CLASS 3A

Hackett streak at 20 after defeating Jessieville

Hackett may have moved up, but the Lady Hornets continue to mow opponents down.

Senior Rain Vaughn and junior Madeline Freeman had huge outings, but it was a collective effort that propelled Hackett past Jessieville 25-17, 22-25, 25-14, 25-12 during the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state volleyball tournament Wednesday at Episcopal Collegiate.

"The camaraderie of this group, I can't say enough about them," Hackett Coach Bridget Freeman said. "Just the closeness of this group has been the key all year. They're truly friends on and off the court. They're so supportive of each other, no jealously.

"They're amazing, and it's impressive to watch."

The Lady Hornets made sure their first appearance in this year's postseason was a memorable one by running away in the third and fourth sets after dropping the second.

Freeman had 15 kills and 3 aces while Vaughn chipped in with 11 kills for Hackett (20-1), which captured the Class 2A state championship last season in just the program's fourth year of existence but moved up to Class 3A this year.

The transition has been a smooth one for the Lady Hornets, who won their 20th consecutive match. During its current run, Hackett has lost just three sets.

The Lady Hornets did have to wait an extra day to start its quest for title No. 2. Hackett was scheduled to play Dover in the opening round Tuesday but received a bye after the Lady Pirates were forced to forfeit for covid-19 reasons.

Freeman's team raced to an opening set win before Jessieville (14-5) roared back.

The Lady Lions got kills from five different players, including three from junior Avery Jones, and aces from two others to lead start to finish in the second set.

Hackett appeared to turn its level of play up a notch over the next two sets. The Lady Hornets trailed just once over that span, 4-3, in the fourth. Hackett responded by scoring five of the next six points and remained in command the rest of the match.

"The girls were excited to get this one under their belts and just kind of move on," Freeman said. "I think they're settling in a little bit better. You always want to get that first one out the way and move forward. So I think they're just playing ball at this point and excited for the next one."

Kallie Castleberry had 12 kills for Jessieville while Jones and Abbie Storment had seven apiece.

HOXIE 3, CHARLESTON 2

A furious rally in the fifth set enabled Hoxie (19-0) to advance to the semifinals with a 20-25, 25-19, 25-16, 21-25, 17-15 victory.

Senior Jaedyn Brown had 23 kills and seven blocks for the Lady Mustangs, who staved off two match points in the final set to win. Sophomore Ellery Gillham had 15 kills and four blocks.

Charleston (13-8) sent the match to a fifth set where it held a 14-13 lead, but Gillham came away with a kill to escape elimination. Charleston had another chance to win it after leading 15-14 until Brown's kill again tied it. The Lady Tigers sent a shot into the net moments later before Brown sealed it with her final kill.

Junior Gracie Koch had 17 kills and four blocks for Charleston. Juniors Tristen Jones and Julianna Arroyo added nine kills apiece for the Lady Tigers.

PARIS 3, BAPTIST PREP 0

Junior Jacee Hart finished with 11 kills, including five in the first set, as Paris (15-3) beat Baptist Prep 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 in the quarterfinals.

Paris didn't get its first lead in the opening set until a block from junior Akira Robinson put them ahead 11-10. Paris scored 14 of the next 18 points and never trailed in the second set.

Junior Alyssa Komp added nine kills for Paris. Sophomore Allison Jackson had eight kills and three blocks for Baptist Prep (20-5).

PIGGOTT 3,

HARDING ACADEMY 2

Sophomore Alyssa Manor had 15 kills and 10 blocks as Piggott (17-6) held on for a 23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 16-14 victory.

Senior Claire Bellers chimed in with 11 kills for the Lady Mohawks, who held on after converting on their fifth match point.

Becca Dugger, a junior, had 28 kills for Harding Academy (14-4)

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