After opening win, Lady Hornets fall to Van Buren

By Rob Patrick

Perhaps more than any other sport, volleyball is a game of runs. The key for a team is to maximize its own and minimize those of its opponent.

In their 7A-Central Conference match at the Hornets Nest, the Bryant Lady Hornets, after a slow start, did a little bit better job of that than the Van Buren Pointerettes in their first game, extracting a 27-25 win. But Van Buren used early runs in the second and third games before coming from behind in the fourth to capture the match, 25-27, 25-16, 25-14, 25-19.

It was a frustrating evening for the Lady Hornets.[more]

“What we're looking for right now out of the girls is some leadership, some consistency, and most importantly, a desire to win,” commented Lady Hornets coach Beth Solomon. “The girls have a problem with being satisfied after they get a run of five or six points on a team. Then they shut down and stop playing as well, giving our opponent the chance to take the game back, which is what happened (against Van Buren). We have got to stop doing this. And on top of shutting down, the team made a lot of mental mistakes and playing errors on the court.

“Of all the girls, I feel that Amber Cope and Lauren Reed stepped up their games and helped to push us for every point that we had,” she stated. “Lauren had some great saves and Amber probably played one of the best games she's ever played. Amber was a true leader and I hope that continues on through her senior year next year. Heather Light also helped push us on back row.”

Cope led the team with six kills, Light served up three aces and Reed came up with 16 digs.

The Lady Hornets also got a lift late in the third game from a trio of sophomores.

“Jenna Bruick, Maggie Hart, and Peyton Thacker went in and helped the team step the game back up,” Solomon said. “They played very well for us. Jenna went in and had 3 kills. Maggie was 100 percent on digs. Peyton was 3 for 3 on serves. They all played well. Being sophomores, it gives us a good idea of what's to come in future years for Bryant volleyball.”

In addition, the Lady Hornets won the JV match in two games with Bruick contributing five kills, serving up four aces and getting six digs. Jenifer Hubbard had six assists.

“Our JV players are really stepping it up and showing some real improvement,” Solomon said. “Jenna Bruick had a great game.”

In the varsity match, the Lady Hornets fell behind in the first game 7-2 but rallied to even things at 8. The comeback was highlighted by Hubbard’s ace which tied it.

The game was tied repeatedly after that until with it deadlocked 13-13, the Pointerettes surged to an 18-13 lead. It was 20-14 before Bryant got going again with Jordan Armstrong serving. Brianna White scored on a block to make it 20-15.

Van Buren broke serve but the Lady Hornets gained the serve right back. Cope contributed to the ensuing run with a tip to cut the lead to 20-19 then a kill to tie it. White’s kill put Bryant ahead 21-20.

It was tied at 21, 23, 24 and 25. Van Buren was within a point of taking the game at 25-24 but a kill by Cope tied it. Light took over service for Bryant and the Lady Hornets gained the lead on a serve-receive error by the Pointerettes then Light finished off the win with an ace.

In the second game, however, Van Buren rushed out to a 7-1 lead and the Lady Hornets never got even; 16-21 was as close as they could get.

Again in game three, the Ponterettes broke out first, building a 6-1 advantage. This time, Bryant countered. With Brianna Hays contributing an ace and Cope a kill, the Lady Hornets pulled within 10-9 but couldn’t get even. It was 11-10 when Van Buren went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game. Buoyed by the injection of the sophomore trio, Bryant trimmed the 20-10 lead to 21-13 with Bruick contributing a pair of kills. But that was as close as they could get.

Bryant made a bid to send the match to a fifth and deciding game with a fast start in game four. Kayla Davidson served up an ace and Armstrong served up two while Kasey Baker contributed a kill during a 7-1 start. After Van Buren broke serve, Baker got it back with another kill but the Pointerettes got a service break right away as well and took advantage with an 11-1 run that gave them a 13-9 lead. Only a kill by Cope added to Bryant’s score during that stretch.

Cope’s kill, Baker’s ace and a hitting error by Van Buren allowed Bryant to get within 13-12 but the Pointerettes wouldn’t relinquish the lead. They pushed their margin to 17-12 before a block by Armstrong after a long, competitive rally got Bryant back on track.

Bruick contributed another kill and Hart scored off a block during a stretch in which the Lady Hornets pulled back within 20-18.

Van Buren, however, finished with a 5-1 run to take the game and the match.

The Lady Hornets, now 2-6 overall and 2-4 in 7A-Central Conference play, will take on North Little Rock at home on Thursday before traveling to Jonesboro for the Arkansas State Playday event on Saturday.