Lakeside advances, faces Jonesboro in rematch
Experience made a clear difference Tuesday night as Lakeside took a 3-0 win over Little Rock Parkview in the first round of the Class 5A state volleyball tournament at Lakeside Athletic Complex.
With just three seniors on the squad and 10 freshmen, Parkview (8-8) did enter the state tournament better than it did a year ago, but Lakeside (18-3) used its more experienced players to dominate on its home court.
“The third match, I wish we had played like that the first first or second game, but overall I’m pleased with the season,” said Parkview head coach Lahoma Howard. “We went into the state tournament last year in fourth; we went in third this year. We’re young, too, but I’m just looking for great things with the team. I’m proud of them. They didn’t quit.”
Junior Macy Landry got things going offensively for the Rams as she served up seven straight for an 8-1 lead, and Maddie Trusty put up four straight points for a 16-5 lead en route to a 25-9 win of the first set.
“The difference was, I think, her back row play,” Lakeside head coach Rhonda Thigpen said of Trusty. “Sometimes we always reward people front row, but that’s huge. And she figured stuff out. She’d go, ‘Hey, their lefty middle is hitting in a hole.’ She said I can step right here. She sees stuff. A lot of people, it takes them years to get that; she’s got it, and that’s a jewel.”
Lakeside fell behind a bit in the second set, but a six-point run by senior Olivia Lawrence pushed Lakeside out to a 9-5 lead. A five-point run by sophomore Sarah Porter made it 16-7 before Lawrence and Trusty put the game away.
“We missed too many serves tonight,” Thigpen said. “Can’t do that if you’re going to stay consistent down the stretch. But you see this, they’re celebrating, and it’s at our home court. So now we can walk out a winner, whatever happens, to walk out a winner here.”
Parkview played its best in the third set, but it was not enough to overcome the Rams.
Lakeside failed to get a service run going, stringing together no more than two service points at a time as Parkview held on. Trailing 10-4, Parkview pulled within 10-7 behind the service of sophomore libero Cadence Macom, but Lakeside sophomore Vivi Mardis put up a pair before three straight by senior libero Molly Stineman for a 20-9 lead.
Lakeside pulled out to a 24-11 lead before Parkview broke service, and freshman defensive specialist Kennedi Tims served up three points before the Rams broke service for the 25-15 win.
“We didn’t get to advance last year,” Thigpen said. “So to me, this is an accomplishment to get to advance. Always celebrate because every team that comes to state comes because they won that right. So for us to beat them, we had a right, and they had a right. Now we move on. They did not give up, but I also got a chance to get girls in to say that they got to play in the state tournament.”
The Rams will have a rematch of last week’s nonconference finale against Jonesboro at 3 p.m. at Bank OZK Arena.