STRONG START LIFTS FAYETTEVILLE

FAYETTEVILLE -- A strong start was the main objective for Fayetteville in its 7A-West Conference volleyball match with Springdale High on Thursday. Hadley Spresser almost by herself made sure the Lady Purple Bulldogs came out blazing and never looked back. Spresser opened the match with a kill and followed with four consecutive ace serves in the first game, paving the way for a big night on both sides of the net for Fayetteville in a straight sets, 25-16, 25-13, 25-13 win at Bulldog Arena. With Springdale featuring a potentially strong offense led by Desiree Mack, the Lady Purple'Dogs countered with stiff defense at the net. Haley Warner and Faith Waitsman had four blocks each as Springdale never could find a rhythm. "Fayetteville has a really good team," Springdale coach Kylie Moad said. "We never could get anything going." Spresser set the tone, but plenty of her teammates contributed in an all-around complete effort. Abbie Kathol and Warner were both effective offensively with 10 and nine kills, respectively, and setter Ella May Powell was her usual consistent self with 27 assists. "We felt like we got off to a slow start against Rogers the other night and we challenged them to come out and play well early," Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said. "We played very clean volleyball and it was a team effort. Our offense hit a really solid percentage and we had a good night on defense." Fayetteville (13-1, 5-0 7A-West) led by as much as 18-3 in the second game and by a 14-3 score in game three before Springdale (7-10-1, 0-5) could put together any kind of minor rallies in the match. Mack was one of the top offensive players for Springdale on Thursday, but was relatively held in check with both Warner and Waitsman holding steady with solid defense at the net. "Springdale has such a talented player in Desiree," Phelan said. "And Haley put up some really good blocks against her." Fayetteville visits Fort Smith Southside on Tuesday while Springdale is on the road at Fort Smith Northside.

STRONG START LIFTS FAYETTEVILLE

Photo Credit: Fayetteville Athletics

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