Volleyball finals end with 5A showdown
The Arkansas Activities Association scheduled the Class 5A volleyball final for the 7 p.m. primetime slot and got the best matchup of the weekend.
Paragould and Valley View cap the state finals today at Bank of the Ozarks Arena with a battle of the defending 5A and 4A champions, respectively.
5A-East members knew the conference, already the classification’s best, was getting even tougher with Valley View moving up to 5A for the 201416 cycle, and the Blazers have delivered so far. They came into the season winning state titles eight of the last 10 years, positioning themselves for No. 9 with the No. 1 seed from the rugged East.
Valley View advanced from the all- East semifinals at its own Blazer Arena, getting all it could handle from fourth-seeded Batesville. The Blazers won the first two sets 25-11, 25-16 before the Pioneers won the next two 25-16, 25-23, forcing Valley View to regroup for a 15-12 clincher.
Paragould is the second seed from the East and showed its class throughout the tournament, not dropping a set in its title defense. Handling Sylvan Hills in the opener, the Lady Rams in the quarters swept a Harrison squad that went undefeated in 5A-West before best-
ing East third seed Nettleton 25-10, 25-20, 25-21 in the semis.
With reigning champion Jonesboro falling in the quarters, the 6A final at 11 a.m. begins the day with a matchup of the 2012 champ against the 2010 and 2011 winner, respectively Russellville and Marion. Russellville, the Central’s top seed, knocked off both last year’s champ and runner-up en route to the finals, sweeping Jonesboro 25-21, 25-17, 25-20 before beating Benton in four highly competitive sets, 23-25, 25-18, 30-28, 25-14.
Marion dusted off the Central’s two other seeds in the quarters and semis in Mountain Home, besting Siloam Springs 25-23, 16-25, 25-17, 26-24 and Greenwood 25-23, 25-21, 25-19.
Class 7A has gone through either Bentonville, Fayetteville or Fort Smith Southside since it formed in 2006, and the form holds up this year with Fayetteville facing Bentonville at 1 p.m. Fayetteville knocked off defending champ Southside in a five- set thriller in the semifinals, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 23-25, 15-13.
Bentonville also needed five sets to rally past Central champion Conway in their semifinal match in Fayetteville, 25-25, 2025, 23-25, 25-12, 15-7.
The 3 p.m. 3A final is a rematch from last year, when Mansfield knocked off Paris 24-26, 25-12, 25-22, 25-15 for its second consecutive state title and school’s third. The 3A-West conference rivals clash one more time, the Paris Lady Eagles thinking they have an advantage after winning the league’s regular season.
With Valley View gone, 4A opens up for Mena (30-4). But with the Blazers moving up, Shiloh Christian moved down and oppose the Ladycats. The only non- East team in last year’s 5A semis. the Lady Saints dropped only one set this week.
Mena rallied in five sets in its semifinal match with Berryville in Lonoke, 21-25, 25-15, 12-25, 25-18, 15-9.