AHS falls to Sheridan

TEXARKANA, Ark. — Sheridan slammed Arkansas High’s Senior Night party.

The Lady Backs fell to the Lady Yellowjackets in three sets, 25-11, 25-10, 24-14.

“Tonight was our Senior Night and I started all of our seniors,” Arkansas High head volleyball coach Kaylee Treas-Dalby said. “Mostly during the first set everyone on the court was a senior. This is a class that I will never forget.”

Arkansas High battled back much of the third set.

The Lady Backs trailed, 10-2, but rallied back behind the net play of Keonnie Strickland. Strickland’s kills and blocks brought the Lady Backs within five points of the Yellowjackets, 15-10.

Arkansas High added five more points, before Sheridan added their final 10 points to take the set.

“We’re going to really try to work in some of our younger players in our next three matches,” Treas-Dalby said. “They’re our future. We have a good group of freshman that won’t move up now because they are contending for a conference championship.

“Our tenth grade group is really strong as well. Most of our underclassmen are coachable but some of them are playing new positions We’re going to be ok.”

The second set began much like the first.

Sheridan was able to score 11 unanswered points with Lauren Stevens at the serve line. The Yellowjackets held a 4-1 cushion when Stevens took over, before AHS was able to break the serve, Sheridan held a 14-2 advantage.

Arkansas High was able to scatter a few more points throughout the set, before Sheridan took a 2-0 lead in the match.

“Tonight, I feel like we really played together as a team,” Treas-Dalby said. “A big thing we’ve worked on is getting the girls to trust ones another. They played hard for each other. The score didn’t show it but there’s positive things we did tonight, that we haven’t done all season.

“We were swinging on balls we haven’t swung on before and they communicated better tonight as a unit.”

Sheridan opened the match with a 5-0 lead over the Lady Backs.

The Yellowjackets took their largest lead of the set when Emily Greer was at the service line.

AHS trailed 6-2 when Greer took over at the line, after the Lady Backs broke serve, Sheridan led 16-3.

Arkansas High is back in action on Thursday, traveling to El Dorado.