FORT SMITH -- Fayetteville outside hitter Brooke Rockwell and setter Kennedy Phelan have been quite the combination this season. The duo's abilities to create kills was on full display Thursday night.
Rockwell scored Fayetteville's initial point of every set to help pace the Bulldogs in a 3-0. (25-20, 25-20, 25-15) sweep over Fort Smith Southside in a 6A-West Conference matchup at The Barn.
Seeing the ball hit the floor early in each set went a long way for Rockwell and nationally-sixth ranked Fayetteville (14-0 6A-West) in a battle of two programs who have won a combined 14 state championships.
"Starting off with a kill always provides confidence," Rockwell said. "It's our last season with everyone being a senior, so it's great for all of us to come out strong. This team brings a lot of positive energy and is always a great way to start a set."
Rockwell led the attack with a game-high 17 kills. Madeline LaFata was right there with her for Fayetteville, finishing with 16 kills. The offense was guided by 36 assists from Phelan. Rockwell had a team-high 11 digs on defense with Phelan and Ashley Ruff also with 10 each.
Rockwell and LaFata were set up early and often by Phelan, who also finished with four kills herself.
"It's a really easy offense to run because we have hitters everywhere," Phelan said. "It's a setter's dream. Everyone on this team just makes my job super easy."
Southside (12-2 6A-West) pushed Fayetteville the most in the first set of the match. The Mavericks found themselves down 7-3 early with an ace from Rockwell but bounced back after that. They tied the set at 14-14 before dropping it with key kills from Rockwell.
She had back-to-back kills to give Fayetteville a 21-17 lead and she had another point to make it a 23-20 edge in the first set.
"We were able to score points and negate some of the runs they were able to go on," Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said. "We are happy to get out of here with a sweep against a very successful team. We want to build some momentum heading into the state tournament, and we did that. It was a great team win."
Rockwell with her powerful spikes made a big impact in the second set as well. She had an ace to give Fayetteville an early 9-5 edge and much later a 17-13 advantage with a kill. Her success was often set up with an assist from Kennedy Phelan.
"She is amazing and always setting up the perfect shot for me," Rockwell said. "It makes it way easier. Kennedy brings so much to the team with her attitude and always is throwing stuff into her game to confuse the defense on the other side."
Jessica Phelan can't help but marvel at times the combo her daughter, Kennedy, and Rockwell provide for Fayetteville.
"These are some kids that have played together a long time," Jessica Phelan said. "You can't teach the chemistry they have. Kennedy always knows where Brooke is on the floor, and she wants the ball in those clutch situations. That's not something you can coach."
Southside was competitive again early in the third set, finding itself just down 12-7. Fayetteville then took control with a 5-1 run for a 19-11 lead and didn't look back for the sweep.
The victory secured a No. 1 seed in the 6A-state tournament, where Fayetteville will look to win its third consecutive state title.
Southside's attack was led by 10 kills Lydia PItts, who also had eight digs. Mileah Neal guided the offense finishing with a team-high 17 assists for the Lady Mavericks.
Outside of its losses to Fayetteville, Southside has won 36 of 41 conference sets this year.
"Anytime you play a team like Fayetteville, you are going to get better," Southside coach Natalie Throneberry said. "You might not win, but you for sure are going to get better. We saw improvement, but we still have a lot to work on. It's good to see those things now before the state tournament."
Springdale Har-Ber 3, Fort Smith Northside 0
Brooklyn Ware hammered 14 kills and Grace Mobley added 10 to lead the Lady Wildcats to a 25-11, 25-17, 25-22 win over Fort Smith Northside.
Lizzie Sol dished out a team-high 21 assists, while Korlynn Hall added seven kills and five blocks (three solos). Galatia Andrew finished with 23 digs and Kinley Cobb added 13 for Har-Ber (16-14, 12-4 6A-West).
Greenwood 3, Mountain Home 0
The Lady Bulldogs wrapped up the 5A-West Conference title with their 16th straight win, a 26-24, 25-22, 25-12 victory over the Lady Bombers.
Greenwood (19-2, 12-0 5A-West) has two league matches remaining.
Myia McCoy led the attack with 16 kills for the Lady Bulldogs, while Keara Rice added nine kills.
Ashlyn Butler dished out a team-high 19 assists, while Rylie Holland added 17. Landis Luke contributed six kills, six digs and five solo blocks, while Tori Howard added a team-high 21 digs and an ace.
Shiloh Christian 3, Clarksville 0
The Lady Saints finished a perfect run through the 4A-Northwest North Division, not dropping a set, and punctuated that with a 25-12, 25-13, 25-14 win over Clarksville.
Ryan Russell led the Shiloh attack with 12 kills and Rylee Kallesen chipped in seven. Brooklyn Bonanno registered a double-double for the Lady Saints (18-4, 13-0) with 26 assists and 10 digs. Jill Dudley also served up six aces,
Shiloh Christian, which won 39 consecutive sets in league play, will play Wednesday evening at 6:30 in the semifinals in the district tournament at Prairie Grove.
Rogers Heritage 3, Springdale 2
Emely Salinas put down 11 kills, while Malaysia Hudson added seven and Malia Fosse six to lead the Lady War Eagles to a tough 25-12, 18-25, 25-17, 18-25, 15-12 win over Springdale.
Sophie Sarratt,, Tiffany Chen and Jastin Ware contributed three aces each for the Lady War Eagles. Salinas chipped in four blocks. Olivia Osbourne anchored the Heritage defense with 25 digs, while Ware added 13 and Sarratt 11.
Bentonville West 3, Rogers 0
Trinity Luckett hammered 14 kills to lead Bentonville West to a 25-16, 25-13, 25-14 over Rogers.
Nandhini Praveen dished out 34 assists and added three aces for the Lady Wolverine. Autumn Jordan added seven kills and Rylie Richardson five.
Loryn Elkins and Olyvia Hall led Rogers with five kills each. Elkins added three aces and Macey Tauai chipped in four kills.