Hoxie Coach Judy Goodwin was convinced her team was nervous before its opening match of the Class 3A state tournament, but the Lady Mustangs didn't play like a timid bunch.
Senior Jaedyn Brown and sophomore Ellery Gillham combined for 24 kills and eight blocks as Hoxie remained unbeaten by taking down Central Arkansas Christian 25-13, 25-11 and 25-16 on Tuesday morning at Wildcat Gymnasium at Episcopal Collegiate.
"The girls told me, 'Oh coach, I'm just so nervous, I'm just so nervous,' " Goodwin said. "There were definitely some nerves at the start. But after that first game, they just settled right in and went back to fundamentals."
Those basics have helped the Lady Mustangs (18-0) cruise past most of their opponents throughout the season. Things were no different Tuesday.
Hoxie trailed less than three minutes in the match and conceded just 15 points total on shots that either landed out of bounds or were hit into the net. But there wasn't a whole lot else that went wrong for Goodwin's team, who advanced to take on Charleston in the quarterfinals today at 9 a.m.
The Lady Mustangs, who have dropped just five sets all season, ran out to a 9-2 lead in the opening frame behind four kills from Gillham. CAC was as close as 20-13 after a service point from sophomore Presley Morris, but Hoxie scored the next five points, with Brown closing out the set with a winner.
CAC scored the first three points of the second set before Hoxie ran off the next eight, three of which resulted from unforced errors. The Lady Mustangs led 9-7 before putting together a stretch where they reeled off 16 of the next 21 points.
Hoxie never trailed in the final set and finished off the match with back-to-back kills from Gillham and Brown.
"That first one is always the toughest to get out of the way," said Goodwin, whose team lost in the semifinals to Fountain Lake a year ago. "Especially for the young team that I have. So it really is good to win this one.
"They did a great job. [Gillham and Brown] are beasts, and we're so glad to have them on our side."
Senior Sophie Miller had five blocks for CAC.
CHARLESTON 3,
VALLEY SPRINGS 1
Charleston jumped to an 11-0 lead in the fourth set and never wavered in advancing to today's quarterfinals.
Junior Gracie Koch had 21 kills and 9 blocks for Charleston (13-7), which held on to win the first set 25-21 and used a 13-0 spurt at the start of the second set to win 25-11 and go up 2-0. But Valley Springs (12-4) fought back in the third behind senior Haylie Fry.
Fry had 3 kills, 5 blocks and 5 digs in the set to help her team win it 27-25, but Charleston's opening run in the final frame led to a 25-13 win. The Lady Tigers scored seven points in that set off their initial serve, including aces from Koch and sophomore Kyndall Haney.
BAPTIST PREP 3,
PALESTINE-WHEATLEY 0
Sophomore Allison Jackson had 12 kills and eight blocks as Baptist Prep (9-4) swept its way to a first-round victory.
Madison Stephenson, also a sophomore, added nine kills, including five in the third set, to help clinch it for the Lady Eagles.
Senior Allie Parson had 7 kills and 7 blocks, while junior Brilee Medford added 34 digs for Palestine Wheatley (8-13), which lost the first set 25-14 but nearly won the second. The Lady Patriots were within 19-18 after a kill from sophomore Gentry Bass, but a wide shot on the next serve started a closing run for the Lady Eagles.
PARIS 3, ROSE BUD 0
Junior Akira Robinson banged out 12 kills as Paris (14-3) rolled 25-11, 25-19, 25-17.
Alyssa Komp, another junior, had 11 kills for the Lady Eagles, who led just 15-14 midway through the third set until slowly pulling away.
Sophomore Sarah Hartle had seven kills for Rose Bud (13-9).