Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Prep volleyball
Springdale Har-Ber nets second sweep of the week.
ROGERS — It was a good week for Springdale Har-Ber.
Har-Ber completed its second sweep by defeating Rogers 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-22) Thursday in 6A-West Conference action at W.E. King Arena. The win followed a 3-0 win over Van Buren for Har-Ber (24-7, 112), which began the night tied for second place in the standings with Fayetteville.
“It was a good week for us considering Van Buren has been competitive all conference season and, coming to Rogers, we knew this would be a tough one, too,” Har-Ber coach Cassie Loyd said. “So, I’m really proud of the girls.”
Kyler Greenlee had 12 kills and Natalie Williams 11 kills to lead Har-Ber while Caylan Koons added 23 assists and 10 digs. Gracie Carr had nine kills and Ella McLeod eight kills for Rogers. Abby Harris added nine kills and 10 assists.
Rogers (11-20, 5-8) was swept by league-leading Bentonville on Tuesday, but the Lady Mounties were mostly competitive at home against the Lady Wildcats.
Neither team led by more than three points in the first match, which Har-Ber eventually won 25-22. Rogers forced a 17-17 tie then took the lead on a kill by Harris, a left-hander. But Har-Ber regained control and won the game on a point by Mackenzie White that skirted the top of the net before dropping into open space on the Rogers side.
White scored the winning point again when Har-Ber won the second match 25-21. Har-Ber began to pull away midway through the match after a kill by Williams. Kat Cooper then drilled a HarBer defender in the back row for a kill before Williams scored again to put the Lady Wildcats ahead 24-20.
Har-Ber used an 8-2 surge to break a 13-13 tie and win the third set 25-22 to complete the sweep. White and Cooper had kills while Faith Donnell dropped a return volley just inside the line for a point.
BENTONVILLE HIGH 3, SPRINGDALE HIGH 0
Bentonville clinched the league’s top seed for the Class 6A state tournament with a 25-13, 25-18, 25-18 decision over host Springdale.
Savanna Riney had 14 kills to pace the Lady Tigers (20-2, 12-1), who can clinch the outright conference title Tuesday with a win at home against Bentonville West. Ava Hoyford and Trinity Hamilton each had nine kills, while Taylor Shapley had team-highs with 36 assists and 14 digs. Kloey Eakin added 20 digs for Bentonville, which heads to Blue Valley, Kan., for a tournament this weekend.
Amaya Johnson had 6 kills for Springdale, and Beth Kobeney had 11 digs.
FAYETTEVILLE 3, ROGERS HERITAGE 0
The Lady Purple Bulldogs remained tied for second place in the 6A-West conference with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-17 win over Rogers Heritage on Thursday.
Rosanna Hicks had 12 kills and Madison James nine blocks to lead Fayetteville. Kennedy Phelan had 31 assists and 12 digs while Gracyn Spresser added 10 digs.
Fayetteville (26-5, 11-2 6A-West) will now take on Springdale Har-Ber on Tuesday with a first-round bye in the state tournament on the line.
Kayle McClain led the Lady War Eagles with five aces. Ashley Ware added six kills, while Ava Cate Cameron dished out 12 assists. Brittney Ware and Alli Edwards contributed 13 digs each.
VAN BUREN 3, BENTONVILLE WEST 0
Madalyn Doolittle had 10 kills as Van Buren earned a 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 victory and spoiled West’s final home game of the regular season.
Bailey Brooks added seven kills while Zoe Morrison and Grace Doolittle chipped in five apiece for the Lady Pointers (18-13-1, 7-6), who clinched the conference’s No. 4 seed for the Class 6A state tournament with the win. Brianna Bell had a team-high 26 assists, while Brooke Moore had 14 digs.
Kortney Puckett, one of four seniors for the Lady Wolverines (8-23, 4-9), had 14 kills, followed by Avery Kniss with 7. Allie McCasland had 29 assists and Baylee Lester had seven digs for West, which will be the league’s No. 6 seed for the state tourney.
FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 3, LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 0
Toree Tiffee finished with a match-high 14 kills and Avery Fitzgerald added 13 to help the Mavericks to a 25-16, 25-11, 25-13 win over Little Rock Central in 6A-Central play.
Hannah Hogue dished out 33 assists, while Hogue, Fitzgerald and Kelsey Hamilton added six digs each for Southside (27-5, 12-1) will host crosstown rival Fort Smith Northside on Tuesday.