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.