PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove claimed victory over Gravette in 4A-1 volleyball action on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 in four sets by scores of 25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20.
In the fourth set, Prairie Grove put the match away by doubling the amount of points Gravette was able to produce in the first portion of the game. Trailing 14-7 Gravette made a run. Prairie Grove coach Mat Stewart called a time-out to stop a little momentum Gravette was starting to build and kept preaching at his team," Stay ahead, stay ahead."
Abbey Ingram contributed a kill and Sydney Stearman played an ace off the net for Prairie Grove, and Gravette could get no closer than 19-16.
Once the Lady Tigers got a four-point lead, Stewart exhorted them to keep it up by four.
"Don't let it get any lower than that. We focused a little bit better and played a little bit better," Stewart said.
A Lady Lion hitting error put Prairie Grove up, 23-16 before Olivia Perry ended the 4-0 run with a kill for Gravette. She reproduced the feat after a Lady Lion service error but Prairie Grove had reached game-and-match-point leading 24-18. Two more points by the Lady Lions proved fruitless with Prairie Grove winning game four (25-20) to take the sets 3-1 and claim the match.
The first two games were all Prairie Grove although Skye Butler's ace off the net drew Gravette within 10-9 midway through the first set. Prairie Grove then fashioned a 9-4 run to take control although the Lady Lions got another ace to fall off the net this time by Payton Hammers.
Lexi Light's kill pushed Prairie Grove's lead to 19-13 and Gravette couldn't close the gap. Jansen Williams' kill brought Prairie Grove to game-point at 24-18 and Light finished off the Lady Lions with another kill giving Prairie Grove a 25-19 win and 1-0 lead in the best-of-five volleyball match.
The Lady Tigers jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second set on Sydney Stearman's ace before Gravette made a run closing to within 18-16 on Hammers' ace and a violation.
Samantha Blosser served up an ace for Prairie Grove as the Lady Tigers countered with a 7-3 run to close out the set winning 25-20 on a bad serve by Gravette.
Gravette surged out to an 11-2 lead in the third set and suddenly the Lady Tigers found themselves behind by 10 points at 21-11 following Blosser's tap to the back corner which began a 5-0 run. Prairie Grove could not sustain the comeback and lost 25-17 on consecutive hitting errors.
"I don't know whether we relaxed or not in the third set but they (Gravette) came out on fire. They played well. We didn't get out of their first server's routine and we dug ourselves a hole. Anybody in our conference can beat you on any given night," Stewart said. "We've always had dog fights with Gravette since I've been here the last four years. They did a good job in the third set, but I was proud of our girls for fighting back. We got a little momentum at the end of the third and it carried to the fourth. That was the most important thing I think during that time."
Prairie Grove's back-row defense perpetually robbed Gravette of a bunch of good-looking hits. Stewart said Stearman is one of the top liberos in the conference and maybe the state at the 4A level. He praised junior defensive specialists Makayla Smith and Makinsey Parnell for having great games and said he wouldn't trade none of them for the world.
"I think we're as quick and as athletic as anybody. We're not as well-coached as a lot of teams, but we definitely have some back-row athletes that can get after it and are athletes. They don't feel like a ball should ever hit their side of the floor," Stewart said. "Gravette found some holes, but not without an effort on our part."
Sports on 10/09/2019