BENTONVILLE -- Bentonville volleyball coach Michelle Smith may have found the setter she's been searching for Thursday night at the Teen Cancer Challenge benefit tri-match in Tiger Arena.
The Lady Tigers finished the evening with an impressive 25-11, 25-15 win over Shiloh Christian. The defending Class 7A state champions split two sets earlier against Rogers Heritage, winning the first 25-20, but they fell 25-21 in the second.
Smith said senior Kayton Coffee was a difference-maker against Shiloh Christian, which returns several starters from a team that finished second in Class 4A. Coffee was the lone setter in a 5-1 offense in the sweep, while Smith utilized a 6-2 against Heritage.
"She ran the show tonight," Smith said. "I was very pleased with her. She's a senior, so she has that confidence. But she's not a setter She's really a libero, but we're making it work right now. We are weak in that position. We have some big hitters and some great defense. When we find that setter and we start flowing like I know we can, that's the result you see."
Smith said she's worked three or four different players at setter throughout the offseason trying to find a combination that clicks. She even tried all-state hitter Sadie Pate at setter a bit.
"We've been trying a lot of different line-ups and I know it's hard on the girls and it's hard to find the rhythm. So hopefully we can find it after tonight."
Shiloh Christian showed off some solid defense and strong front-row play in a 25-22, 25-15 sweep of Heritage.
Lady Saints coach Nathan Bodenstein saw a mixed bag from his team against the two opponents.
"Some good, some bad some ugly," Bodenstein said. "Against Heritage we came out firing away. Good against Bentonville, there were some positives. The biggest deal is we picked up the defensive intensity finally."
Heritage turned the tables against Bentonville, after the Lady Tigers scored the final five points to win the first set. The Lady War Eagles wiped out a 20-18 deficit and finished the second set with a 7-1 surge for the victory.
"It was nice to split with Bentonville tonight," Heritage coach Sarah Miser said. "What we have to get over is when we make mistakes is bouncing back faster. We did the against Bentonville where against Shiloh we wallowed in those mistakes a little bit."
The night was a success though because proceeds from a silent auction and a portion of the gate will go toward cancer research and the money will remain in Northwest Arkansas.
"This is the fifth or sixth year we've done this," Smith said. "Yes, we're fighting on the court but we're all fighting to help find a cure for cancer. It's just a happy night. We all get competitive when the whistle blows, but at the end of the night it's a good feeling."
Sports on 08/21/2015