Russellville gets last laugh against Greenwood
JONESBORO — Sophomore Hunter Eshnaur had 10 kills and sophomore Meredith Darnell came up with some key service points in the second and third sets Saturday to lift Russellville to a 3-0 victory over Greenwood in the Class 6A volleyball state championship game at Valley View High School.
Eshnaur, the tournament’s MVP, helped the Lady Cyclones earn their first state title since 2005 as Russellville won the match, 25-22, 25-23, 25-17.
“Everybody does their part, and I can tell you it wasn’t just me out there,” said Eshnaur, a 5-10 outside hitter. “Everybody did everything they could.”
Russellville (25-11) rallied from a 19-16 deficit in the second game to gain some momentum entering the final set.
“That’s kind of what we’ve done all year, we just kind of scratched the first two games out,” Russellville Coach Cindy Jones said. “Whether it’s the third game or fifth game, we just seem to find a way to grind it out.”
Junior middle blockers Dianna Hale and Ashtin Kendrick each came up with eight kills and five blocks for the winners. Senior setter Alaina Harpenau led Russellville in assists with 15 and Darnell had a team-high 13 digs.
Near the end of the second set, Darnell had three consecutive service points — including an ace — that spurred the Lady Cyclones’ rally.
“She’s our best server,” Eshnaur said. “I always believe that she’s going to come through in those key moments.”
Russellville’s victory came just a few weeks after Greenwood (17-14) had defeated Russellville in a conference game.
“They did their homework,” said Greenwood Coach Jennifer Golden, whose team won the Class 5A state championship a year ago. “They did the little things that we didn’t. Today, they were just a better team.”
Junior outside hitter Madison Gillam led Greenwood with seven kills, while senior Alexa Black served three aces.
CLASS 5A
NETTLETON 3, LR CHRISTIAN 1
Senior Alexis Beliew seemed to get better as the game got longer.
Beliew, a 5-8 senior middle hitter, had 16 kills and was chosen as the MVP in Nettleton’s 18-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Little Rock Christian.
“Lexi rolled her ankle near the end of the game, but she stayed in and that’s when she started playing her best,” Nettleton Coach Vicki Gatewood said. “She doesn’t give up ever and the harder she has to fight, the better she becomes.”
Nettleton (24-5) overcame a sluggish first set and managed to win the key points in the second and third sets.
The two teams were tied at 18-18 in the second set and were tied at 19-19 in the third set.
“We couldn’t get our offense together,” Little Rock Christian Coach Karen Schaedig said. “When our girls pass, we can hit and get the ball down. [Nettleton] was able to get some stuff down that we couldn’t handle. The ball just didn’t go our way tonight.”
Sophomore middle hitter Alden Weeks led Nettleton with 17 kills, while junior outside hitter Shayna McMillin added 12.
Senior middle blocker Mollie Pugh of Little Rock Christian (28-4) led everyone with 23 kills, and senior middle blocker Ashleigh Mallet had 14 kills.
CLASS 4A
VALLEY VIEW 3, JONESBORO WESTSIDE 0
Megan Mathis, a 5-10 senior outside hitter, was 20 for 20 on her serves, leading Valley View over 4A-Northeast Conference rival Jonesboro Westside 25-11, 25-13, 25-10.
Mathis, the tournament MVP, served for eight consecutive points in the third game, helping the Lady Blazers (30-4) claim their third consecutive state title.
“Megan, with her serving in the state tournament, has really torn it up from the back of the line,” Valley View Coach Margie McGee said. “She was on a mission to finish.”
“That felt amazing, because I wanted to get the points,” said Mathis, who also had 11 kills and 4 aces. “I’m a senior, and I’m supposed to be a leader to get those type of points to win the game.”
Valley View earned its eighth state title, and Saturday’s championship match was the seventh time in 10 years that the two Craighead County schools had faced each other for a state title.
“I think it all came down to experience.” Westside Coach Julie Tubbs said. “When you have four seniors on the court, that says a lot. Most of our players were sophomores and freshmen, but I’m proud of the fight we gave them.”
Westside (21-9) scored five of the first six points Saturday, but Valley View’s serving helped the Lady Blazers take control of the match.
Junior outside hitter Brentlee Weaver added 8 kills for Valley View, while senior Mallory Parton had 6 kills, senior Keely Caldwell had 6 kills and 3 blocks and sophomore Morgan White had 4 blocks.
Sophomore Madison Hopkins led Westside with 6 kills.
CLASS 3A
MANSFIELD 3, PARIS 0
Junior outside hitter Kaylie Pyles made 13 kills as the Lady Tigers cruised to a 25-13, 25-16, 25-15 victory over 3A-West Conference rival Paris.
Mansfield (26-5) scored 17 of the first 19 points and trailed only briefly at the start of the second set. It was the Lady Tigers’ fourth victory over Paris (16-13) this season.
“We knew if we could jump on them quickly, it would give us the momentum we needed,” said Pyles, who was selected as the tournament’s MVP. “We had to come out, jump on them and know we could beat them one more time.”
Mansfield claimed its second state title and was playing in its fourth state championship game in the past six years. The Lady Tigers won their previous state title in 2009 and had lost to Harding Academy in the 2011 state final.
“When you get off to a good start, it gets you mentally into it,” Mansfield Coach Brent Reeves said. “If you use that confidence correctly, you know you can play.”
Junior setter Mallory Ward added 11 kills for Mansfield while junior Erica McKay served 2 aces.
Sophomore middle hitter Daisy Mitchell led Paris with 8 kills, while senior middle hitter Haley Owen and junior middle hitter Jakyra Austin added 6 each.