STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENTS: CLASS 7A

Har-Ber avenges loss to Southside

Arika Johnson (5) and Jaden Williams (13) of Springdale Har-Ber reach to block a shot by Madison Teal of Fort Smith Southside during the Wildcats’ 3-0 victory Wednesday over the Mavericks in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A state tournament in Springdale.
Arika Johnson (5) and Jaden Williams (13) of Springdale Har-Ber reach to block a shot by Madison Teal of Fort Smith Southside during the Wildcats’ 3-0 victory Wednesday over the Mavericks in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A state tournament in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- Springdale Har-Ber's state tournament jitters didn't last long Wednesday.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Arika Johnson (left), Jaden Williams (13) and Klaire Trainor (22) of Springdale Har-Ber reach to defend a shot by Madison Teal (16) of Fort Smith Southside on Wednesday during the quarterfinal round of the Class 7A state tournament in Wildcat Arena at Har-Ber High School in Springdale. Visit nwadg.com/photos for more photos from the match.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Haley Warner (32) of Fayetteville sends the ball past Mikelle Porter of Van Buren on Wednesday during the quarterfinal round of the Class 7A state tournament in Wildcat.

The Wildcats shook off an early 7-3 deficit and trailed only briefly the rest of the way en route to a 25-19, 25-15, 25-20 victory over Fort Smith Southside in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A state tournament at Wildcat Arena.

Class 7A

at Springdale Har-Ber High School

Tuesday

Match 1: W4 Rogers High def. C5 Mount St. Mary, 3-1.

Match 2: C3 Fort Smith Southside def. W6 Bentonville West, 3-0.

Match 3: W5 Van Buren def. C4 Fort Smith Northside, 3-2.

Match 4: W3 Bentonville def. C6 Cabot, 3-0.

Wednesday

Match 5: C1 Conway def. W4 Rogers High, 3-0

Match 6: W2 Springdale Har-Ber def. C3 Fort Smith Southside, 3-0.

Match 7: W1 Fayetteville vs. W5 Van Buren, 6 p.m.

Match 8: C2 North Little Rock vs. W3 Bentonville, 8 p.m.

Today

Match 9: 1 p.m.

Match 10: 3 p.m.

Har-Ber (31-4) will face Conway in the first semifinal at 1 p.m. today.

The Wildcats got offense from lots of different places, led by senior outside hitter Klaire Trainor's 15 kills. Paige Williams chipped in 13 and Lauren Thompson had 12.

Har-Ber Coach Shyra Schisler said her team stresses defense, which feeds the attack.

"We talk all the time that our defense is what serves our offense," Schisler said. "We have such good defenders, it gives that extra momentum that comes off a good defensive play. Offensively, everybody wants the ball. When you have players like that who are thirsty, it makes it fun."

Senior setter Arika Johnson, who racked up 44 assists, is also a key to the attack, Schisler said.

"Arika is very smart and has a high volleyball IQ," Schisler said. "She likes the pressure."

Southside (27-8) never really hit its stride, Mavericks Coach Steve Haaser said.

"We made too many unforced errors," said Haaser, whose team beat Har-Ber in three sets in the finals of the Fort Smith Invitational earlier this season. "We weren't real sharp today, but a lot of that goes to how well they played. They are a very good team. They have so many weapons and come at you from all directions and even the back row some."

The loss snapped a streak of 21 consecutive years that Haaser's Southside teams made it to the state tournament semifinals.

Senior Mikayla Dietz led Southside with 11 kills, while Hannah Holland added nine. Sophomore libero Emily Bass contributed 18 digs.

Conway 3, Rogers 0

The Wampus Cats trailed early in each set, but they hit the accelerator and cruised to a 25-12, 25-18, 25-13 quarterfinal victory.

Conway, the top seed from the 7A-Central, used a strong service game to keep Rogers (23-14) at a distance. Hailey Webber and Megan Solberg finished with four aces apiece.

Solberg keyed a 10-1 Conway run from the service line, turning a 10-9 lead into a 20-10 advantage. Conway scored 15 of the last 18 points and rolled to the opening-set victory.

Rogers scored the first four points of the second set, but Conway surged back to take a 10-8 lead and never looked back.

Conway Coach Laura Crow said her team didn't show many jitters in its state tournament opener.

"This group, they just kind of roll with it," Crow said. "They just love the game of volleyball and want to play. They were excited to get out there and play."

Anna Lee Drennan led with a match-high 10 kills, while Kendahl Davenport added seven for Conway (28-6). Aly Brinkley contributed five blocks, while Solberg and Aryn Blumenberg led with seven digs each.

Junior Hannah Martin led Rogers, the No. 5 seed from the West, with six kills, while Emily Harris had five blocks. Kassidy Wall added seven digs.

Fayetteville 3, Van Buren 0

The defending state champions may not have been sharp early, but they finished strong with a 25-16, 25-15, 25-10 victory over Van Buren.

Fayetteville Coach Jessica Phelan said her team definitely showed rust.

"I think that early we kinda looked like we hadn't played a match in seven days," Phelan said. "But as the match went on, we got a little bit more in our groove. By the end, I was feeling good about how we were playing. It did take us a while to get back in system."

Van Buren, the No. 5 seed from the West, battled the Bulldogs (28-6), who have three Division I commits, in the first set and trailed only 16-14. But Fayetteville scored nine of the last 11 points to pull away. The second set was similar, and Fayetteville jumped out 9-1 in the third set and rolled.

Haley Warner cranked a match-high 19 kills, while Faith Waitsman added 13 for Fayetteville. Ella May Powell had 33 assists. Abbie Kathol added three aces.

Van Buren (14-15) was led by Alex Dupree and Hattie Morrison with five kills each. Morrison chipped in six digs.

Sports on 10/27/2016

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