Lady Eagles take win in 2A state tournament

YELLVILLE — Cutter Morning Star continued its winning ways Tuesday afternoon at Yellville-Summitt as the Lady Eagles took a 3-0 win over Barton in the first round of the Class 2A state volleyball tournament.

The Lady Eagles (18-4) swept the 2A Central for the program’s first conference title, but first year head coach Lydia Shelton admitted her team was a bit “shaky” to start Tuesday.

“It was mostly just nerves,” she said. “The girls stepped up and took care of business. They did what they needed to do. A lot of it was focus.”

The Lady Eagles dominated the first set, despite being “shaky,” taking a 25-7 win before securing the match with wins of 25-12 and 25-13.

“My libero, Kerianna Collins, did really well,” Shelton said. “She solidified our back row. Our hitters did a good job of playing the floor. And my setter [Haley Scott], to me she is always on.”

The Lady Eagles will face off against Lavaca this afternoon at 5 p.m. after the Lady Golden Arrows defeated host Yellville-Summitt Tuesday.

“They’re a good team,” Shelton said. “They have good hitters. Their setters — they run a 6-2, so they have two setters — they’re really good. I think it’s going to come down to us playing our game. We have to do what we do best and be mentally strong.”

Benton 3, Maumelle 0

Benton cruised to victory over Maumelle in the opening match of the Class 5A state volleyball tournament at Bank OZK Arena.

Benton sophomore Lisette Childress served up 13 straight points, including two aces, in the opening set while senior Lydia Buchanan and junior Hannah Brewer combined for nine of the team’s 15 kills in the set en route to a 25-5 win.

The two teams battled back and forth in the second with Brewer serving up six straight to finally get the Lady Panthers on top, 21-15, en route to a 25-16 win.

Sophomore setter Hailey McCallum served up 15 straight points in the third set to secure the 25-7 win and the ability to advance to today’s quarterfinal round. Childress finished with 15 service points, Brewer had nine kills, sophomore Mckenzie Worsham had seven with two blocks and Buchanan finished with six.

Greenwood 3, Marion 0

Despite a close third game, Marion could not overcome Greenwood in the first game at Lakeside Athletic Complex.

Greenwood opened strong in the first set to take a 25-10 win, and following a 17-13 lead in the second, the Lady Bulldogs rallied behind senior Camryn Presley for the 25-13 victory.

The Lady Patriots powered up in the third frame, gaining some ground and the lead for the first time, until an ace from Larkin

Luke and an offensive mistake gave the lead back to Greenwood, 14-13. Marion trailed Greenwood for the rest of the set with Luke serving up the winning point to secure the 25-23 game.

Mountain Home 3, Russellville 0

Following a back-and-forth first set, Mountain Home held on to take the sweep over Russellville at Bank OZK Arena.

Neither team managed to take control of the first set with the Lady Bombers taking a 25-22 win, thanks in part to four kills and a pair of big blocks by senior Anna Grace Foreman.

Russellville jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but Mountain Home systematically chipped away at the lead, stretching a 7-5 lead into a 16-8 buffer en route to the 25-12 win of the second set.

Mountain Home senior Grace Beckham and senior Claudia Carter led the Lady Bombers in service in the final set as Mountain Home held off a late run by the Lady Cyclones for a 25-18 win.

Beckham led the Lady Bombers with 12 service points, senior Charlie Pierce led the team with 16 kills and two blocks, and Carter added 11 kills and three blocks.

Sylvan Hills 3, Sheridan 0

Sheridan could not sustain a run as Sylvan Hills staved off the Lady Yellowjackets to advance to today’s quarterfinals.

The Lady Bears got things going early, taking an 8-4 lead before stretching out to 14-8. Sheridan pulled within 14-11, but Sylvan Hills held on for the 25-19 win of the first set.

Senior Paeton Tucker put up three straight to give the Lady Bears their first lead in the second set, 4-3, but the entire team pitched in to hold Sheridan to no more than a single point in each service en route to a 25-13 win.

Sheridan put up a fight in the third set, but the Lady Yellowjackets were held back for a 25-20 win by Sylvan Hills.

Jonesboro 3, LR Christian 0

Little Rock Christian and Jonesboro battled it out in long rallies, but Jonesboro came out on top to advance to face Lakeside in the quarterfinals.

Senior Kate Gschwend opened up strong for the Lady Hurricanes with four service points, and with the Lady Warriors unable to return on their serve, junior Maggie Orr widened the gap for an 8-2 lead en route to a 25-13 victory of the first set.

Senior Mikayla Johnson served five straight for a 10-4 edge, and senior Kellen Church stretched the lead out to 14-5. The teams exchanged service to finish out the set for a 25-14 result.

Junior Katelyn White gave the Lady Warriors a 2-0 lead to kick off the third, but Orr propelled Jonesboro to a 5-2 advantage. Jonesboro pulled ahead to a 19-13 advantage before senior Clara Parker, junior Taylor Abernathy, Johnson, and senior Maggie Beth Horn established their presence at the net with Parker serving up three to take the 25-16 win.

Horn led the Lady Hurricanes with 10 kills, and Johnson had eight. Sophomore Harper Stokes came out of the match with seven kills for the Lady Warriors.

Paragould 3, Greenbrier 2

Paragould met its match in Greenbrier as both teams battled before the Lady Rams held on to advance to today’s quarterfinal round.

Greenbrier sophomore Kyndal Johnston pulled the Lady Panthers within 19-18 of Paragould after serving up three straight. Despite a late rally that kept the score close at 23-20, Greenbrier failed to catch up as the Lady Rams took the first set with a 25-20 win.

Greenbrier earned a quick 4-3 lead going into the second, but as Paragould found its footing, the Lady Rams propeled to an 18-15 edge behind the six-point service of senior Bella Deatherage. The score was knotted at 19-19, and the two teams battled it out before Paragould managed to pull out the 28-26 win.

The Lady Panthers rallied back with a 26-24 win over Paragould in the third set. Greenbrier maintained the lead after jumping out to a 12-9 lead. The Lady Rams bought back in with five straight service points to pull within 20-18, and both teams struck again, drawing three more ties.

The Lady Panthers capitalized on the boost of momentum as Greenbrier held the lead throughout the course of the fourth set and pulled out a

25-20 win over Paragould, but it came down to four points as the Lady Rams downed Greenbrier,

15-11, to advance to the quarterfinals.