Top-ranked Pea Ridge marches onward

— Pea Ridge owned the number one seed coming into last week’s District 1-4A volleyball tournament at Farmington.

On Oct. 22, the Lady Blackhawks dismantled Gravette, 25-20, 25-9 and 25-21 in the semifinal. Game one was tied seven times, the last coming at 17-all on Tori Key’s kill for Gravette.

Pea Ridge then went on a 5-0 run beginning with Mikhaela Cochran’s back row kill, followed by a Lion missed block and hitting error, then Jerika Schooley’s set and Sara Kahle’s kill and Taylor Garrison’s ace. After a timeout, Gravette clawed back to within, 22-20, but three straight plays by Kahle at the net, including two blocks, won the game for Pea Ridge, 25-20.

Game two was one-sided with Gravette’s o◊ense vanishing in a 7-1 start by the Lady Blackhawks.

Lions’ coach Robin Cannon called timeout and challenged her team to do something about their situation and in the middle part of the game, they nearly played Pea Ridge even (7-5) but trailed 14-7.

Pea Ridge polished o◊the contest with an 11-2 run with Schooley setting up Kahle for the finishing kill and a 25-9 victory.

Gravette mounted an e◊ort to get back in the match in game three, forging ties at 17 and 18, then taking a 22-20 edge on Audrey Belts’ kill but could not hold on. Garrison’s ace sent the Blackhawks in front, 23-22, before Kahle shut the door with consecutive kills.

“There were a lot of emotions today, we came out ready to go,” Jessica Woods, Pea Ridge coach, said. “One thing we’ve battled all year is finishing in three. They came out and did that.”

“They were stronger than us,” Cannon said. “They are an excellent power hitting team.”

Sports, Pages 7 on 10/30/2013