Bryant sweeps past Alma for first conference win
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Photos by Kevin Nagle and Rick Nation
Alex Dillard (21) gets to a ball on a dink as teammates Kaci Squires (18) and Whitney Brown (32) get set for a return. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
The Bryant Lady Hornets, playing well in fits and starts, eventually subdued the Alma Airedalettes on Thursday night, 25-14, 25-17, 25-9, in the 7A/6A-Central Conference opener for both teams.
(Because Alma is a 6A team in the league, the result did not have any impact on either team’s chances of earning a bid to their respective State Tournaments. Bryant is a Class 7A entry in the Central.)
Allie Anderson pounded home 26 kills and served for seven aces while getting in 20 of her 22 serve attempts. Britney Sahlmann had 28 assists and two aces while getting all of her 11 serves in as Bryant improved to 5-1 overall.
Savannah Shelton added three aces and Kaci Squires one.
At the net, Raven Loveless had seven kills, Sahlmann four with Kendall Selig, Riley Hill and Whitney Brown adding one apiece. Alex Dillard had two solo blocks.
Defensively, Brown led the team with 11 digs. Shayla McKissock had nine, Shelton eight and Sahlmann five.
“It took us a bit to get going tonight,” said Lady Hornets head coach Beth Solomon. “It was a hard game for the girls to get excited in. We would get a run and then fall off then get a run then fall off.
A pair of Lady Hornets combine on a block. (Photo by Rick Nation)
“Our back row seemed to step up a bit better and our serve receive looked better than it did on Saturday,” she said, referring to the team’s play at the Little Rock Spikefest tournament.
“We have a long weekend ahead of us with a long road trip to Siloam Springs on Tuesday,” she noted. “We are hoping we can battle through the long bus ride and take care of business.”
The Lady Hornets play again at home next Thursday against Russellville.
Allie Anderson (6) attacks high above the net. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Britney Sahlmann sets. (Photo by Rick Nation)
