A week ago, it was written in this space that with 14 teams ranked in the Natural State Sports Network’s volleyball rankings participating at the Conway Lady Cat Invitational and five pools having two ranked teams, there would be some good teams that did not make it to the tournament’s gold bracket.
That proved to be the case as No. 1 Fort Smith Southside, No. 4 Little Rock Central, No. 10 Bryant, No. 18 Greenbrier and No. 19 Fort Smith Northside were relegated to the silver bracket after suffering defeats in pool play.
As a result, Hackett (28-0) takes over the top spot in this week’s rankings while Southside (25-4) drops to No. 2.
This is the second consecutive year Hackett has taken over the top spot in a statewide poll. The Lady Hornets moved into the top spot in the penultimate rankings before losing the Class 3A state title to Baptist Prep.
Hackett, which is now in Class 2A, has wins over three Class 5A teams including No. 3 Shiloh Christian and has won tournaments at Huntsville and Paris. The Lady Hornets have only dropped three sets all year to Pottsville, Shiloh Christian and Paris.
Served by Arkansas Select Volleyball.
1. HACKETT (28-0)
Previous rank: No. 2
Bridget Freeman gets her 200th career victory in a victory over Charleston and Makenzie Freeman got her 1,000th career kill in a victory over Quitman. Next up: 2A-3 district tournament semifinals on Thursday.
2. FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (25-4)
Previous rank: No. 1
Lady Mavericks open the week by completing a season sweep of No. 5 Fayetteville. After losing to No. 9 Baptist Prep in the Lady Cat Invitational, they rebounded to beat No. 4 Little Rock Central and No. 6 Brookland to win the silver bracket.
“Fayetteville is a great team. We knew we had to play steady volleyball to get out with a win. I was really proud of our offense finding a way to generate points. I think our defense was able to rebound from mistakes consistently and stay poised. … We started the day in a tough pool and fell short in our very first match to Baptist Prep. We didn’t waste a lot of time hanging our heads. We knew this was a chance to play tough teams and get better at volleyball, and we did just that.” — Fort Smith Southside Coach Natalie Throneberry on the past week.
3. BENTON (25-3-1)
Previous rank: No. 7
Lady Panthers post victories over No. 19 Fort Smith Northside, No. 15 Springdale Har-Ber, No. 8 Conway and No. 3 Shiloh Christian in winning the Lady Cat Invitational. For those who are interested, Benton and Shiloh Christian, which are leading the 5A-South and 5A-West would be on opposite sides of the state tournament bracket, setting up a potential rematch in the state championship.
“Great competition. Just what we needed. We played steady and consistent. It felt like we brought things we had focused on in practice to the court. Serving was much better than recent matches.” — Benton Coach Michelle Shoppach.
4. SHILOH CHRISTIAN (26-4-1)
Previous rank: No. 3
Lady Saints open the week by losing at No. 13 Bentonville, but defeat No. 4 Little Rock Central, No. 17 Valley View and No. 9 Baptist Prep before falling to No. 7 Benton in the finals of the Lady Cat Invitational.
“I am extremely proud of how we battled some fantastic teams this weekend and ended in the finals against Benton. This team is so special, and they refuse to quit when times get tough. We had some moments where it would have been easy to give up, but they persevered and found a way to win some close matches. We are looking forward to hopefully three more great weeks of volleyball.” — Shiloh Christian Coach Nathan Bodenstein.
5. BAPTIST PREP (27-7-1)
Previous rank: No. 9
Lady Eagles become the first in-state team to beat Fort Smith Southside and added a victory over No. 16 Cabot before falling to No. 3 Shiloh Christian in the semifinals of the gold bracket at the Lady Cat Invitational.
“I am so proud of my girls. Beating Southside and Jonesboro in pool play was so much fun. Both teams played great and we were very fortunate to come out of a tough pool in first place. We knew Cabot would be good and we again continued to play great. Our match against Shiloh couldn’t have been any closer. I think each set was decided by two points. I felt like we had our chances but Shiloh did a great job of finishing game three. We are looking forward to the rest of our season.” — Baptist Prep Coach Krista Spoon.
6. FAYETTEVILLE (17-6)
Previous rank: No. 5
Lady Bulldogs fall to No. 1 Fort Smith Southside before sweeping No. 15 Springdale Har-Ber. The loss to Southside marks the first time since 2021 season that Fayetteville was swept in conference play when Har-Ber won a pair of five-set matches against them. (Fayetteville would beat Har-Ber in the 6A Finals.)
“Southside is a seasoned team and we knew we would have a tough challenge on the road. We hope to regroup and build towards eliminating unforced errors as we head through October.” — Fayetteville Coach Jessica Phelan.
7. LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL (19-5-1)
Previous rank: No. 4
Lady Tigers are swept by No. 10 Bryant at home before beating No. 16 Cabot in five sets. At the Lady Cat Invitational, they fell to No. 3 Shiloh Christian before beating Bryant in the silver bracket and falling to No. 1 Southside in the semifinals.
8. CONWAY (21-8)
Previous rank: No. 8
Lady Cats defeat No. 16 Cabot in 6A-Central Conference play before falling to No. 7 Benton in the gold bracket semifinals of their tournament.
“The tournament was a great day of volleyball. It was great to have the caliber of teams in Conway. The timing of the tournament is good because it is a couple weeks before state and it allows you to see what your players need to work on and what the focus should be in practices. Although we lost to a good Benton team in the semis, I felt like overall we played well. Our serving was really tough for the day and our hitters are working with the setters on fine-tuning their timing to be more successful.” — Conway head coach Laura Crow.
9. BROOKLAND (26-5)
Previous rank: No. 6
Lady Bearcats beat No. 11 Marion in five sets and have victories over No. 23 Episcopal Collegiate and No. 18 Greenbrier before falling to No. 1 Fort Smith Southside in the silver bracket at the Lady Cat Invitational. For those who are interested, if Brookland and Baptist Prep wins their regional tournaments, they would be paired up in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament. Both teams split at Spikefest on Sept. 7.
10. BENTONVILLE (13-7)
Previous rank: No. 13
Lady Tigers sweep. No. 3 Shiloh Christian behind 19 kills, 7 digs and 2 blocks from Victoria Otter and 11 kills, 3 digs and 2 blocks from Evelyn Venters. They also swept Rogers Heritage.
11. VALLEY VIEW (19-8-1)
Previous rank: No. 17
Lady Blazers sweep Marion to get to within a half-game of first place in the 5A-East. At Conway, they defeated No. 10 Bryant in pool play before falling to No. 3 Shiloh Christian in the gold bracket.
“I was extremely proud how our girls have played all week with three conference match wins and then this big dog tournament. We battled to get into the gold bracket and then came up short against Shiloh’s fast offense in the gold. But it’s October and we don’t let up. Getting better everyday! I feel like our block and team defense, along with our first ball sideout was extremely crucial with our success today!” — Valley View Coach Margie McGee.
12. BRYANT (17-8-1)
Previous rank: No. 10
Lady Hornets beat No. 4 Little Rock Central and LR Southwest to create a two-way tie for second in the 6A Central at 7-2. At the Lady Cat Invitational, they fell to No. 17 Valley View and lost to Central in the silver bracket.
“We played underwhelming and not up to par. Hopefully we will get back on track going into our big week next week.” — Bryant Coach Leigh Ann Back.
13. PRAIRIE GROVE (20-3-1)
Previous rank: No. 14
Lady Tigers defeat Huntsville and Pea Ridge to win the 4A-1 at 12-0 and will face either Berryville of Pea Ridge in the district semifinals.
14. MARION (19-7-1)
Previous rank: No. 11
Lady Patriots have a tough week, losing in five sets to No. 6 Brookland and getting swept by No. 17 Valley View.
15. BENTONVILLE WEST (18-11)
Previous rank: No. 12
Lady Wolverines sweep Rogers and fall to No. 19 Fort Smith Northside in five sets. Avery Ridge had 15 kills in both matches while Trinity Collette had 25 digs.
16. MOUNT ST. MARY (21-9)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Belles have big week with a victory over No. 9 Baptist Prep and beating No. 23 Episcopal Collegiate and No. 6 Brookland to advance to the gold bracket in the Lady Cat Invitational where they fell to No. 8 Conway.
“I think we had a great day with a lot of positive culture and sportsmanship. I had 16 of 22 kids trying to leave for homecoming so I do not think we were fully focused on competing during the Conway game. Awesome tournament and I’m thankful Laura allowed us to play.” — Mount St. Mary Coach Olivia Stroud.
17. SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (16-11)
Previous rank: No. 15
Lady Wildcats open the week with a sweep of No. 19 Fort Smith Northside before falling to No. 5 Fayetteville. At the Lady Cat Invitational, they defeated No. 18 Greenbrier and lost to No. 7 Benton in the gold bracket.
“We had some tough competition but I’m proud of the way we played. We made a lot of strides on the serving line.” — Springdale Har-Ber Coach Cassie Loyd.
18. GREENBRIER (17-9)
Previous rank: No. 17
Lady Panthers defeat Sylvan Hills and Beebe in 5A-Central action. At the Lady Cat Invitational, they fell to No. 15 Springdale Har-Ber, defeated No. 19 Fort Smith Northside and fell to No. 6 Brookland in the silver bracket.
“This is a great tournament and it’s always good for us just a couple weeks before the state tournament. We didn’t end where we wanted but I feel like we are leaving with things to work on and hopefully we can fix those in the next coupon of weeks.” — Greenbrier head coach Katie Huff
19. FARMINGTON (15-6)
Previous rank: No. 20
Lady Cardinals defeat Van Buren in five sets and Siloam Springs in four sets.
20. FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE (17-11)
Previous rank: No. 19
Lady Bears fall to No. 15 Springdale Har-Ber before beating No. 12 Bentonville West in five sets. At the Lady Cat Invitational, the fell to No. 7 Benton in pool play and to No. 18 Greenbrier in the silver bracket.
21. PARIS (25-6)
Previous rank: No. 21
Lady Eagles head into district tournament with victories over Lamar and Perryville.
22. POTTSVILLE (20-9-1)
Previous rank: No. 22
Pottsville tops Clarksville in four sets and Ozark in three. The Lady Apaches host Heber Springs Tuesday and Morrilton Thursday.
23. GRAVETTE (13-5)
Previous rank: No. 24
Lady Lions defeat Pea Ridge before hosting Gentry on Tuesday in the 4A-1 District Tournament.
24. MENA (20-10)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Lady Bearcats are coming off victories over Fountain Lake and Camden Fairview and lead the 4A-6 Conference at 8-1.
25. CONWAY ST. JOSEPH (15-4)
Previous rank: No. 25
Lady Bulldogs defeat England and Scott Charter and will be the top seed in the 2A-5 District Tournament at England where they will play Mountain Pine or England.
DROPPED OUT
No. 16 Cabot, No. 23 Episcopal Collegiate
