ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage started with a bang Thursday night and the Lady War Eagles never looked back in sweeping Fort Smith Northside in a 7A-West Conference volleyball match.
Heritage (8-3, 2-1 7A-West) opened the first game with an 8-0 run and closed out the game with a 13-0 flurry to start a 3-0 (25-6, 28-26, 25-13) victory over the Lady Bears.
Heritage coach Sarah Miser said she had never seen such long service runs at the Class 7A level. Erika Reaser opened the game with eight service points for an 8-0 lead and Lindsay Glynn finished off the first game with 13 service points. Elleson Dunagin had nine of her team-high 20 kills in the first game.
"We did not make mistakes in the first game," Miser said. "Our hitting, we had one hitting error in the first game. We couldn't ask much more from our team in the first game, and in the third game. That many straight points just doesn't happen, but I think Northside was off their game."
Northside assistant coach Matthew Waack said the first game set the tone for the rest of the match. Northside, however, did have a 17-12 lead in the second game before Heritage ended the game with a 16-9 run.
"We didn't show up for the first game," said Waack. "I just felt like we were inconsistent. When our passing was on, our setting was off. When our hitting was on, our passing was off. We just couldn't bring it together, and we couldn't finish off that second game."
Alye Darter had 19 digs for Heritage while CJ Landrum had 19 assists. Hope Von Gremp finished with six blocks and five kills and the junior was especially effective in the second game.
Von Gremp had two kills and a block as Heritage cut the Northside (1-6, 0-3) lead to 23-22. Dunagin then gave the Lady War Eagles the lead with two kills before Lora Brown closed out the second game with a kill.
"Northside was very strong in the second game and they put us back on our heels," Miser said. "But we got back in a rhythm and we started chipping away. Dunagin is solid for us, and I thought Hope did a good job, too."
Sports on 09/11/2015