FAYETTEVILLE CLAIMS 2ND STRAIGHT 7A TITLE

HOT SPRINGS -- Fayetteville's firepower at the net is well known, but the Bulldogs also brought the defense to win their second consecutive Class 7A state volleyball title Saturday at Bank of the Ozarks Arena. Five Bulldogs registered 10 or more digs -- led by senior libero Olivia Wales with 34 -- to help Fayetteville rebound from a second-set loss for a 25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19 victory over 7A-West Conference foe Springdale Har-Ber. Fayetteville (29-6) trailed only briefly in each of the final two sets, after Har-Ber (32-5) controlled the second set to even the match. Fayetteville Coach Jessica Phelan said her team responded well after the Wildcats evened the match. "I thought they came out with a lot of passion from the get-go and just a really solid performance," Phelan said. "Obviously, Har-Ber's a very talented team. They beat us in the regular season. It's a team we have a lot of respect for. So we knew it was going to be a real challenge. "I thought we responded. When they made a push, we were able to come back." Right side hitter Haley Warner tallied a match-high 27 kills to go with 18 digs for the Bulldogs. "Oh, man, we just had so many individual performances that stood out in my mind," Phelan said. "Just collectively as a group, they really wanted to get out there and fight for each other. Warner had a big night, and Abbie Kathol was awesome with a double-double. But Olivia Wales, wow, that was a big deal." Kathol had 18 kills and 16 digs. Setter Ella May Powell dished out 52 assists to go with 11 digs. Faith Waitsman added 13 kills and four blocks. Fayetteville put together a 9-1 run behind the play of Warner and Powell to turn a 6-4 deficit into a 13-7 advantage en route to a victory in the third set. Har-Ber's last lead of the match came at 4-3 in the fourth set. Fayetteville countered with five in a row and rolled to victory. Powell and Warner, who have orally committed to Washington and Florida, respectively, acknowledged there were butterflies being the defending champions. "There's always that target on our back since we won the past year," Powell said. "We always have nerves, but they're good nerves. We'll remember playing together and growing so close. "I think we definitely deserved it. We played like a team that had each other's back, and we had lots and lots of passion. We've definitely grown up together." After dropping the opening set, Har-Ber grabbed an early lead in the second set and never relinquished it. The Wildcats put together a 5-1 spurt, keyed by Klaire Trainor and Lauren Thompson for a 7-4 advantage. The Wildcats closed out the set on a Fayetteville hitting error. Har-Ber Coach Shyrah Schisler was happy with the way her team played. "I'm pleased with my girls. I wouldn't trade'em for anybody, any team," said Schisler, whose team lost for the second consecutive year in the finals. "We're 5-8, maybe one girl 6-foot. Do our very best to put the best block we can. We play as big as much as we can. So I was very proud of the effort we put in."

FAYETTEVILLE CLAIMS 2ND STRAIGHT 7A TITLE

Photo Credit: Benjamin Krain / Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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