Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Ward Gets First
FARMINGTON - Lady Cardinal volleyball coach Marshall Ward wasn’t thrilled about the regular season schedule ending at home with Farmington facing 6A Russellville, but hindsight is 20/20.
“I was less than excited about playing a 6A team on senior night,” Ward said. “5A is tough enough, but it worked out OK.”
Farmington defeated Russellville (17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 15-9) Oct. 11, although the Lady Cardinals got off to a rough start in the first set, falling behind 11-3 against Russellville before closing the gap with an 11-6 run. Senior outside hitter Kaylynn Bates had 3 kills in the run that was capped by Claudia Oxford’s finishing hit dished up by senior setter Callie Harper drawing Farmington within, 17-13. Russellville responded with an 8-4 run to close out the first set, winning 25-17, on Brittany Pehrson’s kill.
Farmington uncorked their offense in the second set on the strength of Harper’s passing. Oxford had three kills early as the Lady Cardinals surged to an 11-6 lead.
Oxford said she loves her coach, adding, “Russellville is a very good team, so to come out with a win was very, very special.”
After Ella Wilson’s blockkill, Russellville put together a 6-2 run climaxed by Bailey Wilbers’ kill to pull the Cyclones within, 19-17. Ward took time-out, but Wilbers was in rhythm, recording two quick kills to narrow Farmington’s lead to 20-19. The Lady Cardinals stayed with their attack, forcing Russellville into errors to reach game-point, at 24-21. The Cyclones got within, 24-23. During a time-out Ward told his team, “Let’s go, we need a kill to win this set.” Right on cue, libero Callie Phelan (dig), Harper (set) and Bates (kill) worked the offense to even the match at one game apiece after Farmington’s 25-23 win.
The third set was an uphill battle. Farmington trailed 20-17 after Wilbers won a hard-fought point for Russellville with a kill. Middle hitter senior Anna Dutton asserted herself, smashing two kills and adding a block-kill, sandwiched around a Cyclone dig that sailed into their bench, to even the score at 21-21. Several times during the match Dutton fought off blocks by passing to her teammates.
“It’s a fast transition to go from a block to recover,” Dutton said, adding, “I depend on my teammates.”
Russellville sneaked ahead, 23-22, on Wilbers’ kill. Dutton provided Farmington’s answer blasting a kill by Russellville’s towering Anna Myers. Harper twice set for Bates, who pounded a pair of kills lifting Farmington to a well-earned, 25-23, win.
“I just like how we play as a team together, we pick each other up,” Dutton said. “I look forward to hopefully going to state and hopefully winning state.”
The Lady Cardinals had trouble getting started in the fourth set and trailed, 11-2, with six unforced errors. They refused to let the