Liberty-Eylau hosts Pleasant Grove; Arkansas High plays Sheridan

A big bad wolf named Sheridan came to town and tried to blow down Arkansas High’s house.

Like the smartest pig, the Lady Backs built their house of brick and stood strong against Sheridan as they withstood, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19, in a varsity volleyball match at Razorback Gym.

McHailey Grant stonewalled at the net and led the Lady Backs in blocks with 11. Aubreyonia Sanders turned away big Sheridan spikes with stone-cold aggression and finished with seven blocks.

Makayla Henry played two feet above the net, and blocked four Yellowjacket hits.

“That was our best blocking match so far,” Arkansas High head coach Brandy Crawford said. “There was a height difference—to our advantage—but we were finding the ball a lot better tonight.”

Grant added five kills and eight digs, while Sanders nailed down five kills for Arkansas High. Henry helped solidify a first-set win when she served five in a row with the Lady Backs up, 19-14.

Henry’s serves fell like rocks, as the topspin brought the ball down at unexpected moments to throw off the Yellowjackets’ timing. Henry had a match-high 11 service points and 14 digs for Arkansas High.

Nine hitting errors plagued the Lady Backs in the second set, but Arkansas High’s solid foundation was not shaken after the setback.

In the momentum-shifting

third set, the teams played on even keel until a Mary Alexander tip help ignite energy for the Lady Backs. Adasia Davis sent a kill down the back baseline, and Grant walloped a fireball down the middle of the hardwood.

“I am very pleased with the girls’ performance,” Crawford said. “Receiving the serve hurt us last time against Sheridan, so we worked on it and improved.”

Alexander, a senior, fittingly served out the final set for Arkansas High on Senior Night. The fourth set was a blocking barrage put on by the Lady Backs.

Whitney Green had nine service points and seven digs, and Alexander had 12 assists and six digs for Arkansas High.

Green, Davis, Henry, Grant, Sanders and Alexander were the recognized senior Lady Backs.

Megan Holder had eight service points and two blocks, but Arkansas High’s junior varsity fell to Sheridan, 25-18, 25-21.

The Lady Backs (14-10, 8-4) host Magnolia Thursday at 5 p.m. in a

state tournament tuneup match. The 6A state tournament is next week in Greenwood.