GREENWOOD -- Shaylon Sharp set her feet, leaped and swung her right arm to hammer a kill over the net, but she barely made contact with the volleyball as it fell harmlessly to the floor.
The Siloam Springs sophomore didn't miss many other shots Tuesday while leading the Lady Panthers to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-20) sweep over Texarkana in the Class 6A volleyball state tournament.
The victory sends No. 3 seed Siloam Springs (9-24) into today's quarterfinals at 4 p.m. against Marion.
"I think we settled down after that first set," Siloam Springs Coach Rose Cheek-Willis said. "You know, they are young and inexperienced and had some nerves as the beginning, I think. But once we settled down and started playing ball, they were loose and that helped."
Sharp, a 5-9 hitter, led the way for Siloam Springs with a match-high 11 kills and two aces. Her play at the net was solid all three sets after she got over her initial jitters.
"She played pretty well," Texarkana Coach Brandy Crawford said. "We weren't getting to the block, and I think that would have made a difference in her effectiveness at the net, but our block was a little late with her and we probably haven't seen anybody with that kind of arm swing."
The first set was tied a 9-9 when the Lady Panthers missed a kill attempt. But after freshman Chloe Price served an ace for a 14-10 lead, the Lady Panthers ran off a 9-1 surge to take an 18-10 lead on Haley Stewart's kill. Sharp added two more kills to close out the set.
The second set was all Siloam Springs. Price opened with two ace serves as Siloam Springs raced to a double-digit lead. Sharp slammed a kill and added an ace to close out the 25-17 victory.
Stewart, who had eight kills for Siloam Springs, opened the third set with a spike, but the Lady Razorbacks (15-11) played much better and took advantage of what Cheek-Willis called "very sloppy" play by Siloam Springs, prompting the coach to call a timeout with her team leading 14-13.
"In Game 3 I thought we started getting comfortable," said Cheek-Willis, who has won seven state championships at Siloam Springs. "That's not how we normally play."
The move calmed her team, although Texarkana refused to quit, led by Makayla Henry and Aubreyonia Sanders. Henry had 4 kills and 7 digs in the match, and Sanders added 4 blocks.
Siloam Springs finally pulled away as Meg Gray served an ace for an 18-13 lead and Sharp added two aces for a 22-24 lead that helped the Lady Panthers nail down the sweep.
"Shaylon is a tremendous athlete," Cheek-Willis said. "She can jump, she's a good server. Getting her to be consistent is the thing. She's just a great athlete all the way around. She's got real good court sense."
Sports on 10/28/2015