PREP VOLLEYBALL: Shiloh Christian sweeps Pea Ridge for 4A-Northwest lead

SPRINGDALE -- With a couple of freshman playing significant roles, the fact that Shiloh Christian suffered with a few nerves early in its big 4A-Northwest Conference volleyball match wasn't too surprising.

But the Lady Saints regained their composure quickly and rode a nice 1-2 punch in the middle to claim a 25-14, 25-17, 25-22 win over Pea Ridge and finished Tuesday night all alone atop the conference standings.

Rylee Kallesen, a 5-11 junior middle, finished with a match-high 16 kills and a white-hot .762 hitting percentage, while 6-0 Madelyn Sestak, the lone senior seeing significant playing time, added 10 kills to key the Lady Saints attack.

Inexperience is only one of the issues Shiloh Christian (13-2-1, 8-0 4A-Northwest) has been forced to deal with this season. The Lady Saints, who return just three players who saw significant varsity time, also lost senior captain Kathleen Murphree when she became ill on August 13, the first day of school.

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Murphree, a two-time all-conference performer, underwent surgery days later to remove a portion of a mass from her brain. She's currently undergoing radiation treatments. The two-year starter as a setter was likely going to be a defensive specialist this season. Shiloh Christian coach Nathan Bodenstein said that's something Murphree actually suggested would make the team better and he agreed.

The Lady Saints definitely miss her on and off the court, he said. But the team has come together to help each other cope.

"We miss her chill attitude, very calm, always has been and really smart," Bodenstein said. "That's something that would be helpful to have especially with our babies. But our team has just come together spiritually. I'm just thankful that we were plugging into all that. It's helped us deal with all that."

Bodenstein talked to his team about the importance of tonight's match with regard to a possible conference title hanging in the balance. There's many more matches yet to play, but both teams coming in 7-0 and playing at home made this one important, Bodenstein said.

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"This was a big test for us ... it's a good test right now for who's getting first place," Bodenstein said. "I think a little nerves probably. It's like a little bit of nerves, a little bit of energy, so we gotta figure out how to channel all that.

"That's with the youth and inexperience, but they are figuring it out and growing up."

The Lady Blackhawks (7-1 4A-Northwest) started quickly and led early in the opening set thanks to some aggressive net play. But Shiloh Christian (13-2-1, 8-0) found its rhythm, caught Pea Ridge at 11, took the lead with three straight points to snap a 13-13 tie and trailed only briefly the rest of the night.

Freshman setter Laila Creighton put up a double-double, dishing out 34 assists to go with 10 digs. Ryan Russell had five of Shiloh Christian's 12 service aces, while libero Bella Bonanno, another freshman, anchored the defense with 14 digs.

Springdale Har-Ber 3, Fort Smith Southside 0

Kyla Clubb put down 19 kills to help the Lady Wildcats remain undefeated with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-19 win.

Kat Cooper and Jordan Benford added nine kills each for Har-Ber (13-0, 5-0 6A-West), while Josie McCroskey led the defense with 18 digs. Caylan Koons contributed 37 assists, 7 digs and 3 kills and Lily Sharp added four aces.

Bentonville 3, Rogers 0

Maddie Lee and Trinity Hamilton combined for 30 kills to lead the Lady Tigers to a 25-22, 25-23, 25-19 win over the Lady Mounties.

Lee finished with a match-high 16 kills, while Hamilton added 14 and hit .333. Lilly Thompson led the defense with a match-high 14 digs and Katelyn Simpson posted a double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs.

Ryley Martin led Rogers with 12 kills and 12 digs, while Abby Harris added nine kills, 12 assists and three blocks. Madson Rhea also contributed 10 digs and three aces.

Fayetteville 3, Springdale 0

Brooke Rockwell hammered 12 kills and Maddie Lafata added 11 to lead the Lady Purple Bulldogs to the 25-13, 25-17, 25-8 win.

Regan Harp added eight kills and three blocks, while Ashley Ruff contributed 10 digs for Fayetteville (13-1, 5-0).

Bentonville West 3, Rogers Heritage 1

Setter Ally McCasland put together a big all-around match dishing out 21 assist to go with 12 digs, four aces and two blocks to lead the Lady Wolverines to a 25-16, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 win over the Lady War Eagles.

Trinity Luckett led the attack with 15 kills to go with four aces and two blocks, while Riley Richardson and Reagan Ptacek added nine kills and two blocks each.