The fourth week of the Arkansas High school volleyball season was one where nine out of the top 10 teams in the state suffered defeats.
No. 1 Fort Smith Southside and No. 6 Conway lost three times at the Springfield (Mo.) Classic where the five teams from Missouri had a combined record of 42-30.
Southside retains the top spot in the rankings largely because of their 3-1 victory over Fayetteville on Feb. 10 and their 6-0 record in the 6A-West.
This week’s poll has some movement. The biggest move was Hackett moving from No. 12 to No. 6 after its 3-1 victory over No. 5 Shiloh Christian. No. 17 Bentonville moves up four spots to No. 13 after beating Benton in five sets on Saturday and sweeping No. 10 Fort Smith Northside earlier in the week.
Presented by Arkansas Select Volleyball.
1. FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (10-3)
Previous rank: No. 1
Lady Mavericks hit a rough patch of the season going 1-3 against teams in Missouri that were a combined 33-19 prior to Saturday.
“Always a great tournament! Not the outcome we wanted, but we went three sets with Nixa (13-2) and Ozark (11-1) playing some really clean and competitive volleyball in stretches. We beat a good Kickapoo team. It’s good to see these really high caliber Missouri teams this early and really gives us a lot of things to work on to keep growing and getting better at volleyball.” — Fort Smith Southside Coach Natalie Throneberry
2. BENTON (13-2-1)
Previous rank: No. 3
Nine points were the difference in the 3-2 win over Hot Springs Lakeside. Final set vs. Bentonville was 15-12 in favor of the Tigers. Lady Panthers meet No. 11 Brookland today at 501 Volley in North Little Rock.
“As scores indicate, both teams could not get consistent from set to set. It was nice to step out of conference play against a quality opponent. Our setter, Drew Hudspeth, did a good job distributing these sets. Two more kills and we would have come home with a win, the match was that close.” — Benton Coach Michelle Shoppach on the loss to Bentonville.
3. FAYETTEVILLE (10-3)
Previous rank: No. 4
Lady Bulldogs take care of business vs. in straight-set victories over Rogers Heritage and Springdale.
4. CONWAY (14-6)
Previous rank: No. 6
Despite going 1-3 at the Springfield (Mo.) Invitational, the Lady Cats had 3-1 victories over No. 7 Baptist Prep and No. 2 Little Rock Central.
“We worked hard this weekend at the Kickapoo Tournament in Springfield. The competition was tough. We were having trouble offensively getting things going and putting balls away. We made some adjustments in the line up to see if we could get more consistent offense out of our hitters. There were ups and downs throughout the tournament, but overall we can see where we need to improve and will work to get there.” — Conway Coach Laura Crow
5. LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL (11-2-1)
Previous rank: No. 2
Lady Tigers swept Cabot before losing 3-1 to Conway. Central led 22-20 in the first set before Conway rallied to win 25-23.
“They definitely did (take some steam out of us). Conway is a great team, but I think a lot of our mindset and mentality is played a bit frantic in that second set and didn’t stay disciplined to what we can do and we were trying to survive compared to setting the pace. They did and again it comes back to inconsistency and I do not believe my team got beat out by skill. I believe we got beat out on momentum and mindset. When we would get momentum back, we would let Conway take it back and that is a good focus point for me as coach, driving when it’s tough and building momentum. Biggest thing they need to understand is the gravity of maintaining momentum and mindset and understanding we have a lot of volleyball left. To regroup and focus and make a name for ourselves. As a coach and competitor, you have to embrace the sting and have it move you forward.” — Little Rock Central assistant coach Jessica Cantrell.
6. HACKETT (17-0)
Previous rank: No. 12
Lady Hornets add a big win topping No. 5 Shiloh Christian in four sets before sweeping Dover and Nemo Vista.
“It was an excellent opportunity getting to play a great team like Shiloh. It was awesome volleyball on both sides of the net in front of an amazing crowd. The energy in the gym made it such a fun atmosphere. Our players were looking forward to the challenge and knew we’d have to play very well to compete with Shiloh. I thought our girls executed at a very high level tonight and every player stepped up to the challenge. I’m proud of our team, and their competitiveness and performance against such a great opponent.” — Hackett Coach Bridget Freeman
7. SHILOH CHRISTIAN (11-2)
Previous rank: No. 5
Lady Saints were without outside hitter Chloe Blessing vs. Hackett and Russellville on a school field trip.
“I am not making excuses, but it made it a lot more difficult to play an elite team when we were missing Chloe Blessing. A lot of people had to play different roles than what they have had to play, so I am pleased with how we did with little practice with this rotation. Hackett is extremely smart and physical, and it was a great environment to play in tonight.” — Shiloh Christian Coach Nathan Bodenstein on the loss to Hackett.
8. BAPTIST PREP (18-4-1)
Previous rank: No. 7
Lady Eagles take a 4-set loss to No. 6 Conway, but rebound with sweeps of Pulaski Academy and Mills.
9. MARION (11-3)
Previous rank: No. 8
Lady Patriots outscore No. 8 Valley View 25-12 in third set of a five-set match. 3-0 loss to Collierville (Tenn.) came to a team that is 27-6.
10. VALLEY VIEW (10-4-1)
Previous rank: No. 8
Five-set loss to No. 9 Marion only blemish of the week for Lady Blazers who swept Mountain Home and Nettleton.
11. BROOKLAND (13-2)
Previous rank: No. 11
Lady Bearcats were down 2-0 after losing second set 25-13 to Mountain Home before winning the last three.
12. SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (11-7)
Previous rank: No. 13
Lady Wildcats take care of business against Rogers in their only match of the week.
13. BENTONVILLE (8-4)
Previous rank: No. 17
Lady Tigers sweep Springdale and No. 10 Fort Smith Northside, then make big statement with 5-set win over No. 3 Benton. They will take their shot vs. No. 5 Fayetteville Tuesday.
14. PRAIRIE GROVE (12-1-1)
Previous rank: No. 16
Lady Tigers keep the wins coming, topping Pea Ridge and No. 21 Gravette.
15. MOUNT ST. MARY (12-5)
Previous rank: No. 15
Belles lose to 6A Cabot and top Vilonia in 5A-Central play.
16. GREENBRIER (9-6)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Lady Panthers lead 5A-Central at 7-0 and have won five of their last six with their only loss coming to Benton on Sept. 10.
17. PARIS (14-2)
Previous rank: No. 19
Paris drops one set in win over Mena, Booneville and Mayflower.
18. LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (9-4)
Previous rank: No. 20
Lady Warriors notch a pair of 5A-Central Conference victories over Little Rock Parkview and Beebe.
19. HARDING ACADEMY (10-1)
Previous rank: No. 22
Lady Wildcats defeat Central Arkansas Christian 3-2 in their only match of the week. Travel to Wynne, Episcopal Collegiate and LISA Academy this week.
20. BRYANT (9-6-1)
Previous rank: No. 18
After defeating Little Rock Southwest and losing to Cabot in five sets, Lady Hornets go 3-2 at Springfield (Mo.) with victories over Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo, Republic (Mo.) and Staley (Mo.).
21. FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE (9-5)
Previous rank: No. 10
Lady Bears suffer pair of 6A-West Conference losses to No. 1 Fort Smith Southside and No. 17 Bentonville.
22. POTTSVILLE (12-5-1)
Previous rank: No. 23
Lady Apaches rebound from loss to Conway Christian with wins over Clinton and Clarksville.
23. GRAVETTE (8-5)
Previous rank: No. 21
Lady Lions swept by Prairie Grove. Go to Berryville and host Green Forest this week.
24. MANSFIELD (8-4-2)
Previous rank: No. 24
Lady Lions sweep Charleston and beat Providence Academy in four sets. Host Pottsville Monday, travel to Elkins Tuesday and host Lavaca Thursday.
25. CONWAY ST. JOSEPH (8-4)
Previous rank: No. 25
Lady Bulldogs sweep Perryville, Jacksonville Lighthouse and England. Travel to Scott Charter Monday, host Cutter-Morning Star Tuesday and go to Mountain Pine Thursday.
DROPPED OUT
No. 14 Bentonville West
Cover photo by Arkansas PBS