Volleyball holds off Har-Ber in 5

SPRINGDALE -- Springdale Har-Ber had hoped to avoid its second defeat of the week after losing its first game of the season. Fayetteville responded negatively to that plan. The Lady Bulldogs needed five sets to defeat Har-Ber 25-23, 26-28, 25-20, 21-25, 15-7 in 7A-West action at Wildcat Arena. Sophomore Haley Warner had 24 kills to lead Fayetteville (5-1, 3-0), which swept Fort Smith Northside 3-0 on Tuesday. Fayetteville grabbed control early in the fifth set and won 15-7 after Har-Ber forced a deciding game. Hadley Spresser added 13 kills and 21 digs for Fayetteville. "They key for us in Game 5 is that we were able to set the tone early and stay aggressive," Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said. "Game 5 can go either way, so we were happy to get out to a lead." Har-Ber responded with a much better effort than its 3-0 loss at Bentonville on Tuesday. It was the first loss of the season for the Lady Wildcats (8-2, 1-2), who beat Fort Smith Southside in its conference opener. Lauren Thompson had 22 kills and Klaire Trainor 14 kills and 15 digs to lead the Lady Wildcats. Elizabeth Williams contributed 31 assists and Emily Thompson had four blocks. "We played strong and we were better, mentally, tonight, so I was proud of that," Har-Ber coach Shyrah Schisler said. "We can take a loss like this and get better." Har-Ber was in danger of trailing 2-0 in the series after Fayetteville rallied from a 7-2 deficit to take a 24-21 lead. But Har-Ber displayed some grit in forcing a 24-24 tie then won the game, 28-26, behind Trainor, who combined with Emily Thompson for a block then ended the match with a kill. Fayetteville's disappointment in losing a marathon second set didn't last long. The Lady Bulldogs grabbed leads of 15-12 and 24-16 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Har-Ber made a late push before Warner delivered another kill to give Fayetteville a 25-20 victory. Har-Ber appeared in control in the first set after the Lady Wildcats opened a 19-16 lead. But Fayetteville outscored Har-Ber 11-4 down the stretch and won on a kill by Warner, a sophomore left-hander. Har-Ber fought back to win Game 4 before Fayetteville took control again and won Game 5 to secure the road victory.

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VOLLEYBALL HOLDS OFF HAR-BER IN 5

TIM COOPER

NWADG | 9/11/2015

PHOTO CREDIT: Fayetteville Athletics