WEEK 8 RANKINGS
By Jeff Halpern
Conway Christian won the 3A-4 District Tournament with a 3-0 sweep of No. 10 Mayflower and moves to No. 1.
Fountain Lake drops from the top spot with a loss to Malvern.
However, the two teams are on opposite sides of the 3A-South Regional which means they could meet for the regional title.
Other teams moving up were Crowley’s Ridge Academy from No. 5 to No. 3, Providence Academy from No. 8 to No. 6. Lavaca fell from No. 4 to No. 7. Quitman enters the polls at No. 10 and Paris drops out.
Arkansas Volleyball Network’s Class 3A Rankings for Week 9.
1. CONWAY CHRISTIAN (22-4, 8-0 3A-4)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: 3A-4 District Tournament at Central Arkansas Christian; def. Central Arkansas Christian 3-2; def. No. 10 Mayflower 3-0
This week: 3A-South Regional at Fountain Lake: vs. Ashdown Monday
COMMENT: “I’m really proud of how our girls responded this week. The two words we challenged them with going into the finals were grit and resilience, and I thought they showed both. Playing five sets in the semifinals the night before was a stressful test for us, but I honestly think it was good for our team and gave us some extra motivation heading into the finals. The girls came out focused and took care of business against Mayflower in three sets. To finish the regular season undefeated in conference play is a great accomplishment. We’re excited to head into regionals as the No. 1 seed, but our focus remains on continuing to improve and taking things one match at a time.” — Conway Christian head coach Kobie McKnight
2. FOUNTAIN LAKE (18-6, 11-0 3A-6)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: lost 3-1 to Malvern; def. Cossatot River 3-0
This week: 3A-South Regional at Fountain Lake: vs. Episcopal Collegiate Monday
COMMENT: “We are very excited and looking forward to hosting the Regional Tournament. We have accomplished our goal of finishing first place in our conference and we hope to carry that momentum forward as we face a tough Episcopal team. Our goal is to keep playing our best volleyball and trust the work we have put in.” — Fountain Lake head coach Tina Moore
3. CROWLEY’S RIDGE ACADEMY (21-3, 13-1 3A-3)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: 3A-Northeast District tournament: def. Walnut Ridge 3-0; def. No. 4 Harrisburg 3-1
This week: 3A-East Regional at Hoxie: vs. Salem Monday
COMMENT: “The girls came out with a lot of confidence and energy. We followed our game plan of tough serving, keeping those in play. Had good communication with our serve receive. Everybody was a great teammate all night. Played all night with the same confidence they started with and finished the job.” — Crowley’s Ridge Academy head coach Royce McMillion
4. HARRISBURG (20-9-1, 13-1 3A-3)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: 3A-Northeast District Tournament: def. Newport 3-0; lost 3-1 to No. 3 Crowley’s Ridge Academy; def. Heber Springs 3-0
This week: 3A-East Regional at Hoxie: vs. Flippin Monday
COMMENT: “My girls know nothing is going to hit the floor easy this week. Win the first contact, play every rally like it's coming back, play for each other, and let's go punch a ticket to state for our seniors. Our love!” — Harrisburg head coach Derek Falls
5. BERGMAN (19-5-2, 10-2 3A-2)
Previous rank: No. 6
Last week: 3A-2 District Tournament at Melbourne; def. Salem 3-1; def. Melbourne 3-0
This week: 3A-East Regional at Hoxie: vs. Walnut Ridge Monday
Senior Kinsley See (156 kills, 121 digs, 43 aces), sophomore Alexis McCutcheon (95 kills, 35 aces, 111 digs), sophomore Abryee Uber (393 assists, 127 digs, 22 aces) and senior Avery West (138 digs, 17 aces) leading the Lady Panthers.
6. PROVIDENCE ACADEMY (15-7, 9-3 3A-1)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: 3A-1 District Tournament at West Fork; def. No. 9 Paris 3-0; def. No. 4 Lavaca 3-0
This week: 3A-North Regional at Paris: vs. Atkins Monday
Patriots knock off Parsi and Lavaca to win the district title.
7. LAVACA (17-7, 10-2 3A-1)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: 3A-1 District Tournament at West Fork: def. Charleston 3-2; lost 3-0 to No. 8 Providence Academy
This week: 3A-North Regional at Paris: vs. Dover Monday
COMMENT: “Providence played a very clean match tonight and deserves a lot of credit. We looked a little tired after the match last night, and we made too many unforced errors against a team that wasn’t giving us much for free. At this point, though, our focus shifts to regionals. We know what we’re capable of, and now it’s about recovering, cleaning up the mistakes, and being ready to compete.” — Lavaca head coach Shannon Todaro
8. LAMAR (14-8, 9-0 3A-5)
Previous rank: No. 7
Last week: lost 3-2 to Quitman; def. Dover 3-2
This week: 3A-North Regional at Paris: vs. Paris Monday
COMMENT: “Lamar, in its fifth year as a program, is excited to make its debut in a regional tournament. Paris has a strong team of talented players. We shared a conference in the last cycle and fell to them time and time again. We're optimistic that the work we have been putting into the gym will pay off Monday afternoon and we will finally see the scoreboard light up in our favor.” — Lamar head coach Megan Brown
9. MAYFLOWER (15-11, 7-3 3A-4)
Previous rank: No. 10
Last week: lost 3-0 to Conway St. Joseph; 3A-4 District Tournament at Central Arkansas Christian: def. Episcopal Collegiate 3-1; lost 3-0 to No. 2 Conway Christian
This week: 3A-South Regional at Fountain Lake: vs. Jessieville Monday
COMMENT: “We are excited for the regional tournament next week! We think our conference, as tough as it, has prepared us for post season play. We know there will be challenges, but our leadership is strong and our bench gives us tremendous energy which is so important. This time of the year is always exciting and fun!” — Mayflower head coach Monty Smith
10. QUITMAN (12-5, 9-1, 3A-5)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Last week: def. No. 7 Lamar 3-1; def. Clinton 3-1
This week: 3A-North Regional at Paris: vs. Charleston Monday
Biggest victory over season came against Lamar. Not afraid of playing tough competition with losses to No. 1 Conway Christian and No. 8 Lamar and 2A powers Cotter, Conway St. Joseph and Taylor.
DROPPED OUT
No. 9 Paris
WEEK 7 RANKINGS
By Jeff Halpern
Fountain Lake and Conway Christian remain in the top two spots.
Harrisburg and Lavaca switch spots after Harrisburg beat Class 5A Batesville and Class 2A Cotter. Lavaca, which knocked off Mansfield, the top team in 2A, suffered a 5-set loss to Charleston.
Bergman (17-5-2) enters the rankings at No. 6 and Dover drops out.
Here are the Class 3A Arkansas Volleyball Network Rankings for Week 7.
1. FOUNTAIN LAKE (17-5, 11-0 3A-6)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: lost 3-1 to Haskell Harmony Grove; def. Smackover 3-0; def. Jessieville 3-0
This week: vs. Malvern Monday; at Cossatot River Thursday
Baylee Hedges had 22 kills vs. Smackover and Jessieville. Alyiah McKellar had 48 assists and 11 kills in both matches.
2. CONWAY CHRISTIAN (20-4, 8-0 3A-4)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: def. Maumelle Charter 3-0
This week: 3A-4 District Tournament at Central Arkansas Christian Wednesday vs. TBD
Lady Eagles will be well rested going into district tournament.
3 HARRISBURG (18-8-1, 13-1 3A-3)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: def. Cotter 3-1; def. Batesville 3-0; def. Walnut Ridge 3-0
This week: 3A-Northeast District Tournament vs. Newport Monday; vs. Heber Springs Thursday
Cali Jo Heeb (37 kills, 33 digs), Adalen Kocher (31 kills, 24 digs) and Sophia Moore (75 assists) leading Lady Hornets down the stretch.
4. LAVACA (16-6, 10-2 3A-1)
Previous rank: No. 3
Last week: def. Mansfield 3-2; def. West Fork 3-0; lost 3-2 to Charleston
This week: 3A-1 District Tournament at West Fork vs. TBD Wednesday
Golden Arrows have a big non-conference, reverse-sweep victory over Mansfield.
COMMENT: “What a battle. Down 0–2, our girls could have easily folded, but they did anything but. They fought their way back, battled through every point, and came out on top in an incredible five-set match! It was a back-and-forth fight from start to finish, and the grit, determination, and heart these girls showed tonight was something special. They never gave up. They kept believing, kept fighting, and kept pushing until the very last point. This win has been a long time coming, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team. They earned every bit of this one. So proud of our girls and the way they fought for each other tonight!” — Lavaca head coach Shannon Todaro on the victory over Mansfield
5. CROWLEY’S RIDGE ACADEMY (19-3, 13-1 3A-3)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: def Hoxie 3-0; def. Newport 3-0
This week: 3A-Northeast District tournament vs. Walnut Ridge Monday
Falcons get ready to make postseason run.
6. BERGMAN (17-5-2, 10-2 3A-2)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Last week: Lost 3-1 to Cotter, def. Valley Springs 3-1; lost 3-1 to Harrison
This week: 3A-2 District Tournament at Melbourne TBD
Bergman had not lose in 15 matches before falling to Cotter. Kinsley See had 12 kills vs. Cotter.
7. LAMAR (13-7, 8-0 3A-5)
Previous rank: No. 6
Last week: lost 3-1 to Ozark, def. Perryville 3-0; def. Atkins 3-0
This week: vs. Quitman Monday; at Two Rivers Tuesday; at Dover Thursday
Carys Miranda (41 assists), Cassey Garcia (28 assists), Phoenix Sanders (28 kills, 31 digs) and Bri Bush (34 kills, 18 digs) had big games vs. Ozark and Perryville.
COMMENT: “Man, we're having an exciting season! Lamar is blessed with great group of girls whose talent is only matched by their effort in the gym. We're young, and have made some rookie mistakes, but we're growing and improving, and working towards our goals every day.” — Lamar head coach Megan Brown
8. PROVIDENCE ACADEMY (13-7, 9-3 3A-1)
Previous rank: No. 7
Last week: lost 3-1 to Lincoln
This week: 3A-1 District Tournament vs. TBD on Wednesday
Postseason play begins for Lady Patriots.
9. PARIS (14-10-2, 8-4 3A-1)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: def. Episcopal Collegiate 3-0; def. West Fork 3-0
This week: 3A-1 District Tournament vs. Booneville/West Fork Tuesday
Lady Eagles need one victory to advance to regional tournament.