I can’t be more proud of what they have accomplished.”
Rosalind Lutes led the way for Jonesboro, finishing with a team-high 21 kills. Mollie McCoy also finished with 10 kills for the Lady Hurricane.
Jonesboro (20-1) took the first set, getting the final point on a block from McCoy. Benton (19-3) battled back to tie the match at 1-1, with a block from Sakari Faulkner to secure the second set.
Jonesboro took the third set on a clinching point from Lutes. She had the final four Lady Hurricane points to help pull from a 21-15 advantage.