Coverage presented by Arkansas Select Volleyball.
4A
No.1 Baptist Prep and No. 2 Pottsville suffered losses at Episcopal Collegiate, but the Lady Eagles reached the semifinals at Spikefest.
Mena knocked off No. 5 Pulaski Academy to reach the quarterfinals of the same tournament.
4A teams will test themselves in tournaments this week. Baptist Prep, Jonesboro Westside and Bauxite will be at the LRCA Classic. Pottsville will participate in the Fort Smith Invitational.
1. BAPTIST PREP (7-3)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: def. Bryant 3-2; lost 3-1 to Episcopal Collegiate, Thursday; at Little Rock Spikefest, Saturday: def. Brookland 3-0; def. Searcy 3-0; def. Greene County Tech 2-1; def. Central Arkansas Christian 2-0; lost 2-0 to Mount St. Mary
This week: at Little Rock Central Tuesday. LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Little Rock Central, vs. Searcy, vs. Episcopal Collegiate
Lady Eagles fell to Class 3A No. 1 team (Episcopal Collegiate), defeated 3A’s No. 2 team (Central Arkansas Christian) and took 5A’s Mount St. Mary to the wire in the semifinals at Spikefest.
“I’d like to say we ran out of gas because I think we did, but everyone at that same point is all tired. I’m super proud of them for how hard they played today because they beat some good teams. Congratulations to Mount St. Mary’s, they’re awesome and it was a fun match. That tough schedule made today not easier, but a lot less nerve racking. We played with urgency and were ready.” — Baptist Prep head coach Krista Spoon.
2. POTTSVILLE (3-2)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: def. Russellville, 3-1; lost 3-1 to Episcopal Collegiate
This week: at Mansfield Monday; vs. Conway Christian Tuesday; at Paris Thursday; Fort Smith Invitational Saturday: vs. Rogers Heritage, vs. Shiloh Christian; vs. Mansfield
Pottsville was up 21-14 in the fourth set against Episcopal before losing 25-23.
“We should have never put ourselves in position where one call was going to matter the whole night. Part of that is on me and part of that is on my kids, we should never put ourselves in a position where calls are going to determine games. To me we should have played better to where you’re not in that position. We let some things slip away. We didn’t do the little things and discipline the things we know to do.” — Pottsville head coach Kacie Stabler on the loss to Episcopal.
3. MENA (7-3)
Previous rank: No. 3
Last week: def. Alma 3-1; def. Waldron 3-0. Little Rock Spikefest: lost 2-0 to Central Arkansas Christian, def. Newport 2-0; lost 2-0 to Vilonia; def. No. 5 Pulaski Academy 2-0; lost 2-0 to Valley View
This week: at Arkadelphia Tuesday; vs. Fountain Lake Thursday
Minus a couple players because of injuries and the ACT exam, Lady Bearcats reach the quarterfinals at Spikefest.
“We had to use so much energy to play PA as well as we did and then have to turn around and play one of the best teams in the state. I was proud of our sophomores who stepped up because we had a few who were out today.” — Mena head coach Heather Goss
4. PULASKI ACADEMY (5-2)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: def. Hot Springs Lakeside 3-2; def. Bryant, 3-0; Little Rock Spikiest Saturday: def. Batesville 3-0; def. Maumelle 3-0; lost 2-0 to No. 3 Mena
This week: vs. Central Arkansas Christian Tuesday; at No. 1 Baptist Prep Thursday
Lady Bruins had two good wins vs. Lakeside and Bryant, but were knocked out early in the gold bracket at Spikefest.
“We didn’t play with enough grit to win. We didn’t play clean all day, it wasn’t just the Mena match. We had the 3-hour wait and then had to come back and play. Every point matters. We have to put more effort into attention to detail.” — Pulaski Academy head coach Jason Lambert after the loss to Mena.
5. WYNNE (2-3)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: def. Harrisburg 3-0; lost 3-1 to Brookland, Thursday
This week: at Jonesboro Westside Monday; vs. Forrest City Thursday
Lia Bunch had 10 kills, 8 digs and 2 aces vs. Harrisburg. She had 9 kills, 12 digs and block vs. Brookland. Landry Lovell had 30 digs in both matches.
6. PRAIRIE GROVE (3-1)
Previous rank: No. 7
Last week: def. Green Forest, 3-0
This week: at Van Buren Monday; at Berryville Tuesday; vs. Huntsville Thursday. Lincoln Invitational: vs. West Fork, vs. Lifeway Christian, vs. Little Rock Hall
Avery Mann had 24 assists, 9 digs, and 3 aces against Green Forest. Ivey Sparkman had 10 aces and 5 digs.
7. BAUXITE (5-0)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: def. Haskell Harmony Grove 3-2, Tuesday; def. Magnet Cove 3-0
This week: at Fountain Lake Tuesday; vs. Episcopal Colleigate Thursday. LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Bryant, vs. Jonesboro Westside, vs. Russellville
Riley Ferrell, had 18 kills with a 0.325 hitting pct., with 19 assists and 6 digs against Haskell Harmony Grove.
8. JONESBORO WESTSIDE (4-0)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: def Southside Charter 3-0
This week: vs. Wynne Monday; vs. Highland Tuesday; vs. Trumann Thursday; LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Bryant, vs. Bauxite, vs. Russellville
Head coach Codie Zeigler meets her former team Monday. Kirby Conrad had 14 kills vs. Southside Charter and Vada Watkins had 12 digs and 4 assists.
9. CLARKSVILLE (4-1)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Last week: def. Conway Christian 3-1; def. Alma 3-1
This week: vs. Dover Monday, at Atkins Tuesday, at Hackett Thursday
Only loss is to No. 3 Mena on Aug. 26. Win over Conway Christian gets Lady Panthers into the poll.
10. BROOKLAND (3-5)
Previous rank: No. 6
Last week: lost 3-1 to Conway Tuesday; def. No. 4 Wynne 3-2. Little Rock Spikefest: def. Searcy 3-0; lost 3-0 to Baptist Prep; def. Batesville 2-1; lost 2-1 to Harrisburg
This week: vs. Blytheville Tuesday; at Pocahontas Thursday
Playing their first opponent not in a higher class, the Lady Bearcats get a victory. Brookland adds victories over Searcy and Batesville at Spikefest before falling to Harrisburg.
“We’ve got to go find some legs because we got tired in that game and we don’t need to be getting tired because we’re not really deep on the bench as far as hitters go. They’ve got to figure out how to put it together no matter how long it goes. We played a lot of matches and hit a wall and our legs were shot. We need to keep grinding. Yes, we have a hard schedule and the record was 0-3 last week with a couple wins now, but we need to keep grinding. It will come together when it needs to come together, but we have to keep fighting.” — Brookland head coach Katie Dillon
DROPPED OUT
No. 10 Arkadelphia
3A
Episcopal Collegiate made a statement by sweeping No. 2 Central Arkansas Christian and defeated the top two teams in Class 4A: Baptist Prep and Pottsville in four sets.
This week, Episcopal has a chance to test itself against Class 6A Little Rock Central, Class 5A Searcy, and Baptist Prep again at the LRCA Classic.
Harrisburg, which went 3-1-2 at Spikefest, reaching the semifinals where it lost to Valley View, will test itself at the LRCA Classic where it has Cabot, Benton and Alma in its pool. Mayflower has 6A Bentonville and North Little Rock and the host school, 5A Little Rock Christian in its pool.
At the Fort Smith Invitational, No. 5 Mansfield gets 4A Pottsville, 5A Shiloh Christian and 6A Rogers Heritage in its pool.
1. EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE (4-0)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: def. No. 2 Central Arkansas Christian 3-0; def. Pottsville 3-1; def. Baptist Prep 3-1
This week: at No. 6 Conway Christian Monday; vs. Bauxite Thursday. LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Little Rock Central, vs. Searcy, vs. Baptist Prep
Lady Wildcats overcome 21-14 deficit in fourth set vs. Pottsville to win 25-23; overcome 21-18 deficit in fourth set vs. Baptist Prep to win 27-25. Laney Marsh had 14 kills vs. Central Arkansas Christian. Emma Schnackenberg had 23 assists and 5 aces while Jules Johnson had 16 digs.
“After the first set, we told them all we can do is leave it behind and focus on the next three sets. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and told them to respond. We were mentally tough in that fourth set. Kudos to the seniors for working hard and the kids coming off the bench for trusting them. Tough to play three matches back to back and be tired, but I told them if we make it to state, we’re going to see really good competition day after day.” — Episcopal Collegiate head coach Paige Gantar on the victory over Baptist Prep
2. HARRISBURG (4-3-2)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: lost 3-0 to Wynne; def. Manila 3-0; Little Rock Spikefest: tied Mount St. Mary 1-1, def. Ozark 2-0; tied Greene County Tech 1-1; def. Little Rock Flames 2-0; def. Brookland 2-1; lost 2-0 to Valley View
This week: at Walnut Ridge Monday; at Crowley’s Ridge Tuesday; at West Helena Central Thursday. LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Cabot, vs. Benton, vs. Alma
Harrisburg fell 26-24 to Valley View in the first set before losing the second 25-13.
“We couldn’t find anything that was working there (in the second set vs. Valley View). We’ll regroup and learn from it. I think we were ready to fight out, but there were emotional downfalls when you lose a close one like that. We’re getting better, period. We were the only 3A team left.” — Harrisburg head coach Derek Falls
3. CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN (4-4)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: lost 3-0 to. No. 1 Episcopal Collegiate Tuesday. Little Rock Spikefest: lost 2-0 to Vilonia, def. Newport 2-0; def. Mena 2-0; def. Berryville 2-0; lost 2-0 to Baptist Prep
CAC falls to Baptist Prep in Spikefest quarterfinals and gets another chance on Monday.
This week: at Baptist Prep Monday; vs. Jessieville Tuesday; at Pulaski Academy Thursday
“I wish we could have seen them with fresh legs earlier in the day and we get to see them again. I think it will be a different game and I’m excited for that. We try to play a lot of competition and have some competitive games and hopefully, that will help us in the long run. I think we have a long way to go. We’ve seen some good things, but have some things to work on. I think they’re going to dig deep and get it figured out.” — Central Arkansas Christian head coach Lynn Brown.
4. MAYFLOWER (4-1)
Previous rank: No. 6
Last week: def. Conway St. Joseph 3-0; def. Booneville 3-0
This week: at Paris Monday; at Dover Tuesday; at Perryville Thursday. at LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Bentonville, vs. Little Rock Christian Academy, vs. North Little Rock
Miranda Leslie had 11 digs, 4 aces and 2 assists against St. Joseph. She had 16 digs, 4 aces and 2 assists against Booneville. Lydia Matthews had 12 kills, 9 digs and 3 aces against St. Joseph and 15 kills, 12 digs and 2 assists against Booneville.
5. MANSFIELD (5-0)
Previous rank: No. 7
Last week: def. Lavaca, 3-0; def. Thaden 3-1
This week: at Pottsville Monday; vs. West Fork Tuesday; at Lincoln Thursday. Fort Smith Invitational Saturday: vs. Rogers Heritage, vs. Pottsville, vs. Shiloh Christian
Miley Clopton had 26 digs in both matches. Abby Smith had 17 digs in both matches. Kamryn Infalt had 26 assists in both matches. Bailey Quick had 18 digs in both matches.
Lady Tigers have tests vs. Pottsville twice and Shiloh Christian in the Fort Smith Invitational.
“We are very excited about playing against some of the best teams in the state. The competitiveness will help challenge and prepare us for the rest of the season.” — Mansfield head coach Kaylie Andrews
6. CONWAY CHRISTIAN (6-2)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: lost 3-1 to Clarksville; def. Quitman 3-0; Alma Tri-Match: def. Lavaca 2-0; def. Pea Ridge 2-1; lost 2-1 to Alma
This week: vs. Episcopal Collegiate Monday; at Pottsville Tuesday; at Joe T. Robinson Thursday
Conway Christian gets its shot against Episcopal.
7. HARDING ACADEMY (2-3)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: lost 3-2 to Searcy, Tuesday; def. Dover 3-1
This week: vs. Conway St. Joseph Monday; at Hoxie Thursday
Elle Morgan, had 26 kills in both matches. Gabby Metheny had 21 digs vs. Dover.
8. HASKELL HARMONY GROVE (2-2)
Previous rank: No. 10
Last week: lost 3-2 to Bauxite; def. Magnolia, 3-0
This week: vs. Smackover Monday; at Camden Harmony Grove Tuesday; at Cossatot River Thursday
Jaycee Bossert had 14 kills and 3 aces vs. Bauxite. Preslie Walker had 13 kills, 8 digs and 2 aces vs. Lady Miners.
9. CROWLEY’S RIDGE ACADEMY (1-1)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: def. Highland 3-1
This week: vs. Hoxie Monday; at Harrisburg Tuesday; at Newport Thursday
Falcons have a big match vs. Harrisburg Tuesday.
10. PARIS (1-5)
Previous rank: No. 3
Last week: lost 3-0 to Farmington; lost 3-0 to Van Buren, Thursday. Little Rock Spikefest, def. North Little Rock 3-0; lost 3-0 to Valley View; lost 2-0 to Mount St. Mary
This week: vs. Mayflower Monday; vs. Pottsville Thursday
Lady Eagles get their first victory of the season, but keep running into teams from Class 5A.
“It’s part of the process. We’re not happy with how we played. Nobody is happy. We see signs of getting better. There are times we can put together short spurts of playing well, but we’re not putting together full sets and that’s what’s frustrating. We know we can be better. Last year we came down there and Brookland put it on us pretty good and gave us a lesson. We’ve got to go back and get better and find ways to clean up our game.” — Paris head coach Jerry Fulmer.
2A
Class 2A is the only class where there were no changes from the previous week.
No. 1 Hackett will test itself at the Fort Smith Invitational, an event it won two years ago by beating Fort Smith Southside in the finals. This year, the Lady Hornets have Rogers, Van Buren and Sylvan Hills in pool play.
1. HACKETT (4-1)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: def. Magazine 3-0; def. Siloam Springs 3-0; def. Farmington 3-0
This week: at Hector Monday; vs. Huntsville Tuesday; at Clarksville Thursday; at Fort Smith Invitational Saturday: vs. Rogers, vs. Van Buren, vs. Sylvan Hills
Michaelyn Freeman gets her 1,000th kill against Farmington as the Lady Hornets beat two Class 5A teams on consecutive nights.
“Our team really stepped us this week against great competition. I love to see that and just want to build off of that as the season goes. We know we have a lot of tough games left this year, but this is a step in the right direction. Very excited for my girls this week.” — Hackett head coach Bridget Freeman
2. TAYLOR (7-1)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: def. Lafayette Country 3-0; def. Maud (Texas) 3-0
This week: vs. Cutter Morning Star Monday; at Nevada Tuesday
Kendall Hamlin had 14 kills vs. Lafayette County. She had 14 kills, 10 digs and 2 aces vs. Maud. Kallie McHenry had 36 assists, 7 digs and 3 aces vs. Maud.
3. ENGLAND (4-1)
Previous rank: No. 3
Last week: def. Scott Charter 3-0; def. Jacksonville Lighthouse, via forfeit
This week: vs. Cutter Morning Star Tuesday; vs. Lonoke Thursday
England keeps adding the victories.
4. CONWAY ST. JOSEPH (5-1)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: def. Cutter Morning Star, 3-1; lost 3-1 to Mayflower; def. Mountain Pine 3-0
This week: at Harding Academy Monday; at Magnet Cove Tuesday
Anna Nabholz had 10 Kills and 8 blocks against Cutter Morning Star and 15 Kills and 4 Blocks against Mountain Pine.
5. COTTER (5-0)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: def. Mountain Home Christian Academy 3-0, def. Izard County 3-0
This week: vs. Alpena Tuesday; vs. Midland Thursday
Myah McNutt had 15 kills and 7 aces against Mountain Home Christian Academy. She had 9 kills, 4 aces, 8 digs and 5 blocks against Izard County. Riley Brotherton had 14 digs and 6 kills against Izard County. Gracyn Jackson had 18 kills in both matches.
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