Volleyball wins State Championship

HOT SPRINGS --Fayetteville fell short a year ago in the Class 7A state volleyball finals, but the Lady Purple Bulldogs rallied from a 2-1 deficit to claim the title Saturday afternoon at Bank of the Ozarks Arena. Sophomore Haley Warner contributed six of her 23 kills in the fifth set to help Fayetteville claim a tough 3-2 (25-15, 14-25, 25-27, 25-13, 15-19) win over 7A-West Conference foe Springdale Har-Ber. It was the second consecutive state tournament match that Fayetteville (34-3-1) rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win in five sets, but sophomore setter Ella May Powell, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, said her team has responded many times in the fifth set this season. "It's funny we always say that our fifth game is our best game," said Powell, who contributed a match-high 51 assists and three block assists. "We knew we had to work for it and we knew that we deserved this." Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan agreed with Powell's assessment and was not surprised to see her team rally again. "I couldn't be prouder of them," Phelan said. "I thought we started with a lot of momentum and we ended the match with a lot of momentum -- and it wasn't easy in between. I thought they really showed a lot of guts today. They really wanted this from day one of their whole season." "We've been there. We've had some five-set battles during the season. I think ultimately they continued to have confidence in one another. Ultimately, I think they kept their confidence because they didn't want to let each other down." The teams split a pair of one-sided sets and Fayetteville led much of the third, before Har-Ber rallied to tie it at 23 and take the lead in the match with a 27-25 win. But Fayetteville took control 9-2 in the fourth and cruised to the win to force the fifth set. Fayetteville got contributions all around as four players reached double figures in kills and digs. Junior middle Faith Waitsman finished with 12 kills and nine blocks (three solos), including four kills in the fifth set as Fayetteville jumped to a 6-2 lead and never looked back. Abbie Kathol and Hadley Spresser both registered double-doubles. Kathol contributed 10 kills and 17 digs, while Spresser had 10 kills, 11 digs and three blocks. Warner was also in double digits with 11 digs to go with her match-high 23 kills. Junior libero Olivia Wales led the defense with a match-high 24 digs. Har-Ber coach Shyra Schisler said her team, playing its third consecutive five-set match, had some mental breakdowns, particularly late which cost them. "Fayetteville played very well," Schisler said. "They were very consistent offensively and we struggled offensively at times today. I think you have to believe no matter what you do, down by 10 or up by 10, you have to believe you're going to finish. I don't know if we were just tired or not confident in ourselves, but in game five we found an excuse instead of a way to finish. "Yes, it was our third straight five-set match and I think we are conditioned well enough to be in those situations, so it came back to being mentally tough and finishing against Fayetteville. It's really frustrating when you're up 2-1 and you don't finish in game four. You don't even play in game four. The score was like 25-12. That just shows right there they wanted it more than we did." Junior outside hitter Klaire Trainor led Har-Ber (28-6-2) with 15 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Lauren Thompson added 13 kills. Libero Emily Doss led the defense with 25 digs.

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Fayetteville High School Athletics

VOLLEYBALL WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

PAUL BOYD

NWADG | 11/1/2015

PHOTO CREDIT: NWADG