SOUTHSIDE FINISHES OFF PERFECT 6A-CENTRAL SLATE

Entering the 2018 season, Southside volleyball coach Steve Haaser thought his team had a fairly good chance of competing in the 6A-Central. The Mavericks did more than just that. They swept through the conference unblemished. Southside capped a perfect run through 6A-Central play Tuesday at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse, sweeping rival Northside in three sets, 25-13, 25-11, 25-14. “That is a great accomplishment to be conference champs and to be able to go undefeated, so we’re pretty happy and excited about that,” Haaser said. “We knew coming in that we had a chance to be a pretty good team, and to the girls’ credit, they’ve done everything we’ve asked of them and they’ve bonded and jelled together as a team. “Everybody’s done their part, and I think as the season’s gone on, we’ve kind of figured things out. Right now, we’re playing pretty good, and as the saying goes, you want to peak at the right time and be playing your best when it comes down to tournament time and based on (Tuesday), I think we’re doing that.” Southside’s latest conference win was dominant. The Mavs (28-3, 14-0) didn’t trail once during the entire match, and Southside also led 20-6 in each of the three sets. In the opening set, Southside scored the first four points and later led 9-2 on back-to-back aces from Hannah Holland. The Mavs later reeled off nine straight points to build a 20-6 advantage. Then in the second set, the Mavs continued to show off their size advantage up front against a short-handed Lady Bears squad, playing without senior middle hitter Nakiah Willis, who was out with a dislocated finger. Southside got blocks for the first two points, and kills from Holland and Hannah Hogue made it 6-0. Sarah Tolbert then served an ace to make it 7-0 before the Lady Bears got on the scoreboard. Later in the set, Southside ran off another 7-0 spurt, which included several kills from sophomore Aleigha Johnson, to build its lead to 12 points, 16-4. The Mavs scored the first four points of the third set after consecutive kills from Hogue and Holland. Back-to-back kills from sophomore Hayley Hall and Holland, followed by an ace from sophomore Avery Fitzgerald, gave Southside another 16-4 lead, and the Mavs were able to eventually finish off the sweep. Fitzgerald had 14 kills, Holland eight kills and three blocks and Johnson finished with seven kills. Hogue added six kills, along with 14 assists and 13 digs. Senior Emily Bass led the Mavs in digs with 18, while fellow senior Tolbert had the most assists with 18. Hall recorded five kills as well. Southside already had the No. 1 seed from the Central wrapped up for next week’s 6A State Tournament in Bentonville. The Mavs will draw a first-round bye and move on to the quarterfinals, set for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. “It’s a fun time of the year,” Haaser said. “The weather’s changing and tournament time’s coming up. It’s a good time of the year, and one we’re certainly excited and looking forward to.” Northside (23-13, 8-6) got four kills apiece from junior hitters Nicole Medlin and Rebekah Krehbiel. The Lady Bears were already locked into the No. 4 seed from the conference at state. They will play a first-round match at 5 p.m. next Tuesday against the No. 5 seed from the 6A-West. Northside coach Matt Waack is hoping to have Willis, who missed last season’s state tournament with an injury, back in time for next week. “I think our kids are resilient, even after our loss (Tuesday), and they’ll bounce back,” Northside coach Matt Waack said. “Our focus is on the state tournament, obviously, we want to find a way. “Don’t get me wrong, we would always like to beat Southside, but the big and important thing is to get that first state tournament win and then see if we can catch fire and go from there.” Both Southside and Northside will play one final non-conference home match on Thursday. The Mavs will have their Senior Night against Rogers, while the Lady Bears will do the same against Van Buren.

SOUTHSIDE FINISHES OFF PERFECT 6A-CENTRAL SLATE

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 10/22/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford