BENTONVILLE -- The offensive production Sadie Pate and Anna LeDuc had during Tuesday's volleyball season opener is to be expected during any Bentonville match this fall.
The contributions Lauren Bareis made might have caught a few people by surprise, but not Lady Tigers coach Michelle Smith.
The senior was particularly effective with her serves and recorded seven aces during Bentonville's 3-0 victory over Siloam Springs in nonconference action at Tiger Arena.
"Lauren was definitely on her game," Smith said following the 25-19, 25-12, 25-14 decision. "We've known it's always been there, but it's been up and down, hot or cold. She was being that consistent player that we need her to be, and it definitely showed."
When Bareis wasn't delivering shots that weren't returned, Pate and LeDuc were doing their part in the 25-19, 25-12, 25-14 decision. Both of them finished the match with 13 kills, and LeDuc also added a trio of blocks to lead the Lady Tigers (1-0) in that category.
Pate, a junior, set the tone early when she recorded four kills in Bentonville's first five points. As the match progressed, LeDuc took things over and capped the match with a thunderous kill that Siloam Springs (0-1) didn't have a chance to return.
"I just think our girls did a great job of being aggressive at the service line and pulled Siloam out of its offense," Smith said. "I don't think we got a true taste of what Siloam can do.
"Sadie's energy was amazing, and it helped bring up the whole team. Every girl seemed to feed off that from the beginning, and it carried on into game two and game three. The girls were having fun, and we saw a lot of smiles out there."
Siloam Springs held its own for much of the first set and was within 22-18 after it scored three straight points before Bentonville pulled away. The second and third sets were different because the Lady Panthers made a number of self-inflicted mistakes, allowing Bentonville to put together scoring runs.
Four errors played a part in a 7-0 run that allowed Bentonville to pull away in the second set, turning a two-point lead into an 18-9 cushion. The Lady Tigers then went on a 10-1 run in the third set and turned a 6-5 lead into a 16-6 cushion on a Pate's tip over the net for a kill.
"That's what I kept telling them; you're shooting yourselves in the foot," Siloam Springs coach Rose Cheek said. "We had hitting error after hitting error.
"We didn't pass very well, and we're a good passing team. I was shocked that we didn't pass any better than we did. You have to give Bentonville credit because they served well, but we're a much better passing team than that -- much better. But we certainly go back and have a passing day in practice."
Both teams return to action with home matches Thursday as Siloam Springs hosts Rogers High while Bentonville takes on Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo.
Sports on 08/27/2014