Har-Ber downs Fayetteville in five-set thriller

Springdale Har-Ber and Fayetteville added another dramatic chapter to their tense rivalry Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats, in the end, earned a thrilling 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 20-18 home win against the Lady Purple'Dogs to push their win streak to nine matches. The win also gave Har-Ber (10-2) in sole possession of second place in the 7A-West with two league matches to play. "I'm just really proud of our tenacity," Har-Ber coach Shyrah Schisler said. "We faced a lot of adversity tonight. If we missed a serve, someone came back and fought right after that, and that's just really big. That's what you want to do at this time of the year. We want to make it fun. Nobody likes boring volleyball. "There's a good rivalry there, and it's made both teams better. ... You'll never forget those when you're an adult." Senior Lauren Thompson led the Lady Wildcats with 28 kills, including six in the decisive fifth set. Jayci Carpenter added 15 kills in the win and three in the final set. In all, there were 13 ties and 14 lead changes in the fifth set. The Lady Wildcats (24-6) took a three-point lead on three occasions, but Fayetteville battled back each time, reaching match point twice later in the set. But a Thompson kill and a service error kept Har-Ber alive. And that's when the Lady Wildcats put the match away on another Fayetteville error and Natalie Williams' match-clinching ace. "It was so exciting," Thompson said. "I was so glad when Natalie went back and aced them. The game could have been different if that didn't happen. It's just awesome to win with my team." "It was kind of like the state championship last year because its Fayetteville," Carpenter added. "We were the underdogs, but we came out on top." Fayetteville's Haley Warner was the star for the Lady Purple'Dogs, totaling a match-high 38 kills. Senior Ella May Powell contributed 18 kills, four in the fifth set, and 49 assists. "I think it's definitely a state tournament kind of environment," Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said. "We have a lot of young kids on the road, and I thought it was kind of a down night. The hardest thing for us is to stay confident to get ready for the last week of conference." Har-Ber travels to Van Buren Thursday while Fayetteville (21-11, 9-3 7A-West) visits Springdale High.

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HAR-BER DOWNS FAYETTEVILLE IN FIVE-SET THRILLER

SCOTTIE BORDELON

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 10/11/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: J.T. Wampler