FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville's sweep of two-time defending Class 7A State Champion Bentonville Thursday night at a raucous Bulldog Gym was as cathartic as it was thrilling.
The win (26-24, 25-20, 25-16) served as a comeuppance for Bentonville, who eliminated the Lady Bulldog volleyball team from the last two state tournaments. Bentonville bounced Fayetteville in the quarterfinal round last year after beating them in the 2007 7A Finals.
"That was a lot of built up frustration," said Jessica Phelan, Fayetteville head coach. "... These seniors were on those teams that Bentonville beat the last two years. It's always a game that the kids get up for."
Fayetteville's seniors figured prominently in Thursday night's win. Middle blocker Haley Martin's 10 kills led both teams, followed by fellow middle blocker Ashleigh Price's six. Price added a team-high 14 digs that positioned the Lady Bulldogs to attack.
"She took a lot of the first balls, and did a job of controlling them," Phelan said. "Her service was so consistent tonight. I thought we served really well as a team. We kept pressure on them and took them out of their offense a little bit. It was a team effort."
Price's block at the end of Game 1 concluded Fayetteville's 26-24 win after Bentonville had staved off three-consecutive game points. The Lady Tigers turned back four consecutive game points at the end of the second set until Price's kill culminated the 25-20 victory.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Pfitzinger tallied four blocks and two aces. Her match-ending block concluded the sweep, giving Fayetteville a 25-16 win in the third set. Martin, Price, and junior Morgan Cosby each had four blocks. Hannah Breden's 16 assists ledFayetteville.
The victory forged a three-way tie atop of the 7A-West Conference standings. Fayetteville (11-8-2, 6-1) concluded the halfway point of the conference season tied with Bentonville and Springdale Har-Ber for the league lead.
Phelan said the team wasbuoyed by the spirited atmosphere inside Bulldog Gym.
"It's a fun night to be a Bulldog," she said. "It would be nice to have a new school, but it's hard on a night like this not to have respect for the Dawg House. It was loud, and the crowd was big. I thought our students really supported us."
A rash of 28 errors and numerous violations upset the little momentum Bentonville could muster amidthe partisan crowd. It frittered away a four-point lead midway through the first set and fell victim to Pfitzinger's seven-point service run in Game 2.
Senior Sydney Thurow's nine kills led Bentonville. Danielle Betts put down five kills and authored two blocks for the Lady Tigers. Rebecca Brown's 12 assists led Bentonville. Shanna Seyfarth (16) and Hannah Wagganer (7) led the Lady Tigers in digs.
Sports, Pages 8, 10 on 09/25/2009