BENTONVILLE — The Bryant team Bentonville coach Michelle Coens saw Wednesday was not the same one she watched defeat Rogers Heritage the day before.
That was a good thing for Bentonville’s volleyball team.
The Lady Tigers dominated their match from the outset and breezed into today’s semifinal round of the Class 7A State Tournament with a 25-15, 25-11, 25-15 victory over the Lady Hornets in Tiger Arena.
Bentonville (29-8) was so much in control it allowed Coens to mix things up during the match. The Lady Tigers used a different libero in each game and allowed everybody to see a considerable amount of playing time.
“It wasn’t too stressful for us,” Coens said. “I expected a lot more out of Bryant. They just weren’t as excited or as energetic as they were yesterday.
“And our girls played very well. They took care of business, and it was a nice, complete team effort. They adjusted well to any lineup I put out there.”
Bentonville jumped out to an early 8-1 lead in the first game, only to see Bryant (14-5) score seven of the next eight points and make it a 9-8 game. The Lady Tigers, however, went on a 10-2 run and extended their lead to 18-9 on Shayne Wiedemann’s kill, and the Lady Hornets never recovered.
The second game was much the same, as Bentonville jumped out to an 11-2 lead and owned a 15-4 cushion after Wiedemann served an ace. Bryant scored the next three points, but the Lady Tigers countered with six unanswered points, with Savannah Chandler’s kill making it a 21-7 score.
“We just didn’t play to the level we’re capable of playing,” Bryant coach Beth Solomon said. “I don’t know if it was nerves that got to them or the fact they had never made it this far since I’ve been here.
“But Bentonville is a very good team. It should go far in this tournament.”
The Lady Hornets did show some life in the third game, taking a 10-8 lead on Hannah Rice’s kill. Bentonville, however, took the lead for good on a block by Rebecce Brown as the Lady Tigers went on a 15-3 run and took a 23-13 cushion on Melissa Bakke’s kill before completing the sweep.
Bentonville will play again at 1 p.m. today against Springdale Har-Ber, which advanced with its victory over 7A-Central champion Conway in an earlier second-round match.