Second round, same result for Lady Cats

By Dustin Guffey
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats defeated the Mount Saint Mary Belles on Tuesday, 25-23, 25-14, 18-25, 25-19, to improve to 8-0 in 7A-Central conference play and 13-2 overall.

“This was our first match in the second round of conference play, so it was important to get this win,” Conway assistant coach Andrea Fournier said.

Senior star Jasmyn Wilkins made her presence felt as she again led the Lady Cats in kills with 15. Senior Mary Dunlap had three blocks and junior Chelsey Hess recorded three aces for the Lady Cats. Senior Payton Hart continued to feed the offense, contributing an impressive 31 assists to lead the Conway attack.

The Lady Cats return home to face the Cabot Lady Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 1. The junior varsity match is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. with the varsity match to follow.

Lady Panthers win tournament

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

After losing a 5A-West conference match at Alma on Thursday and going undefeated at the Panther Power Jam Tournament on Saturday, the Greenbrier Lady Panthers defeated Sylvan Hills at home on Monday in a three-game volleyball match, 25-15, 25-14, 28-26.

The Lady Panthers’ current record stands at 12-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play.

Junior Morgan Colclasure served three aces, and junior Jessica Nichols was perfect on her serves. Senior Janessa Richards contributed 10 kills, and junior Kayla Waters added four kills and four blocks.

The Lady Panthers lost to Alma in a close four-game match, 27-25, 23-25, 20-25, 21-25. Waters achieved 13 kills and four blocks, and senior Kalea Hogg had eight kills and five digs.

In the Panther Power Jam Tournament, the Lady Panthers finished undefeated against Mayflower, Conway Christian and Clinton.
The Lady Panthers first demolished Mayflower in a two-game match, 25-16, 25-7, with junior Bree Hill, junior Abby Mallet, junior MacKenzie Mallet and Nichols finishing perfect on their serves.

The Lady Panthers defeated Conway Christian in a two-game match, 25-9, 25-15, with Richards serving four aces.
In their final match of the tournament, Greenbrier faced a tougher opponent in Clinton but still beat them in a three-game match, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13.

“I was very proud of the girls,” Greenbrier coach Cindy Hartman said about the tournament. “I thought they really played great together and made a lot of good things happen. In the finals, they came back after being down in Game 1 and pulled through on the next two games to win the match.

The Lady Panthers will next play five-time defending state champion Siloam Springs in a conference match on Thursday, Oct. 1 at home.

Lady Bulldogs remain unbeaten

By Demetrice Elmore
UCA sportswriting

St. Joseph’s Lady Bulldogs defeated the Perryville Lady Mustangs Thursday night, giving them a season record of 12-0.

“It was a good match and the girls played very good,” St. Joseph Lady Bulldogs coach Luke Davis said.

St. Joseph beat Perryville, 25-12, 25-4, 25-18, on Perryville’s home court to continue their unbeaten season in the 3A-Central Conference.

In Game 1, Amy Schichtl served 15 consecutive points for the Lady Bulldogs. Schichtl also had a game-high 11 kills. Game 1 was a close game for the Lady Bulldogs but they prevailed and were able to get the win. The Lady Mustangs called several timeouts to detour Schichtl from serving, but Schichtl stayed focused and paid attention to her game.

Lady Bulldogs junior Jessica Justice served 16 points in a row in Game 3 to close the match for St. Joseph. Jessica Justice had 25 assists. Jordan Justice contributed with 20 digs while sophomore Courtney Briggler added five kills and three blocks.

“Perryville is a tough place to play,” Davis said. “The girls stepped up, and I was really impressed.”

“After a big win at Conway Christian, as a coach you have to worry about a having a letdown, but I talked with the team and told them to get focused,” added coach Davis.

The Lady Bulldogs will be on the road again as they battle Rose Bud on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The match is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. with the junior varsity teams playing first.

Football Panthers shock Siloam in 5A-West opener

By Demetrice Elmore and Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

GREENBRIER—The Greenbrier Panthers defeated the Siloam Springs Panthers, 42-24, in their first 5A-West conference game of the season on Friday at Don Jones Stadium.

The Panthers improved their record to 3-1.

“It feels really good,” Greenbrier coach Randy Tribble said. “I’m just trying to contain myself right now. To see the kids work so hard and have success — it’s been a long time coming, and I’m very excited.”

Greenbrier finished just 1-9 last season.

Junior Hunter Winston emerged as the key player in Greenbrier’s victory and recorded a career-high 304 yards rushing on 26 carries with four touchdowns.

“[Winston] was pretty good tonight, and he is an outstanding player,” Tribble said. “He had been sick and missed two practices. He is very competitive, and he plays on the field all night on the offense and defense.”

The first quarter started with sophomore Jo Oluokun recovering a fumble by Siloam Springs’ quarterback Bryan Adair for an 81-yard touchdown.

After the kickoff, Siloam Springs fumbled on the return, and senior Tyler Thomas recovered the ball at Siloam Springs’ 35-yard line.

Greenbrier continued to fight to the end zone where Winston scored from the 3.

In the first 30 seconds of the second quarter, Winston raced for an 84-yard touchdown.

“I just wanted to do something that hadn’t been done in a while,” Winston said. “Win one in conference and start a tradition.”

Siloam Springs’ RJ Castillo scored a touchdown with eight minutes left in the quarter, but Greenbrier answered back with a 2-yard touchdown by Winston.

With the score 28-7, Siloam Springs scored two touchdowns by Adair and a 32-yard field goal by Pablo Castillo in the third quarter to put the pressure on Greenbrier with the score 28-24.

After the kickoff and a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, Winston scored an 88-yard touchdown with a minute left in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Oluokun intercepted a pass from Siloam Springs and scored a 16-yard touchdown.

Sophomore quarterback Neal Burcham completed 21 of 23 passes. Senior Tyler Hardee caught two passes for 59 yards, and senior Brady Day recorded five receptions for 36 yards.

Greenbrier lost 56 yards on 11 penalties during the game.

“We had too many penalties,” Tribble said. “We have a tendency to do that, and we have too many this year. We have to work hard at blocking. We still have a lot to learn.”

Greenbrier will play its next conference game when it travels to Mustang Mountain in North Little Rock on Friday to face Central Arkansas Christian (2-2, 0-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Mayflower football takes 2-3A win over Riverview

By Kevin Black
UCA sportswriting

Mayflower—Mayflower was 0-3 on the season heading into Friday's 2-3A conference opener against the Riverview Raiders, but they won when it counted, 37-26, at Patrick Stadium.

Eagle senior tailback and defensive back Demetris Lasker (6-2, 210) scored three times to lead Mayflower to a big win.

Eagles coach Jed Davis said he was proud of Lasker’s performance.

“He had a really good game,” Davis said.

Lasker broke for a 50-yard run on the second play of the game to give the Eagles an early lead.
After junior Tyler Ravlin converted the extra point to make it 7-0, the Eagles were successful on an onside kick when senior Wesley Varnell recovered on the Mayflower 49.

“We actually have about 13 or 14 onside kicks that we use,” Davis said. “Normally I want to take a shot at getting the ball back because it’s demoralizing to the other team if we score and get it right back.”

Davis said the onside kicks force teams to prepare for that instead of what they would normally practice the week of games.

The Eagles stormed toward their goal line, making three consecutive first downs before Lasker punched through the line from four yards out to give Mayflower a 13-0 lead only six minutes into the game.

Despite going up early, the Eagles were down 26-19 heading into the second half because the Raiders scored 18 unanswered points with the help of Mayflower turnovers.

“I really challenged him [Lasker] in the second quarter, because they scored 18 unanswered points, and he had fumbled the football twice for me,” Davis said. “I could tell it was really affecting him, and I told him, ‘all the great players, they just forget about it and they keep executing,’ and that’s what he did for us the rest of that game.”

Lasker scored from the 2 to get the Eagles within five points of the Raiders.

Mayflower senior Jordan Dycus connected with junior Chris Hale for a 31-yard touchdown pass that gave the Eagles a 1-point lead.

Dycus said he saw the coverage and made the adjustment.

“I saw it was man coverage, and I knew he [Hale] had a guy beat,” Dycus said. “To get that momentum swinger, I was pretty excited.”

Eagles senior Dominique Simpson returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that proved to be enough to ensure a Mayflower victory. The Eagle defense held the Raiders to only eight points in the second half.

“Our defense has given up a lot of points this season so far, and to come out in the second half and hold a good Riverview team to only eight points really made a statement,” Davis said.

The second half performance was an excellent experience for a young Eagle team, according to Davis.

“[The second half] was huge, because we’ve got a lot of young guys and we were down 13 points in the second half, and we responded,” Davis said. “It told me a lot about our guys, and about their attitudes. They are not going to quit on us, and they’re going to keep fighting."

Mayflower plays host to Brinkley at 7 p.m. Friday.

Lady Cats sweep Central, remain perfect in league play

By Ben Rowell
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats took three games to dispose of Little Rock Central on Thursday to improve their still-perfect record to 8-0 in the 7A-Central conference.

Conway prevailed, 25-13, 25-17, 25-14.

The Lady Cats looked a little wobbly in Game 1 but soon settled in to their usual dominant groove after a short pep talk from the sideline before Game 2.

“In Game 1, we were getting a feeling to see how the team [Central] would play,” said Conway senior Jasmyn Wilkins, who contributed six kills on the night, including two aces. “In Game 2 we came ready to play. We had a pep talk in the middle
of the court and said that we need to play higher, and not down to their [Central] level.”

In Game 2, the Lady Cats came out swinging but were quickly shut down by the Lady Tigers’ offense. Conway was down 9-3 when it rallied under server Alexis Robertson, scoring eight consecutive points.

“We can’t get in such a big hole like that, it is hard to get back out of,” Conway coach Laura Crow said. “We are lucky to have come back.”

Conway put all worries to rest as it dominated the third game in typical fashion. The Lady Cats were up 11-2 within the first few minutes of Game 3 and quickly moved ahead to finish the match with a kill from sophomore Madison Dayer, who finished with seven kills.

“Our team has a big senior class,” Crow said. “The younger players are stepping up knowing that our goal is be first in conference.”

Wilkins, a senior, agreed. She said she thought the team had shown improvement.

"I feel prepared," she said. "We have been practicing on blocking and getting ready for big blocks. The middle did a lot
better. We were running and executing well, but overall we have improved.”

The Lady Cats will face off against Mount St. Mary in Little Rock on Tuesday night to start the second half of the conference round-robin schedule.

“Playing Mount St. Mary at home is always hard," Crow said. "It’s tough to play there and should be very interesting.”

CCS volleyball takes conference win over Nemo Vista

By Charlie Livingston
UCA sportswriting

Conway Christian was about to put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep of conference rival Nemo Vista when fatigue caught up to the Lady Eagles on Thursday.

But the Lady Eagles held on for a 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 3A-Central victory.

"We just had a tough loss (Tuesday) to St. Joseph and we're just now finally getting some girls back," CCS coach Heather Law said.

Conway Christian moved to 7-3 overall and 7-2 in the 3A-Central. Nemo Vista fell to 9-2 overall and 7-2.


Game 1 was a back-and-forth battle that neither team led by more than five points. Conway Christian was able to close out the game by scoring six of the last eight points.

Game 2 was highlighted by a disputed point and stopped play for about five minutes. Once they started playing again, Olivia Mayweather scored on four straight serves, including an ace, and Conway Christian cruised from there, outscoring Nemo Vista 17-4 to win 25-17.

Game 3 probably should not have been close. Conway Christian was cruising along comfortably at 17-4 after Mary Nabholz, a senior, scored on 11 straight serves to seemingly put the match out of reach.

But Nemo Vista was not done. After a time-out, Nemo Vista cut Conway Christian's lead to 21-18 with the serve. Law called a time-out of her own to settle her team.

“We were just flat," she said. "We lost focus and we were about to let the game slip away.”

After the time-out, the Lady Eagles outscored Nemo Vista 4-2 to finish the sweep.

Law was much happier with her team's effort against Nemo Vista.

“We had the same amount of kills in the St. Joe game as our leading girl, Morgan May, did tonight,” she said.

As nice as the win over Nemo Vista was, Law could not help but be reflective about a possible missed opportunity against St. Joseph, which remained unbeaten.

“St. Joe was the game you marked on your calendar even before the season, that was the game that you wanted to show up for, and we were not able to and that was disappointing,” she said.

For CCS, Taylor Guinn had four kills, eight assists and three aces. May chipped in with five kills, three blocks and a kill block. Law also recognized Lexi Dather, who had never played in a varsity match and came in to help the banged-up Lady Eagles.

Law said the Lady Eagles had not been able to play their ideal lineup once this season, and Thursday was even more of a struggle.

“Reagan Bell is a girl that swings from the JV team to the varsity and could not play tonight because she had to study for a test,” she said.

Conway Christian will play in the Panther Power Jam at Greenbrier on Saturday, then return to conference play when it plays host to Mayflower on Monday.

MHS to open football conference play at Riverview

By Kevin Black and Sean Cavender
UCA sportswriting

The Mayflower Eagles will begin 3A-2 conference play against the Riverview Raiders on Friday, Sept. 25 at Mayflower.

Mayflower is coming into this game 0-3, but it won the league last year with a 7-0 conference record, finishing 10-2.

The Eagles’ non-conference competition this fall helped to get them prepared for conference, according to Mayflower coach Jed Davis.

“We played up in classification for our non-conference game,” Davis said. “ We played (Class 4A) Clarksville, (Class 5A) Greenbrier, so we feel like we play a tougher non-conference schedule than most teams.”

Playing up a classification gives the team morale, according to Davis.

“It’s not going to make us any better playing teams that are worse than us,” he said. “We have to play good competition so we know exactly where we stand.”

Demetris Lasker, one of Mayflower's tailbacks, agreed.

"We played the hardest non-conference games, so we should be ready,” he said.

The Eagles have improved substantially since the season started, according to Davis.

“We found the mistakes that we had to fix and that’s what we’ve been doing,” he said.

The Raiders (2-1) finished last year with a 5-6 overall record.

“They are very athletic,” Davis said. “They’ve got some running backs and receivers that are very fast and athletic.”

Lasker said stopping the Raiders’ offensive threat would be key in an Eagle victory.

“They have two good running backs and they run hard and we’ll just make sure our linebackers come up and come hard,” Lasker said.

A strong performance by the offensive line could get the Eagles their first victory of the season, according to Lasker.

“Our line needs to block really hard," he said. "We’ve been working on that, and if we get receivers blocking so we can run the ball hard, we should win,” Lasker said.

The Eagles are looking forward to having home field advantage this Friday night, Davis said.

“We expect a big crowd here at Mayflower," he said. "The community is always really good about coming out and supporting us, and we’re excited about starting off our conference at home."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Patrick Stadium.

Conway Christian faces tough football foe in Danville

By Charlie Livingston
UCA sportswriting

Every game is a big one, but Friday's game against Danville will be especially interesting for the Conway Christian Eagles.

“They'll probably be the best coached team we'll face all year,” Conway Christian Coach Chuck Speer said.

Be that as it may, it is a game that could very well decide the 2A-5 conference championship. Danville, Conway Christian and Mountain Pine were all identified in the preseason as the teams to beat, and nothing has happened through the first three weeks to change that opinion.

Conway Christian (2-1, 1-0) faces Danville (2-1, 1-0) at Conway Christian at 7 p.m., and Speer knows what his team is up against. Conway Christian is one of the smallest schools in its classification, and Danville is one of the biggest.

“I think they're going to dress 17 seniors and we're going to only have about 20 guys total that night,” he said.

Conway Christian will be led by junior quarterback Kirby Powell and the twin rushing attack of Bates Isom, a junior with 389 rushing yards and Adam “Fuzzy” Ragland, also a junior with 399 rushing yards. Danville will feature Justin Roy at quarterback and Ossie Appalategui at receiver.

Conway Christian does not have a lot of depth in the first place, and will have even less on Friday night. The Eagles will be without receiver Jordan Legree. Legree's brother, Landon, usually a two-way player on the offensive line and at linebacker, will not see action on offense, but will play Friday. Fuzzy Ragland is questionable, but will likely split time at running back and play at linebacker. Sophomore Tyler Ratliff will be back from finger surgery.

Danville employs a kind of pistol power I formation with the quarterback lined up behind center but still in front of a tailback and a blocking back in the backfield. Conway Christian uses the traditional pistol.

Greenbrier to open 5A-West football play with Siloam

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

After a disappointing 1-9 finish last year, the Greenbrier Panthers have renewed determination to clinch their first 5A-West conference win against the Siloam Springs Panthers on Friday.

Greenbrier will play its homecoming game at Don Jones Stadium on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

With Greenbrier at an already improved 2-1 record for the season and Siloam Springs currently undefeated, coach Randy Tribble said this game is guaranteed to be a back-and-forth battle.

“I expect it to be a really hard-fought game,” Tribble said. “I think that it’s a game that can go either way. Either team can win this game, and I am expecting a great effort by our crew.”

Siloam Springs made it to the second round of the state playoffs last season but lost to the Helena-West Helena Cougars.

Tribble said that even though Siloam Springs has a more aggressive team, Greenbrier’s team has more depth and has been practicing hard to defeat the Panthers.

“We have a little more depth, but they have a bigger, more physical team,” Tribble said. “We have to raise our level of play to beat them. We’ve been really working hard against their offensive and defensive schemes.”

Despite the loss to Heber Springs last Friday, Tribble said that the Panthers learned a lot because Siloam Springs’ offense is similar to Heber Springs’.

“They line up in a Spread and run the ball really well,” he said. “It’s helpful to play similar offenses two weeks in a row. Defensively we are working on the things we like to do. With our offense we are trying to improve our execution.”

Greenbrier sophomore quarterback Neal Burcham has fueled the offense with 30 completed passes out of 52 attempts and eight touchdowns in the first two games of the season. Tyler Hardee has also caught eight receptions for 193 yards and five touchdowns, and junior Hunter Winston has been a team leader in rushing with 16 carries for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Two Greenbrier players—linemen Matt Cain and Chase Lear—suffered shoulder injuries early in the game last Friday, and Tribble said he hoped they would return to play as soon as possible.

“That really hurt us last week,” Tribble said. “It’s just the part of the game that you don’t like, but hopefully we will get them back before too long. “

Winning the first conference game of the season is very important to the Panthers, Tribble said, because it would show a complete turnaround from last season.

“Starting off 2-0 felt really good, and that’s more wins than we had last year,” he said. “The first three games are important, but they aren’t near as important as the conference. It would be a great victory for us to get 1-0 in conference. We want to make the playoffs. We are a stronger, better football team, and we still have a long way to go, but there’s definite progress.”

Lady Bulldogs improve to 11-0, beat CCS

By Demetrice Elmore
UCA sportswriting

St. Joseph's Lady Bulldogs defeated the Conway Christian Lady Eagles in a three game volleyball match Tuesday, 25-17, 25-18, 25-11, at the Conway Christian home gymnasium.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 11-0 overall and 7-0 in 3A-Central Conference play.

“We played average with a lot of mistakes, but it was a big win,” St. Joseph coach Luke Davis said. “We can do a lot better.”

The Lady Bulldogs started Game 1 with senior captain Veronica Bausom hitting hard for the first point of the game. St. Joseph junior Amy Schichtl served four consecutive points, giving the Lady Bulldogs an 11-4 lead. Both teams had some trouble serving in the net Tuesday, with each serving three into the net in Game 1. The game ended with the Lady Eagles hitting long.

“Veronica Bausom stepped up in a big game and led us,” Davis said. “She played really well tonight.”

The Lady Bulldogs started Game 2 with Bausom putting up the first point. She finished with six kills for the match. The Lady Bulldogs began Game 2 with a 6-0 lead before Lady Eagle Morgan May recorded the first point for Conway Christian. The Lady Bulldogs kept the lead throughout Game 2. With the score at 20-17, the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles had a good volley with the Lady Eagles' Olivia Meriweather delivering a point. A game violation was called next when the Lady Eagles were apparently out of rotation, giving St. Joseph a point, 21-18. The Lady Bulldogs, would, however, take control and sophomore Torri Carter would serve the last four points ending Game 2.

“ We had to cut down on free balls and get more kills,” Bausom said.

The Lady Bulldogs dominated Game 3 with junior Jessica Justice serving six consecutive early to set the tempo. The Lady Bulldogs would never give the Lady Eagles a chance to get close as CCS struggled to hit the ball inbounds on many plays and had 10 net violations, including hitting in net and serving in net. Game 3 ended with the Lady Bulldogs having a strong lead of 14 to win the match.

“We didn’t come ready to go," Conway Christian coach Heather Law said. "We had to change our lineup due to illnesses and we were facing a lot of adversity with missing players and playing a prior game just the night before. Our defense was not getting down, and we just played our weakest game of the season.”

The Lady Eagles will be playing again at home Thursday against Nemo Vista. Law said the St. Joseph match was a wake-up call and her team (7-2 in conference play) would come ready to play.

The Lady Bulldogs will try to continue their unbeaten season at Perryville on Thursday.

Lady Cats still unbeaten in 7A-Central play

By Dustin Guffey
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats survived a battle for the top of the 7A-Central on Tuesday with a four-game triumph at North Little Rock — which entered as the only other undefeated conference team.

Conway prevailed, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20.

“I'm obviously happy about it (the win)," Conway coach Laura Crow said. "We still have a lot more games though, so hopefully we can keep it up."

After a rare loss in the first game, the Lady Cats took the next three to improve their overall record to 12-2 and 7-0 in
7A-Central conference play.

The standout player for the Lady Cats was senior Jasmyn Wilkins, who led the team with 17 kills while fellow senior Breezy Murphy contributed 13 kills. Junior Chelsey Hess led in digs with 17. Senior Payton Hart also played a big part in the win, leading the team with 42 assists and also adding five blocks.

The Lady Cats return home to face the Little Rock Central Lady Tigers on Thursday, Sept. 24. The junior varsity match is scheduled to start at 4:30 with the varsity match to follow.

Lady Panthers fall to CAC

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

GREENBRIER—The Greenbrier Lady Panthers lost to the Central Arkansas Christian Lady Mustangs in a four-game 5A-West volleyball conference match on Tuesday, 25-18, 25-9, 23-25, 25-21, at the Panther Pavillion.

The loss puts the Lady Panthers 3-3 in conference play and 8-5 overall.

Greenbrier coach Cindy Hartman said that the Lady Panthers’ problems came from their poor passing and lack of momentum.

“Our passing was not very good,” Hartman said. “Our reaction time was very slow. We struggled with the passing, and it’s usually one of our strengths. It took us Game 3 to get any momentum, and in volleyball, momentum is everything.”

Game 1 started with a kill by senior Kalea Hogg before CAC took control of the match. The Lady Mustangs served five aces against Greenbrier, and despite an ace and a kill from senior Summer Richard, the Lady Panthers were never able to commandeer the game.

“We couldn’t pull it together,” sophomore Hannah Porter said. “We didn’t have a good attitude.”

The Lady Panthers suffered another setback when Richard was removed at the beginning of Game 2 after she hyperextended her knee while delivering a kill. Before exiting the match, Richard executed three kills and three blocks.

“We are going to evaluate her injury,” Hartman said. “It hurt us having her out of the match.”

CAC took advantage of the loss of Richard and pummeled Greenbrier’s fledgling defense. CAC served 10 consecutive times to grab an early lead of 17-5 before the Lady Panthers tried to reinvigorate the offense with a tip by junior Joy Vaillancourt and a block by senior Janessa Richards.

Their attempt was quick and unsuccessful as CAC gained control of the ball and finished the game.

“Everyone fell apart,” Richards said. “We weren’t having any fun. We were all mad at each other and wanting to blame everyone else.”

Game 3 showed a change in both the Greenbrier offense and defense. Junior Jessica Nichols served an ace, and junior Kayla Waters spiked the ball to put Greenbrier in the lead.

Junior Morgan Colclasure served five consecutive times to further their lead to 17-12. CAC attempted to fight back and even tied the game 23-23, but the Lady Panthers claimed the game with a kill by senior Brittany Edwards and a block by Richards.
Greenbrier took the lead early in Game 4 but lost their momentum later.

Richards and Hogg both served aces while Waters contributed three kills to keep the score close. After CAC tied the game at 20-20, the Lady Mustangs swiftly took control of their momentum and finished the game.

Hogg completed the match with six kills and three blocks. Waters executed thirteen kills, and Richards contributed seven kills. Edwards finished the game with eight digs.

Despite the loss, Hartman said that the Lady Panthers will regain their spark for their next match.

“One of the things the girls have to do is keep their spirits up,” she said. “They want to go to state, and we have to be there both physically and mentally.”

The Lady Panthers will go on the road to play the Alma Lady Airedales in another conference match on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Mayflower knocks off Cutter in volleyball

By Kevin Black
UCA sportswriting

Mayflower—Mayflower’s Lady Eagles beat Cutter Morning Star on Tuesday, 25-10, 23-25, 25-21,25-21.

Lady Eagles coach Traci Berry said the team was ready for a win in a big Class 3A-A match and the Lady Eagles got the job done, winning the first game, 25-10.

“We needed a win,” Berry said. “The first game, we played really well. We came out, we were communicating, we were making good decisions.”

The Lady Eagles won the first game quickly, according to Berry, who said they might have gotten ahead of themselves.

“Then I think we kind of took it for granted a little bit, and stopped doing those things,” Berry said.

Taylor Gregory said the Lady Eagles communicated well in the first game.

“The first game we played awesome — our communication was up, our moving and our transitions were really good,” Gregory said.

In Game 2, the Lady Eagles were down until Sam Paradis served seven straight points to give them a 15-11 lead, a performance Berry said was important.

“We had some players come in and serve for us, there in a pinch, that came under some pressure,” Berry said. “I think that was big.”

The Cutter Lady Eagles fought back late in the game on Danielle Graves’ strong services, and several late return errors for Mayflower gave Morning Star the 25-23 win to tie the match at 1-1.

In Game 3, Mayflower got off to a good start early and never relinquished the lead until Morning Star tied it at 10-10.
Mayflower's Hannah Fulmer served three straight points late, and the Eagles held off Morning Stars’ Kati Dixon’s three consecutive kill attempts to win, 25-21.

“I think we should have talked a little more in the second and third game,” Gregory said.

Morning Star was up 11-2 at one point in Game 4 thanks to Graves’ nine straight service points. But the Eagles fought back with two straight aces by Whitney Willock, a kill by Fulmer, two consecutive kills by Taylor Gregory and another ace for Willock to cut the lead to two.

Later in Game 4, the Eagles were down 21-20 when Main served six consecutive points, including a game-winning ace, one of two in the stretch.

Berry said Paradis and Taurine Main deserved credit for stepping up against Morning Star.

“I feel like they showed a lot tonight, coming in and getting a chance to play in the varsity match,” Berry said. “They took care of their business.”

Gregory said despite some errors, it was a big win for Mayflower.

“I’m glad we won. It’s a conference match, so one step closer to state,” Gregory said.

Mayflower will play host to Little Rock Lutheran on Thursday.

Greenbrier volleyball knocks off Harrison

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

GREENBRIER—The Greenbrier Lady Panthers defeated the Harrison Lady Goblins in a four-game volleyball match Thursday, 25-16, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16, at the Panther Pavilion.

The Lady Panthers are now 3-2 in 5A-West conference play and 8-4 overall.

Greenbrier coach Cindy Hartman said that the Lady Panthers started out slowly offensively but picked up the pace by the end of the first game.

“We had a hard time getting going,” Hartman said. “We struggled. After dropping one game, they picked up the momentum. Our setters did an awesome job. Kayla Waters is a good leader, and she’s very enthusiastic.”

Game 1 started out with two back-to-back kills by junior Waters. Harrison, however, was quick to take over the lead while Greenbrier seemed unable to return the ball. With the score 13-13, junior Morgan Colclasure served an ace and senior Janessa Richards executed a kill to give Greenbrier a boost.

Harrison once again attempted to take control of the game, but Richards closed the game with seven consecutive serves, including two aces.

Game 2 began with Greenbrier quickly nabbing the lead. Harrison managed to tie the game, 10-10, but after a few errors by the Lady Goblins, the Lady Panthers took control and won the game.

Game 3 showed a misstep in both the Lady Panthers’ offense and defense. After both teams failed to execute return hits, the score was tied 14-14 before Richards served two aces and Greenbrier took the lead. The game repeated with a back-and-forth of missed opportunities for both teams, but Harrison managed to secure the game.

Colclasure started Game 4 with an ace, and Richards served five consecutive times with four back-to-back aces to put Greenbrier up 8-3. The Greenbrier offense returned to form as junior Mackenzie Mallet, Richards and Junior Lauren Rose all executed kills to put Greenbrier up 14-11. Colclasure served two aces and Richards served six consecutive times with an ace to clinch the match.

Despite their victory, the Lady Panthers showed a few offensive weaknesses, and senior Brittany Edwards said that the team didn’t measure up to its usual standards.

“Overall, we did a good job, but we didn’t play to our full potential,” Edwards said. “We had good defense, but our offense was not as good. In the third game, we slipped up and let them sneak behind us. We didn’t play as a team. We were playing as individuals.”

Richards served 10 aces and delivered seven kills and four blocks in the match. Waters completed the match with 17 kills and seven digs. Senior Kalea Hogg delivered eight kills and six digs in the match.

Greenbrier faces a stiff test next week with matches against the two teams the Lady Panthers are tied with for third place in the conference — Central Arkansas Christian and Alma.

“Next week is big,” Hartman said. “We really have to win.”

The Lady Panthers will face CAC's Lady Mustangs on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Panther Pavilion with the junior varsity match set for 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow.

Lady Cats keep rolling

By Dustin Guffey
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats remained unbeaten in 7A-Central volleyball play Thursday, sweeping the Bryant Lady Hornets on the road, 25-22, 25-13, 25-13.

This made it five straight sweeps for the Lady Cats as they improved to 10-2 overall and 5-0 in conference play.

Senior Mary Dunlap led the Lady Cats with 12 kills while junior Chelsey Hess led in digs with 16. Senior Jasmyn Wilkins
contributed with two blocks and Caitlin Trickett led in aces with three.

The Lady Cats will remain on the road when they travel to North Little Rock on Tuesday Sept. 22. The junior varsity match is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.

Lady Panthers escape Morrilton

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

The Greenbrier High School Lady Panthers barely squeaked by the Morrilton High School Lady Devil Dogs in a close 5A-West conference road volleyball match on Tuesday, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23.

This victory bumped the Lady Panthers to 2-2 in conference play and 7-4 overall.

Greenbrier Coach Cindy Hartman said that the Lady Panthers worked together well in order to lock the win.

“In Game 3 Summer Richard served nine points in a row and then MacKenzie Mallet served the last four points,” Hartman said. “Both girls stepped up on the line and served with confidence. Mallet also finished off Game 4 with the last three points. Janessa Richards had a lot of great placement hits in Game 4 to help shift the momentum. Kayla Waters and Brittany Edwards set the ball well to help with the unity on offense. Waters had 18 assists and Edwards had nine.”

Senior Richard finished the match with three aces and four blocks. Junior Waters served 100 percent and executed seven kills and seven digs along with her 18 assists in the match. Senior Richards delivered eight kills and went 14-for-15 on her serves.

Greenbrier previously competed in the High School Volleyball Invitational Tournament in Harrison on Saturday where they defeated the Jacksonville Lady Devils in a three-game match, 25-20, 14-25, 15-10. The Lady Panthers lost to the Piggott Lady Mohawks, 27-25, 27-25, and the Mountain Home Lady Bombers, 23-25, 25-21, 15-8.

“The girls came up against some very tough competition and that allowed us to get better as a team,” Hartman said. “Hopefully, we can take what we learned this weekend and use it to help us in our conference matches this week.”

Lady Bulldogs remain unbeaten with win over Cavewomen

By Amanda Smallwood
UCA sportswriting

St. Joseph defeated Cave City in 3A-Central Conference volleyball match of unbeatens Wednesday, 25-9,25-15, 25-16.

Cave City defeated St. Joseph at the district final last year, putting the Lady Bulldogs in the Class 3A State Tournament as a No. 2 seed.

“I am very proud that we won against Cave City,” sophomore Courtney Briggler said. “They were the only other team in 3-A Central that was undefeated.”

In Game 1, St. Joseph junior Jessica Justice served eight consecutive points, giving the Lady Bulldogs an 8-0 lead. With St. Joseph servers achieving many aces St. Joseph kept the lead. Senior Veronica Bausom ended the game with an ace, 25-9.

“Tonight the team's best element would be the offense," St. Joe coach Luke Davis said. "They were making their sets and following through with their hits.”

Bausom led the game with four aces; Jessica Justice served three. Junior Jordan Justice accomplished the only dig of the first game. Amy Schichtl recorded two kills, one hit and the only block for the team.

“After winning the first game we had to focus and not get a big head,” sophomore Torri Carter said.

In Game 2, St. Joseph started off with the lead but Cave City was close behind. The lead started to grow more and more as Cave City continued to hit the ball out. Once again St. Joseph was faced with playing off of free balls; however, Jessica Justice was ready with six assists.

Junior Katie Halter put down five hits while Briggler had five hits and one block. Schichtl also accomplished five kills, two hits and one block.

“Since the team has been working on communication we also have learned a lot about keeping team spirit,” Carter said. “And tonight we proved it.”

In Game 3, Cave City took the lead for the first time of the evening, 4-2. A dig from Carter changed the rhythm of the game, and St. Joseph tied it, 9-9. The Lady Bulldogs kept the lead with two aces from Jordan Justice, 24-16. The last hit of the game brought on a rally until Jessica Justice ended the game with a light tip, 25-16.

Jordan Justice finished the game with six digs and one ace. Schichtl accomplished one ace, three kills, two hits and one block.

Davis said the Lady Bulldogs had progressed since the season started, improving on elements that they've done in the game before.

Added Carter: “Over the season the team has learned more about each other's playing ability as well as our own.”

St. Joseph's next game will be against Conway Christian.

"A lot of people are hyping up the game and trying to make us rivals," Davis said. "This will be the last conference game and the team just wants to win."

MHS shows improvement in volleyball loss

By Kevin Black
UCA sportswriting

Mayflower—Mayflower’s Lady Eagles lost a three-game volleyball match to Little Rock Episcopal Collegiate on Tuesday, 25-20, 25-16,25-16.

Mayflower coach Traci Berry said the Lady Eagles got off to a much better start in the match compared to previous ones.

“They are a tough team, I mean they are good, and we got up early and we just couldn’t seem to keep it up,” Berry said.

Episcopal has been a regular in the Class 3A State Tournament in recent years.

In Game 1, a late surge by the Lady Eagles helped tie the game for the first time at 18-18 before a series of four kills in five plays propelled the Wildcats to a 25-20 victory. Senior Melissa Winter had four kills in the game for the Wildcats.

In Game 2, Mayflower never led or tied after a 3-0 start by the Wildcats thanks to Winter’s two kills in the first three points.
Mayflower’s five kills and one block in the game were not enough to beat the Wildcats, whose 12 kills in the game led them to the 25-16 victory.

“We’ve got to get bigger at the net, especially against a team like Episcopal," Berry said. "I mean, they are going to hit the ball. They are not going to send too many free balls back over the net. We’ve got to get bigger at the net. We’ve got to get better with our blocking. Our timing is off, but that’s something we can work on.”

In Game 3, the Lady Eagles went down 5-0 on Nicole Soulsby’s service but battled back to tie the game at 11-11 with kills by Whitney Whillock, Hannah Fulmer, Summer Hoggard and a block by Halee Hensley.

Mayflower then took the lead on the next point when Hensley cleared the net to block a kill attempt. The Lady Eagles’ Taylor Gregory rolled her right ankle on a block attempt and had to leave the game. She was replaced by Lisa Young.

Gregory said her injury was unfortunate and that she hoped to return soon.

“ I jumped up to get the ball, and when I jumped up to get it and try to get it in to the rest of the team, I landed on somebody else’s foot that was under the net and twisted my ankle,” Gregory said.

With the game tied at 15-15, Winter recorded three consecutive kills for the Lady Wildcats, propelling them ahead of the Lady Eagles, but Episcopal gave it right back with four consecutive return errors later that tied the game at 21-21.

Winter had a kill, and senior Meghan Miros served back-to-back aces that were followed by a return error by the Lady Eagles that gave Episcopal the match.

“Our intensity starting out was really good, but then towards the middle I think we got a little bit discouraged about some of the points,” Gregory said. “Something that we could have been working on was probably our talking a little more and getting our coverage ready, because it’s a very high reaction sport.”

Mayflower fell to 0-2 in 3A-South conference play, with losses to Episcopal and Fountain Lake on the season.

Berry said the team showed some form tonight and that she liked the strong play of her team early in the match.

“We’re showing some improvement, normally we don’t get up that early, normally we don’t start that early, so that’s something different — a good thing,” Berry said.

Lady Cats remain unbeaten in 7A-Central play

By Shawn Lee
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats improved to 4-0 in 7A-Central volleyball play and 9-2 overall as they swept the Van Buren Lady Pointers on Tuesday, 25-15, 25-14, 25-9 in Van Buren.

The Lady Cats marked their fourth consecutive sweep.

Seniors Payton Hart and Mary Dunlap led the team in kills with nine each, while senior Alexis Robertson had a team-high 21 digs and served four aces.

The Lady Cats will be on the road once again on Thursday as they head to Bryant to face the Lady Hornets. The match is set to start at 5 p.m.

St. Joseph volleyball improves to 9-0

By Amanda Smallwood
UCA sportswriting

St. Joseph’s Lady Bulldogs demolished Cedar Ridge’s Lady Timberwolves on Monday, 25-13, 25-14, 25-8.

St. Joseph is now 9-0 in 3-A Central conference play.

“This was a conference win so I am proud of them, but I am disappointed because it got sloppy at times," Lady Bulldog coach Luke Davis said. "We are fresh from a tournament so we are a little tired, but if we are going to go all the way and win our conference and even state, we don’t need this type of playing.”

In Game 1, St. Joseph led off with the first point but made multiple net violations to give the Lady Timberwolves a 6-3 lead. Junior Amy Schichtl tried to bring the Lady Bulldogs back with a strong kill that hit a player from Cedar Ridge. Schichtl served 10 straight serves to expand St. Joseph's lead from 15-12 to 24-13.

“One of our major challenges with Cedar Ridge was getting used to them free balling," junior Katie Halter said. "We had to stay alert and communicate with each other.”

Schichtl had three aces, two kills, three hits and two tips. Halter added three kills and three hits. Sophomore Courtney Briggler recorded five kills and two hits.

"We need to be consistent on our playing to make sure we can deliver our best," Briggler said.

In Game 2, St. Joseph had a slow start, giving Cedar Ridge a small lead, 3-1. Senior Veronica Bausom served seven straight, giving the Lady Bulldogs an 8-3 lead. The Lady Timberwolves seemed to have difficultly communicating with each other and not blocking against Lady Bulldog hits. St. Joseph kept the big lead to win the game, 25-14.

Briggler put down three kills and five hits. Junior Jordan Justice served one ace and addedthree digs. Junior Brandi Elsinger had one kill and five hits. Halter recorded one kill, one dig and four hits.

"We are still struggling on our communication skills on the court," Davis said. "We were running into each other and not keeping our heads up."

In Game 3, the Lady Bulldogs swept through the Lady Timberwolves quickly. Junior Jessica Justice started the game with three consecutive aces. Bausom served six straight, including three aces, to increase St. Joe's lead. Sophomore Torri Carter ended the game with seven consecutive serves with two aces at the end.

Bausom had four aces and three hits. Elsinger had once ace, one kill and three hits. Jessica Justice had three aces, four assists and one dig.

"Courtney Briggler and Katie Halter played a good game," Davis said. "They were alert and also very consistent."

St. Joseph's next match will be against Cave City Wednesday at St. Joseph.

Both teams are undefeated. Cave City beat St. Joseph at the 3-A Central Conference district final last year.

“We lost to Cave City last year and we lost two of our varsity players," Briggler said. "We have a whole new combination of players and the team is excited to see how the game will go.”

St. Joseph wins 3 at Paris Tournament

By Amanda Smallwood
UCA sportswriting

St. Joseph’s Lady Bulldogs defeated all three 3-A Central conference opponents to win the Paris Tournament on Saturday, making them 8-0 for the season.

“The team played very well at the tournament, but we still need to focus on our communicating skills on the court," junior Jordan Justice said.

In its first match, St. Joseph beat Green Forest's Lady Tigers, 25-22, 25-7, 25-16. Junior Jessica Justice delivered 26 assists and four aces. Junior Amy Schichtl led with the offense with 11 kills; Jordan Justice added 14 digs.

In Match 2, St. Joseph defeated the Booneville Lady Bearcats, 22-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-13.

“Booneville is a (Class) 4-A school that we don’t usually play,” sophomore Courtney Briggler said. “We lost the first game but we had to come together and come back hard to win the last three games.”

Jessica Justice had 44 assists and five aces. Jordan Justice had 15 digs — the only ones for the match. Schichtl recorded 26 kills and Briggler nine. In Games 2 and 4, Jessica Justice served nine points in a row.

Coach Luke Davis said, “Every girl that played contributed today in some way. That’s what we need if we want to go deep in the season.”

In the final match, the Lady Bulldogs demolished Paris' Lady Eagles, 25-15, 25-15, 25-19.

Schichtl had five kills and seven aces. Senior Katie Reinhard served three aces.

“This was a good day for us," Davis said. "I was worried about endurance because we played three matches in a row, but the girls did really well.”

Davis said St. Joseph could possibly see Paris and Green Forest later in the season, so this tournament was good exposure to North Conference play.

Conway Christian takes 5-game win over Perryville

By Charlie Livingston
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Christian Lady Eagles started slowly but finished fast Thursday against Perryville, taking the match 20-25, 18-25, 25-3, 25-18, 15-12.

Taylor Guinn filled the statistics sheet by registering 10 kills, nine aces and 18 assists. She was helped by 10 kills each from Olivia Mayweather and Morgan May and seven kills from Mary Nabholz. Nabholz also had the highest hitting percentage with an accuracy of .154.

Sumerlin Criswell did her part with five aces, while Payton Cope and Robbi Riggs both had 13 digs.

Fountain Lake sweeps Mayflower volleyball

By Kevin Black
UCA sportswriting

Mayflower — Mayflower’s Lady Eagles lost a three-game volleyball match to Fountain Lake on Thursday, 25-11, 25-12, 25-23.

Mayflower coach Traci Berry said the Lady Eagles need to play better earlier in the match, citing slow starts to the past two matches.

“We’ve done that the last two matches now … just have to find some way to motivate,” Berry said. “Right now we just haven’t found it.”

In Game 1, the Cobras scored the first three points on kills from juniors Isis Nero and Ally Bell. The Lady Cobras were up 20-7 at one point before the Lady Eagles made a late surge, but the margin was too much to overcome and Fountain Lake won handily.

Nero had three kills and Katie Lampo, a freshman for the Lady Cobras, had four kills leading Fountain Lake to a Game 1 victory.

The Lady Eagles showed some nervousness against the Lady Cobras, according to Berry.

“You can’t play nervous. You can’t play scared, I mean, you’ve got to be able to step up when it’s intense,” Berry said. “You can’t miss serves. You’ve got to be on it the entire match. [Intensity] can’t be in waves. It’s got to be up the entire time.”

In Game 2, the Lady Cobras had seven kills, four aces and one block in an offense that proved too aggressive for the Lady Eagles’ defense. Junior Bell had three kills and two aces to lead the Lady Cobras to a 25-12 victory.

Mayflower's Kaytee Fuller said despite the loss her team played hard against a tough Fountain Lake team.

“We try our best when we want to win, and we put a lot of heart into what we do,” Fuller said. “They do have some really good players, and the hard thing about it is that our girls need more practice, and we need to learn how to get under the ball and move our feet, just be there and be ready.”

In Game 3, the Lady Eagles found their form, scoring the first four points of the match and leading until Bell scored eight straight points on her serve to provide the late charge the Lady Cobras needed to take the match. Kills by Bell (3) and Brittany Bourque (3) along with strong serving helped the Lady Cobras to victory.

Fuller said the Lady Eagles will continue to expect challenges, and they expect to meet those challenges as the season progresses.

“We’ll think about the challenges that people throw at us, and we’ll try to go over those challenges and achieve them,” Fuller said.

Next week the Lady Eagles play at Perryville.

Conway Lady Cats remain undefeated in conference

By Ben Rowell
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats swept the Russellville Lady Cyclones Thursday night, 25-13, 25-21, 25-8, to remain perfect in the 7A-Central volleyball conference.

Conway improved to 8-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

Russellville was the only team to defeat the Lady Cats in 7A-Central play last season.

“We played [Russellville] in Spikefest this year in Little Rock and managed to shut down their defense," Conway coach Laura Crow said. "They are usually pretty scrappy, and our strategy was to beat them in three (games).”

Game 1 got off to a rough start for the Lady Cats, who trailed 4-1 before finally gaining their momentum and moving ahead, 7-5. The Lady Cats put that game away, 25-13, with a kill from senior Jasmyn Wilkins, who scored six points on the night and had three blocks.

The second game also began slowly for the Lady Cats as they struggled to regain the lead. But junior Caitlin Trickett served seven straight points, including four aces. Trickett had five aces in the match.

“Overall I feel very good,” Crow said. “Offensively, Russellville was struggling with our serves. They began to gain some momentum in the second game, but we shut them down.”

In Game 3, the Lady Cats found their groove and easily overtook the Lady Cyclones, 25-8, with the help of Mary
Dunlap, who recorded six of her 10 kills in that game alone.

“I feel that our team meshed together well tonight and was very dynamic,” Dunlap said.

Senior Payton Hart, called "the quarterback of the team" by Crow, turned in 26 assists, seven kills and two blocks.

"We have really good chemistry," Hart said. "We have played with each other for a while and everyone is really good friends.”

The Lady Cats will travel to Van Buren on Tuesday to face the Lady Pointers in another 7A-Central match.

"Van Buren is a good team," Crow said. "We still need to work on our middle offense. Our outside hitters did really well and our defense did a really good job at getting the balls up and not letting anything hit the ground. It all came around toward the end.”

Greenbrier volleyball falls to Greenwood

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

The Greenbrier Lady Panthers lost a three-game volleyball match to the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs on Thursday, 25-13, 25-7, 25-19.

Greenwood has been the Class 5A state runner-up the last three seasons.

Greenbrier’s record stands at 5-2 in regular season play and 1-2 in 5A-West conference play.

Greenbrier Coach Cindy Hartman said that even though her team lost, the Lady Panthers improved on their defense.

“The girls fought hard and looked good on defense,” Hartman said. “We just struggled tremendously with our serve receive against Jill Barrett. Greenwood is ranked fourth in the state and is a very solid team. I was proud of the girls for working hard and improving throughout the night.”

Junior Kayla Waters went nine-for-nine on her serves and added three assists, four kills and four blocks. Senior Summer Richard was five-for-five on her serves and made five blocks. Senior Kalea Hogg finished the match with four kills.

Greenbrier will play in the High School Volleyball Invitational Tournament in Harrison next Monday at Brandon Burlsworth Youth Center.

Regular season play continues on Thursday when the Lady Panthers travel to Morrilton to take on the Morrilton Lady Devil Dogs at 5 p.m.

Greenbrier escapes Vilonia volleyball

By Julie Storing
UCA sportswriting

GREENBRIER—The Greenbrier Lady Panthers defeated the Vilonia Lady Eagles in a five-game 5A-West volleyball match at the Panther Pavilion on Tuesday, 23-25, 25-7, 24-26, 25-16, 15-11.

This was their first conference victory after a loss to Siloam Springs, the five-time defending Class 5A state champion, last Thursday and put Greenbrier's record at 5-1 overall, 1-1 in conference play.

“Momentum is everything,” Greenbrier coach Cindy Hartman said. “We got prepared and buckled down.”

Greenbrier lost the first game by a narrow margin. After falling behind 8-3, Hartman called an immediate timeout to try to boost morale. After getting back in the game, the Lady Panthers managed to close the difference with two kills by senior Kalea Hogg and senior Summer Richard. With Vilonia up by 16-11, GHS junior Morgan Colclasure served six consecutive points to tie the game. Vilonia quickly regained the lead, but the Lady Panthers managed to take it back after a block by junior Abby Mallett and a kill by Hogg. Vilonia tied the game again, and even though the Lady Panthers continued to fight for the lead, Vilonia prevailed, 25-23.

The second game showed a completely different side of the Lady Panthers as they dominated the Lady Eagles, 25-7.
The Lady Eagles’ defense proved impenetrable as Vilonia found it nearly impossible to score.

“I thought the girls played well defensively,” Greenbrier assistant coach Rachel Atkinson said. “At times we struggled, but they showed heart and increased their intensity. Several of the girls stepped up and took charge.”

Colclasure served seven consecutive points to end the second game.

Game 3 proved to be another close one with the Lady Panthers staying in stride with Vilonia but falling 26-24 in the end.
With the game 4-2, junior Jessica Nichols and Mallet blocked for a point. Senior Summer Richard served another point before Vilonia regained control of the ball and scored three points. Hogg made a kill for another point, and the Lady Panthers continued to add to their score until they had a lead of 10-5.

Vilonia quickly caught up when the Lady Panthers' defense relaxed and Vilonia’s offense strengthened. The two teams remained within a few points of each other until the end of the game, and despite good serves including two aces from senior Brittany Edwards, Vilonia took the third game, 26-24.

Game 4 resembled the second game with the Lady Panthers dominating, especially Nichols, who put down three kills and two blocks.

Game 5 finished with the Lady Panthers taking the lead early and keeping Vilonia from taking the upper hand. Junior Kayla Waters served for six consecutive points in the game.

Colclasure finished with three aces and seven assists, and Edwards served four aces. Hogg and Nichols put down seven kills apiece, and Nichols made five blocks. Mallet recorded six kills.

“The seniors stepped it up in this game,” Atkinson said. “Hogg stepped it up on hitting and Edwards stepped it up on defense.”

Hartman said that Edwards helped to get the team moving.

“Edwards made a difference with moving the ball,” she said. “That was a focus on getting the offense moving.”

The Lady Panthers will travel to Greenwood, which has finished runner-up to Siloam Springs in the state tournament the last three years, next Thursday, Sept. 10 for a match at 5 p.m.

Mayflower volleyball falls to Clinton

By Sean Cavender
UCA sportswriting

MAYFLOWER — Mayflower’s volleyball team lost in four games to the Clinton Lady Yellow Jackets on Tuesday, 25-8, 25-15, 22-25, 25-14.

Mayflower coach Traci Berry said if her Lady Eagles had played Games 1 and 2 as they played Games 3 and 4, then the outcome could have been different.

“We just have to have more intensity and more fight,” Berry said.

Brandy Cunningham’s critical serves at the end of Game 3 allowed the Lady Eagles to take the match to a fourth game and an early-game lead.

Berry went on to say the third and fourth games were great and the girls left it all on the court.

“We just have to be more consistent,” she said.

The Lady Eagles took a 1-0 lead in Game 1, but after Sam Paradis served into the net, tying the game 1-1, the Lady Jackets’ Leesha Plagens served, giving the Lady Jackets a 4-1 lead. The Lady Eagles were unable to come back, only scoring seven more points the entire game.

The first game featured several individual players for Clinton. Plagens was responsible for three points while serving and four kills. Senior Lily Garbow had five kills and senior Donnafe Turner was responsible for four points while serving and one kill.

In Game 2 the Lady Jackets took the lead and never allowed the Lady Eagles to catch up. Mayflower was able to only pull within two, 12-10. The Lady Jackets’ Samantha Edwards served three points, giving Clinton a seven-point lead, 18-11. Plagens then served for the final four points.

In the third game the Lady Eagles fell behind quickly. The Lady Jackets led at one point 16-8, but thanks to several return errors by the Lady Jackets, the Lady Eagles were able to pull within three, 18-15. Then Mayflower’s Halee Hensley was responsible for serving four points, bringing the Lady Eagles within one, 21-20. Cunningham then stepped in to serve with the game tied at 22, serving the final three points of the game, allowing Mayflower to take Game 3, 25-22.

Cunningham took the serve again at the beginning of Game 4, giving Mayflower an early 3-0 lead, but several MHS return errors allowed Clinton to gain the lead and kept Mayflower from coming back.

The Game 3 rally and the early part of Game 4 were great for her team, Berry said.

“They gave all they had,” she said.

Cunningham agreed.

“We wanted to beat Clinton and just really get after it,” she said. “We were playing as a team; we played hard."

Berry said the team needs to improve on its consistency, intensity and coverage going into conference play Thursday against Fountain Lake.

“When we play with intensity, we play better,” Berry said.

Mayflower plays at home on Thursday, Sept. 10 against Fountain Lake to open conference play.

Conway volleyball sweeps Cabot

By Dustin Guffey
UCA sportswriting

The Conway Lady Cats improved to 2-0 in 7A-Central volleyball play
and 7-2 overall as they swept the Lady Panthers, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24 in Cabot on Tuesday.

Sophomore Madison Dayer led the Lady Cats with 15 kills. Senior Payton Hart led the team in aces with four while Junior Chelsey Hess had a team-high 16 digs.

“I was very excited about tonight's win, a good win," Conway coach Laura Crow said. " I was really just hoping we could pull out that third game, and we did."

The Lady Cats had to work for that last game of the match but eventually pulled it out after Cabot tied it, 24-all, to give Conway a mild scare.

“Then we fought it out and were able to come away with the win,” Crow said.

Even though the Lady Cats got the victory, Crow still pointed out a few faults that her team will try to eliminate as the season progresses.

“Our offense has been a little inconsistent in games and we need to work on that,” she said.

The Lady Cats return home Thursday where they will try to remain unbeaten in conference play against Russellville, the only league team to beat them last year. The match is scheduled to start with the junior varsity contest at 4:30.

St. Joseph volleyball moves to 2-0 in conference play

By Amanda Smallwood and Demetrice Elmore


St. Joseph moved to 2-0 in 3A-Central volleyball play Thursday with a 25-20, 25-8, 25-8 domination of Rose Bud at the St. Joseph Family Activity Center.

After a close Game 1, Lady Bulldogs coach Luke Davis said he had to get his team’s attention.

“The girls started to play complacent,” he said. “We had to have a heart-to-heart and focus on playing our game.”

In Game 1 with the score tied at 15-15, Jessica Justice served nine points consecutively, giving the Lady Bulldogs a lead of 24-15.

A Katie Reinhard kill tied Game 3 at 1, and Jessica Justice served the Lady Bulldogs to a four-point lead. St. Joe kept adding to its lead before taking the match, 25-8 in the third.

Junior Amy Schichtl had 10 kills, three aces and numerous blocks. Sophomore Courtney Briggler added three blocks and six kills.

“I wasn’t impressed with the first game,” said Reinhard, the senior co-captain. “We have more ability than that, and we need to communicate more.”

The Lady Bulldogs’ goal for the season is to win the district tournament, which would be a first in St. Joseph history for volleyball. Davis said Lady Bulldog teams had won the conference but lost in the district final.

“No team in the (3A-) South or Central has ever won state, and that is our goal for the season,” he said.

Added senior captain Veronica Bausom: “We want to win the conference, state and district.”

Schichtl said she thought the season was going well so far with the 2-0 conference start.

St. Joseph’s next scheduled match against McCrory has been cancelled, so the next one will be Thursday, Sept. 10 against Nemo Vista.

Mayflower volleyball falls to Oak Grove

by Kevin Black and Sean Cavender

MAYFLOWER — Mayflower’s Lady Eagles lost a four-game volleyball match to Pulaski Oak Grove on Thursday, 25-14, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23.

Mayflower coach Traci Berry said her team lacked some intensity, which could have affected the outcome of the game.

“[Oak Grove] just got after it … they played harder and wanted it more than we did,” Berry said.

Oak Grove’s Sherry Murphy outscored the Eagles by herself in the first game, scoring 17 points on her serve to set the pace for the rest of the match.

After losing Game 1, the Lady Eagles played a closer Game 2, keeping it back and forth and tying the game 8-8 before the Lady Hornets took the lead. Although Mayflower was unable to tie the game or take the lead again, the Lady Eagles made a push toward the end by scoring three unanswered points.

In Game 3, Mayflower trailed early, 15-7, but was able to capitalize on several Oak Grove errors and Sam Paradis’ serving, eventually tying the game 16-16. Mayflower scored twice more on kills by Brandy Cunningham and Halee Hensley, taking the Eagles up 18-16. The Hornets then made several errors, returning volleys out of bounds and hitting the ball into the net, allowing Mayflower to take the game, 25-20.

The fourth game featured five lead changes and eight ties. The game was tied 8-8 before Mayflower seemingly took control, building a six-point lead, 18-12. But the Lady Hornets came back thanks to several key serves by senior Destiny Smith, pulling Oak Grove within 19-18. Smith then served into the net, allowing Mayflower to go up 20-18, but Mayflower returned the point with a hitting error, 20-19, before Oak Grove’s Murphy made a critical kill to tie the game 20-20, giving the Hornets the chance to take the lead and control of the game, leading to the victory.

Berry said she was disappointed with the level of intensity after the Lady Eagles lost Game 1 after scoring only 14 points.

“We have to talk about intensity. We just don’t have it right now,” Berry said. “We don’t have the fire right now; we have to find it.”

Mayflower was missing four players from a roster of 12.

According to Berry, their absences were felt.

“We were missing some kids, some starters, and we just didn’t get the job done,” Berry said. “You can’t ever give up … you have to fight and they’ve (Mayflower) got to find it within themselves.”

In Game 3, Paradis served nine straight points for the Eagles, leading them to a 25-20 win.

“I’m very proud of [Paradis], she did a great job,” Berry said. “She’s a great server and a lot of times that’s what we use her for … she got the job done.”

The Hornets were better prepared for the match, according to Paradis.

“[Oak Grove] was ready for it, and we weren’t,” Paradis said. “How they talked, and how they were aggressive about it.”

Paradis said that communication among players on the floor was an issue for the Eagles.

“We tried to talk (calling the ball), and we tried our best, but it wasn’t really our best,” Paradis said. “We could have really done better.”

The Lady Eagles will play at home next Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 4:30 p.m. at the Mayflower High School gym.