By Mark Rico
Sports Editor
Conway – After an unusual season that saw many of Arkansas high school volleyball teams play limited schedules and fewer games, the top teams from each conference are now set to compete for the biggest prize of them all – a coveted state title.
Two of the most storied programs in Central Arkansas (Conway and St. Joseph’s) will be a part of that field as action gets underway on Tuesday.
Conway (14-3) – who earned the top seed from the 6A Central Conference – after defeating Cabot in the Conference Finals in four sets (25-14, 25-12, 21-25, 26-24) received a bye and will meet the winner of the first round clash between the West 4th seed and the Central 5th seed in the second round on Wednesday in Fayetteville.
Madison Holloway led the way with a team-high 11 kills, Abby Masters delivered 23 assists and Karis Scott added 17 digs in the win over rival Cabot.
The Wampus Cats took home the gold back in 2018 for head coach Laura Crow’s first title at the school.
The Class 6A state final is slated for next Saturday at 2pm at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
St. Joseph’s (16-5) will also be seeking a state final appearance despite a runner-up finish in the Central 2A district finals.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to Conway Christian in four sets (25-21, 13-25, 13-25, 23-25) and will now face Flippin on Tuesday at noon in the first round of the 2A State Tournament at Cutter Morning Star High School.
Amy Lambe pounded a team-high nine kills to go along with five digs and Olivia Williams added seven in the loss.
Savannah Mooney had 18 digs and Katie Morgan added five aces.
“We played well in the first set and then we started making mistakes.” St. Joseph head coach Luke Davis said. “A lot of our mistakes came from CCS serving the ball very well. We still have a lot of room for improvement. (But) if it all clicks, we can make a run next week in the state tournament.”
St. Joseph’s finished one game short of a state tournament appearance last season, losing to eventual champion Hackett in four sets.
The Class 3A final is set for next Saturday night at 7pm also at Hot Springs Convention Center.
Faulkner County Focus Sports 