Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lady Tigers Pick Up Steam Too Late
PRAIRIE GROVE ELIMINATED FROM DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY
HUNTSVILLE — Prairie Grove picked up steam as the match progressed but couldn’t overcome a bad start and fell to Harrison, 11-25, 18-25, 25-17, 22-25, at the District 4A-1 volleyball tournament.
“We had a slow start. Obviously, Harrison had a lot to do with that. They’re just a great program, great coach, great kids. They’ve got some athletes,” said Prairie Grove coach Mat Stewart.
The Lady Tigers (10-10-1) came in seeded No. 4 West matched up against No. 3 East Harrison and were eliminated in the first-round on Monday, Oct. 21.
The first set was tied 7-7 but Prairie Grove faltered and allowed the Lady Goblins to go on an 18-4 run to finish off game one, 25-11.
Prairie Grove fought an uphill battle in the second set. Senior Samantha Blosser’s ace became the second point of an 8-3 Prairie Grove run that tied the score, 8-all. The Lady Tigers built a 12-9 lead getting Kennedy Conrad’s kill, Lexi Light’s block-kill and Madison Hutchinson’s ace.
Harrison replicated its lategame surge from the first set and closed out the second set on a 16-6 run to go up two games to none in the best-offive match.
Light (dig), Blosser (set) and Abbey Ingram (kill) worked the offense for a 15-11 Lady Tiger lead. Harrison hit the next ball long, but officials changed the ruling and ordered a replay.
Conrad was active along the front line going up strong for a block-kill and adding a pair of kills staking Prairie Grove out to a 19-11 lead. Light’s kill and Conrad’s push-kill brought the Lady Tigers to game-point. Harrison hit the ball into the net but another replay was ordered and the Lady Goblins got the next point closing within 24-17.
Light, however, put an end to Harrison’s ideas of a comeback by smashing a kill for the 25-17 Prairie Grove win.
“It took us a little while to get going and that momentum you could feel it in the gym and our girls just soaked it up and went for it and played about as well as we’ve played in awhile,” Stewart said.
The fourth set was tied five times in the early going before Harrison took a 10-6 lead. Conrad smacked a kill followed by a pair of Light scores off a block-kill and a kill. Prairie Grove managed four more ties and then briefly assumed a 21-20 lead on a Harrison hitting error.
Light’s push-kill knotted the score at, 22-22, but the Lady Tigers couldn’t get a second hit and lost the next points. Senior Grace Strode got Harrison to match-point with a kill and the Lady Goblins won 25-22 when a hit off the top of the net fell back on Prairie Grove’s side despite protests from those who thought Harrison was over the net.
Ingram played inspired down the stretch. She moved from the middle to outside during the season and Stewart said she sometimes experiences trouble with her timing.
“Abbey Ingram, when she gets going she hits about as hard as anybody in the conference,” Stewart said. “That’s a hard switch to make from quick sets to hitting outside and she’s gotten better and better over the course of the year and she’s definitely a game-changer if she gets going.”
Looking back on the season Stewart said there were times the team wishes they would have played better and lost some matches they shouldn’t have lost.
“Overall, I feel like the program’s improving. Our record’s better than it was last year,” Stewart said.
The program is laden with juniors and will have a lot of returning players for 2020, which Stewart said leads to higher expectations than what was hoped for in 2019.