Crowley’s Ridge makes most of small roster

CROWLEY’S RIDGE 3, LAVACA 0

HOT SPRINGS — Tori Cupp made 11 kills and Crowley’s Ridge Academy won its first state volleyball title since 2010 with a 3-0 victory over the Lavaca Lady Arrows at the Bank OZK Arena.

With only nine players on their roster, the Lady Falcons dispatched Lavaca in 46 minutes for a 25-13, 25-4, 25-16 victory in the Class 2A state title match.

Cupp, a 5-8 senior outside

hitter who was selected as the tournament’s MVP, also came up with six blocks and 13 digs.

“We’re small, but we motivate each other and work really hard in practice,” Cupp said.

“There’s not a whole lot of scrimmaging you can do,” Crowley’s Ridge Coach Royce McMillion said. “We do a lot of serving and serve receive. The setter gets in a lot of work. We touch a lot of volleyballs. That’s about all I can tell you.”

The title is the seventh in the program’s history, but

only its second since 2002.

The Lady Falcons (27-52) finished the season on a 12-match winning streak. Lavaca (17-14-1) saw a five-match streak end.

The teams split the first 16 points, but Crowley’s Ridge was in control for the rest of the match, winning 42 of the next 51 points.

“We’ve done that all season long,” Cupp said. “I think it’s just that we’re so motivated to win that we find a way. We’re never bringing each other down, and I think that’s why we’ve been able to make

it work.”

Lavaca led 8-4 in the third game before Crowley’s Ridge started a 10-3 surge that all but put the match away.

Junior middle hitter Emi Elms made 8 of her 11 kills in the final game while also coming up with a match-high 7 blocks. Junior setter Lily Newsom made 28 assists, and junior Matte Hardin had eight digs. Junior Sarah Wallace served two aces.

Seniors Hope Headley and Hannah Parsons each had seven kills for the Lady Arrows.