LINCOLN -- Pea Ridge took Huntsville to five sets before losing in their last meeting.
The young Lady Blackhawks needed only three sets to nail down the third seed from the 4A-1 going into the State 4A volleyball tournament. Thursday's 25-16, 25-23, 25-16 victory set up Pea Ridge (20-10-2) in match against No. 2 seed Central Arkansas Christian (16-8) on Tuesday in the state tournament bracket hosted by Southside Batesville.
Pea Ridge qualified for state with a 25-16, 25-13, 25-9 sweep of Gravette last Tuesday, Oct. 17. The Lady Blackhawks pulled off a 25-22 upset of top-seeded Shiloh Christian in game one during Tuesday's semifinal immediately following their win over Gravette. After handing Shiloh their first set loss to a 4A team all season, the Lady Blackhawks lost three straight, 25-14, 25-8 and 25-17, to land in Thursday's consolation match scheduled at the Lincoln High School gym.
Pea Ridge coach Jessica Woods noted the Lady Blackhawks steadily improved against Huntsville over the course of the season.
"They beat us the last two times we played them. They won in four at their place and they won in five at ours."
Huntsville won 3-1 by scores of 25-14, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21 Aug. 31. The Lady Blackhawks extended a Sept. 28 match to 5-sets, but again lost (26-24, 25-15, 18-25, 22-25, 15-10). On Thursday, Pea Ridge came out hungry for a win and took the battle to Huntsville. The Lady Eagles wanted to attack the net, but found hit after hit blocked. Reigh Anne Goldberg's block-kill gave Pea Ridge its first lead of 5-4 and the Lady Blackhawks never looked back.
"Let's go, we've got to straighten it up. To the middle every time," Huntsville coach Corrine Holcombe told her team during a time-out with Pea Ridge leading, 10-6.
Huntsville narrowed the gap to 11-8, but could get no closer as Pea Ridge earned separation with a 7-2 run prompting another Huntsville time-out during which Woods challenged her team, "Get it together. Be the team that wins. Are you excited to be here?"
When the Lady Blackhawks answered "Yes," Woods continued, "Then prove it right now on the court."
They did exactly as their coach instructed. Huntsville fought valiantly after the Lady Blackhawks reached game-point leading 24-16. There were several exchanges before Pea Ridge junior Cassy Porter pounded a kill off the Huntsville libero to finish the game.
The second set was tightly contested. Huntsville closed within, 20-19, on a kill, but couldn't set up an attack on the next volley. A Lady Eagle played a third hit over while facing the other way, but the ball went out-of-bounds. On the next point, Huntsville chased the ball but couldn't get a third hit. Huntsville junior Kara Drewyor's kill kept the Lady Eagles in the game, at 22-20, but Madison Mcguire got a good set on a first hit allowing freshman Josey Goldberg to pound a kill on a quick attack. The next two points went to Huntsville.
Woods called time-out and got the Lady Blackhawks, who were nursing a 23-22 lead, reoriented. Feeling the pressure, Huntsville committed a service error which brought the Lady Blackhawks to game-point. Again Huntsville fought to stay alive with Destinee Harmon's kill making the score, 24-23. The Lady Eagles repeated an earlier mistake with no attack and a third hit going long to give Pea Ridge a 25-23 win and commanding 2-0 lead.
In the third set Pea Ridge rode the momentum and pressed the throttle as Huntsville wilted. There would be no comeback. The Lady Blackhawks jumped out to a 20-12 lead. They reached game-point, at 24-14, on Josey Goldberg's ace and won 25-16 on Mcguire's kill.
"One of my middle's (6-feet sophomore Kynley Burton) went down against Shiloh," Woods said. "The biggest thing was being resilient. They adapt and they adjust. My freshman (Josey Goldberg) really came on tonight. She led us in kills. The girls rallied around her."
Sports on 10/25/2017