Fayetteville sweeps Rogers for first league win

Fayetteville may be turning things around after starting the season with four consecutive losses. Rosana Hicks had 16 kills as Fayetteville earned its first 6A-West Conference victory Tuesday with a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 28-26, 25-20) over Rogers High in King Arena. The victory follows a 3-1 nonconference win over Tulsa Bishop Kelley and gives Fayetteville added confidence heading into Thursday's league game with Van Buren. Fayetteville (2-4, 1-1) is clearly in a rebuilding mode after winning three consecutive state championships with two players now on Division I teams. Carly Unruh and Avery Redfern added seven kills apiece while Gracyn Spresser led Fayetteville with 26 assists against Rogers. "It was a sweep that didn't feel like a sweep, but I'm really happy to get out of here with a 3-0 win," Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said. "We kind of struggled with unforced errors early in the year, but tonight was a big improvement. Rosana is someone who has experience in coming back, and she had a nice night for us." Fayetteville won the first set 25-18 after grabbing leads of 10-2 and 18-6. Rogers (2-9, 0-2) outplayed Fayetteville at the end, but the Lady Mounties could not overcome their large deficit. Rogers got to within 24-18 before a serve sailed out of bounds to clinch the victory for Fayetteville. The second set was the most exciting of the night when Fayetteville outlasted Rogers 28-26 to take a 2-0 series lead. Rogers jumped to a 13-9 lead, but Fayetteville withstood the charge and the game went back-and-forth into extended play. Rosana Hicks had a kill to put Fayetteville in position at match point, and the Lady Bulldogs secured the victory when Rogers failed on an attempt at a return volley. "The second set gave us some momentum heading into Game 3," Phelan said. "Those tight ones can sometimes go either way. We maintained focus to come out on top in that one and carry it over." Fayetteville was mostly in control in the third set, but the Lady Mounties refused to make it easy for the Lady Bulldogs. Hicks had a kill to help Fayetteville to a 19-13 lead before Rogers fought back to within 19-17. But Hicks again delivered a kill, and Fayetteville won 25-20 to complete the sweep. Taylor Voight led the Lady Mounties with eight kills, while Anna Randels and Alexa Albarran added 11 and 10 digs, respectively.

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FAYETTEVILLE SWEEPS ROGERS FOR FIRST LEAGUE WIN

RICK FIRES

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 9/5/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Fayetteville High School Athletics