BENTONVILLE -- It didn't matter that Sadie Pate had slightly misjudged the ball's direction during the third set of Thursday's volleyball match.
Bentonville's junior outside hitter simply adjusted her position and was still able to hit the ball over Fort Smith Northside's front line and record a kill.
It was that kind of night for Pate, who had 12 kills and added four aces, in the Lady Tigers 3-0 victory over the Lady Bears in the 7A-West Conference opener for both teams at Tiger Arena.
"Sadie has a good vision of the court," Bentonville coach Michelle Smith said after her team's 25-8, 25-9, 25-18 decision. "Whether she is up in the air or on the ground, she can see the other side very well and make her judgment call before she hits the ball."
Pate recorded five kills and an ace among Bentonville's first 10 points, and she later delivered three consecutive aces as the Lady Tigers (5-0, 1-0) bolted to an 18-2 lead in the first set. She then capped the first set with another kill, then picked up where she left off in the second set with two more kills and an ace.
Bentonville blew the second set open with an impressive 13-1 run and turned a slim margin into a comfortable 20-5 margin. A number of Lady Tigers contributed during that outburst, and Kayton Coffee capped it with back-to-back kills.
"It was a great way to start conference," Smith said. "I'm proud of them because it was a complete team effort. A lot of girls contributed to the score and the stats, and I'm proud of them all."
Both teams used the third set to mix things up for different reasons. Smith put different combinations on the court -- some that hadn't practiced together -- while Northside (0-3, 0-1) used the third set to try different players in hopes the Lady Bears could find a spark.
Bentonville did have a 7-1 spurt and pulled out to a 13-6 lead on back-to-back kills by Lauren Bareis, but the Lady Tigers never pulled away as Northside stayed within reasonable distance before an Anna Palasak ended the match.
"It took us two games before we really started doing anything," Lady Bears assistant coach Matt Waack said. "They beat us up on serve receive, and you can't play if you don't serve receive the ball.
"We changed the lineup and tried to see if we could get something to work for us. We have some girls that have some nice float serves, and we tried to get something so we could run our offense. We also started blocking a little better."
Bentonville travels to Tulsa, Okla., tonight for three pool play matches in the Bishop Kelley Invitational, and the tournament round will take place Saturday.
Sports on 09/05/2014