Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Paris pleased with another trip to Hot Springs
Paris will get a chance to make up for lost time after showing up at the right time Thursday afternoon.
Junior Akira Robinson was one of three Lady Eagles with 10 kills, as Paris had an answer for every Hoxie rally and pulled away for a 25-17, 25-18, 25-23 victory in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament at Episcopal Collegiate in Little Rock.
Junior Alyssa Komp and sophomore Brailey Forst also ended with 10 kills each for Paris (16-3), which will make a return trip to Hot Springs on Saturday to play Hackett in a Bank OZK Arena it had grown accustomed to seeing.
The Lady Eagles had played in seven consecutive state title games from 2012-18, winning championships in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. But Paris had that streak snapped in 2019 after losing to eventual-champion Episcopal Collegiate in the quarterfinals.
It was only fitting that the Lady Eagles clinch their spot in the title game on the Wildcats’ home floor.
“You have no idea how special this means to us,” Paris Coach Jordan Devine said. “It’s a really good feeling to be going back to Hot Springs. I’m not gonna lie, last year that Saturday was a pretty rough day for me.”
Devine won’t have to endure that same feeling this season, not after the way the Lady Eagles performed in what was their biggest game of 2020 thus far.
Paris stayed on the attack from the opening serve behind Komp, Forst and Robinson and never flinched whenever Hoxie (19-1) made a move. Robinson also had eight blocks, while junior Jacee Hart contributed eight kills.
The Lady Eagles also managed to slow down Hoxie’s heavy-hitting duo of senior Jaedyn Brown and sophomore Eillery Gillham. The two had combined for 38 kills and 11 blocks in the Lady Mustangs’ quarterfinal victory over Charleston and 24 kills and 8 blocks in their first-round win against Central Arkansas Christian.
But Paris was determined to keep those two from posting similar numbers in their showdown.
“That was our game plan from the beginning,” Devine explained. “We watched some film so we kind of knew who their big hitters were. My goodness, [Brown] is so athletic.
“We did talk a lot about knowing where she’s at on the floor because they’re going to look for her. I mean, she can really fly.”
Brown and Gillham did have their moments and finished the match with five kills apiece, but it wasn’t nearly enough in the end.
A blistering kill down the middle from Hart snapped a 2-2 tie in the first set and helped send the Lady Eagles to an eight-point victory. Hoxie trailed 13-12 midway through the second frame until a blast along the left side from Robinson started five-point swing that completely shifted the momentum to Paris’ side.
A Gillham kill to start the final set put Hoxie up early, but three consecutive shots in the net by the Lady Mustangs gave the lead back to the Lady Eagles. Paris eventually led by as much as 17-11 in the set before having to fight off spirited surges from Hoxie.
Sophomores Cara Forrester and Chloe Prater had seven kills each for Hoxie.
HACKETT 3, PIGGOTT 2
A flurry of match-changing shots in the fifth set from Rain Vaughn kept Hackett’s quest for another state title intact.
The senior delivered five or her 18 kills in the final set to power the Lady Hornets to a thrilling 25-15, 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 15-5 victory.
Junior Madeline Freeman had 15 kills, senior Jamye Durham added 13 kills and 4 blocks and freshman Alona Rothwell chipped in with 11 kills and 2 blocks for Hackett ( 21- 1), which cruised to a two-set lead at the start but had to fend off hard-charging Piggott (17-7).
The Lady Mohawks, behind a standout performance from sophomore Alyssa Manor, narrowly took both the third and fourth sets. But after extending so much effort and energy to get back in the match, Piggott appeared to run out of gas in the deciding set.
“Man, Piggott played such a great match,” said Hackett Coach Bridget Freeman, whose team won the Class 2A state title last season but will be looking to win a Class 3A crown Saturday. “They really stepped up their play in that second and third set, played so, so hard. But in the huddle before that last set, I just told my seniors to take over, give it all you’ve got and believe you can do it.”
Vaughn and Durham took Freeman’s words to heart because the duo had six of Hackett’s first eight points in the set, all on kills, as the Lady Hornets jumped out to an 8-0 lead.
Manor had 10 kills and 19 blocks for Piggott. Senior Maddie Reeves tallied 7 kills and 2 blocks, while senior Annalee Massey ended with 6 kills and 3 blocks.