CONWAY — The Bryant Lady Hornets freshman volleyball team earned a 25-20, 25-14 victory in the first round of the 2017 Central Arkansas Junior High Conference but then ran into a season-long nemesis, the Conway White Lady Cats.
For the third time this season — accounting for nearly half of Bryant’s eight losses — Conway White defeated the Lady Hornets. This time, to end their season, 18-25, 10-25.
“We finished strong for the year winning 8 out of last 10 matches,” noted Bryant coach Lawrence Jefferson. “These girls have grit and refuse to lose. They are a testament to their great parents and showed real character all year.”
The Lady Hornets finished 15-8 in match play this season.
“In my opinion we had a good season that they can build upon and have even more success the next three years in high school,” the coach stated. “They are a great group of young ladies.”
In the opener against Mount St. Mary’s Mounties, Alyssa Hernandez and Abigail Weihe combined on six aces from the service line. Hernandez served for nine points, Weihe for six, and Sam Still for five.
At the net, Madelyn Hoskins paced the Lady Hornets with seven kills. Erin Key added five, Shaylee Carver four and Ella Reyonds two with Abbey Inman assisting nine times and Weihe five times.
Defensively, Still finished with 13 digs. Jaiyah Jackson had eight with Hernandez and Olivia German-Goad contributing seven each.
“We played one of our best matches of the season,” Jefferson said of the morning contest. “Our passing, setting, serving, and hitting was crisp and the entire team was enthusiastic.
“After a 2-1/2-hour wait to play again we ran up against a Conway White team that was ready to play,” he added. “Conway did everything right and came away with the win. They looked really good.”
The Lady Hornets picked up four kills from Reynolds, three from Carver and two by Hoskins. Weihe, Hernandez, German-Goad, Inman and Natalie Horn added one each.
Inman assisted six times and Weihe five. German-Goad served for four points while added four digs. Still dug up seven and Hernandez five.
