WEEK 8 RANKINGS
By Jeff Halpern
In the 6A-West, No. 7 Shiloh Christian (15-12-1, 9-7) defeated No. 8 Fort Smith Southside (13-13, 7-9) 3-2 and Rogers Heritage 3-0 to move one step closer to securing the conference’s No. 5 seed for the state tournament.
However, there’s some work to be done among Shiloh Christian, Southside and No. 10 Fort Smith Northside (15-14, 6-10) to wrap up the last two sports for the state tournament.
Shiloh’s victory over Southside gave the Lady Saints the head-to-head sweep should the two teams ended up tied in conference standings. Shiloh hosts No. 1 Fayetteville (26-1-1, 15-1) on Tuesday and goes to Northside on Thursday. Northside beat Shiloh Christian 3-2 on Sept. 22.
Southside is trying to hold off crosstown rival Northside for the final spot. Southside swept Northside in the regular season, but has to travel to No. 6 Bentonville (21-9, 11-5) and host No. 5 Bentonville West (22-10, 12-4) on Thursday. Northside hosts Rogers Heritage on Tuesday and Shiloh Christian on Thursday.
In the 6A-Central, the top three are set with No. 3 Cabot (23-5-2, 10-1) No. 4 Conway (22-8, 10-1) and No. 9 Bryant (16-12, 8-3). Little Rock Central (15-11, 5-6) goes to Jonesboro (13-14-4, 4-7) Tuesday, needing a victory to secure fourth place. Central won 3-0 on Sept. 24. North Little Rock (3-17-1, 2-9) will be the sixth seed.
Here are the Arkansas Volleyball Network’s Class 6A Rankings for Week 8.
1. FAYETTEVILLE (26-1-1, 15-1 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: def. Springdale 3-0; def. No. 8 Fort Smith Southside 3-2
This week: at No. 7 Shiloh Christian Tuesday; vs. No. 6 Bentonville Thursday
Molly Miller had 69 kills in both victories.
2. SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (21-3, 14-2 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: def. Rogers Heritage 3-0; def. No. 10 Fort Smith Northside 3-1
This week: vs. Rogers Tuesday; at Springdale Thursday
Reese Davis had 75 assists and 9 aces in both victories.
3. CABOT (23-5-2, 10-1 6A-Central)
Previous Rank: No. 3
Last week: def. No. 9 Bryant 3-2
This week: vs. Mount St. Mary Monday; vs. North Little Rock Tuesday; at Hot Springs Lakeside Thursday
Count on Olivia Ambeau doing everything well (14kills, 22 assists, 16 dig and 6 blocks) as was the case in a 5-set victory over Bryant.
4. CONWAY (22-8, 10-1 6A-Central)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: def. Little Rock Central 3-0; def. Jonesboro 3-2
This week: vs. Bryant Tuesday; at Benton Thursday
Braylin Merritt (66 digs) and Olivia Gardner (48 assists) had big matches in both victories.
COMMENT: “This was a good road win for the Lady Cats. It was a hard fought match for both teams. Jonesboro played really well. It took us a little bit to settle into the pace of their offense. Our girls played with a lot of intensity and grit.” — Conway head coach Laura Crow
5. BENTONVILLE WEST (22-10, 12-4 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: def. No. 10 Fort Smith Northside 3-1; def. Rogers 3-2
This week: vs. Springdale Tuesday; at No. 8 Fort Smith Southside Thursday
Noelle Hammond (23 kills, 17 blocks), Audry Calva (28 kills, 6 blocks, Anna Kate Davis (23 kills, 26 digs, 10 blocks) and Claire Schofield (24 kills, 9 blocks) play big roles in both victories.
6. BENTONVILLE (21-9, 11-5 6A-West)
Previous Rank: No. 4
Last week: def. Rogers 3-0; def. Springdale 3-0; at Blue Valley North (Kan.) Tournament: def. Staley (Mo.) 2-0; lost 2-1 to Blue Valley (Kan.); lost 2-0 to Bishop Midge (Kan.), def. Smithville (Mo.) 2-1
This week: vs. No. 8 Fort Smith Southside Tuesday; at No. 1 Fayetteville Thursday
Bentonville goes 2-2 in Kansas against teams with a combined record of 76-45. Evelyn Venters gets her 1,000 career kill.
COMMENT: “We played some really good tough volleyball yesterday. I saw a lot of fight from my girls. These were solid teams that ran a pretty fast offense so that was great to see before the state tournament. Evie hit her 1000th career kill as well and still counting!! We are super proud of her and her team for their ability to get our middle the ball!” — Bentonville head coach Hannah Berry
7. SHILOH CHRISTIAN (15-12-1, 9-7 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: vs. No. 8 Fort Smith Southside Tuesday; def. Rogers Heritage 3-0
This week: vs. No. 1 Fayetteville Tuesday; at No. 10 Fort Smith Northside Thursday
Lady Saints help themselves with two victories, but know there is more work to do.
COMMENT: “I think we grew up a lot tonight. Southside is a really great team that plays really hard for each other so to get a win in five over them in extra points was huge. I felt like we played for the person next to us and showed so much grit and resilience. I’m really proud of our kids!” — Shiloh Christian head coach Cassie Loyd
8. FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (13-13, 7-9 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: lost 3-2 to No. 7 Shiloh Christian; lost 3-2 to No. 1 Fayetteville
This week: at No. 6 Bentonville Tuesday; vs. No. 5 Bentonville West Thursday
Lady Mavericks in a fight for spot in the state tournament and have two tough matches ahead. Hayden McCain (88 assists, 37 digs) topped 1,000 career assists vs. Fayetteville and Harper Hogue (52 digs) had big weeks.
9. BRYANT (16-12, 8-3 6A-Central)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: lost 3-2 to No. 3 Cabot Tuesday; def. North Little Rock 3-0
This week: at No. 4 Conway Tuesday
Lady Hornets give everything they have vs. Cabot as Jordyn Stanfield (38 digs, 3 assists), Brinkley Gigerich (23 kills) and Brynn Bohannan (50 assists, 24 digs) stand out.
10. FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE (15-14, 6-10 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 10
Last week: lost 3-1 to No. 4 Bentonville West; lost 3-1 No. 2 Springdale Har-Ber
This week: at Greenwood Monday; vs. Rogers Heritage Tuesday; vs. No. 7 Shiloh Christian Thursday
Lady Bears need help to get into the state tournament, but Eden Fields (42 digs), Jalliyah Freeman-Rhone (23 kills, 31 assists and 12 digs), Paisley Hogan (26 kills, 22 digs) and Kamdyn Flemming (23 digs) are doing everything they can to make it happen.
WEEK 7 RANKINGS
By Jeff Halpern
In the 6A-West, three teams — No. 7 Shiloh Christian (13-12-1, 7-7), No. 8 Fort Smith Southside (13-11, 7-7) and No. 10 Fort Smith Northside (15-12, 6-8) — are playing for the final two spots in the Class 6A state tournament.
Shiloh Christian hosts Fort Smith Southside on Tuesday. The Lady Saints won 3-2 on Sept. 10 and a victory would give them the season sweep over the Lady Mavericks. A loss would give Southside the upper hand.
Shiloh Christian meets Rogers Heritage (7-20, 2-12) on Thursday, but Southside and Northside have matches against the top four teams in the conference that could determine which teams get the final two sports.
Southside goes to No. 1 Fayetteville (24-1-1, 13-1) on Thursday. Northside has to go No. 5 Bentonville West (20-10, 10-4) Tuesday and hosts No. 2 Har-Ber (19-3, 12-2) on Thursday.
Southside swept Northside and has the tiebreaker if its comes down to those two teams.
Here are the Arkansas Volleyball Network’s Class 6A rankings for Week 7.
1. FAYETTEVILLE (24-1-1, 13-1 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: def. No. 10 No. Fort Smith Northside 3-0; def. Rogers 3-0
This week: vs. Springdale Tuesday; at No. 8 Fort Smith Southside Thursday
Molly Miller had 64 assists and Eva McPike had 19 digs in both matches and Lady Bulldogs build separation.
2. SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (19-3, 12-2 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: def. No. 5 Bentonville West 3-1; def. No. 8 Shiloh Christian 3-0; at Conway Lady Cat Invitational: def. Joe T. Robinson 2-0; def. Morrilton 2-0; Gold bracket: def. No. 9 Fort Smith Southside 2-0; lost 2-1 to Farmington
This week: vs. Rogers Heritage Tuesday; at No. 10 Fort Smith Northside Thursday
COMMENT: “I think playing Farmington in the Semis was a good mock up for what we are up against in a few weeks. We still have room to grow and the girls are hungry, going to three with Farmington and losing lit a fire.” — Springdale Har-Ber head coach Sophie Simmons
3. CABOT (22-5-2, 9-1 6A-Central)
Previous Rank: No. 5
Last week: def. No. 6 Conway 3-1; def. Little Rock Central 3-1; at Conway Lady Cat Invitational: def. Pottsville 2-0; def. Mountain Home 2-0; Gold bracket: lost 2-0 to Farmington
This week: vs. No. 9 Bryant Tuesday
Lady Panthers take over first place in 6A-Central, fall to Farmington in Conway Lady Cat Invitational.
COMMENT: “I’m proud of the way our girls competed today. Finishing the tournament 2-1 is a positive result, and even though we came up just two points short in the second set, our team continued to fight and compete. Matches like that show us where we’re improving and what we still need to work on. We’ll learn from this experience, make adjustments, and continue to get better as we prepare for Bryant Tuesday.” — Cabot head coach Anna Robertson
4. CONWAY (20-8, 8-1 6A-Central)
Previous rank: No. 6
Last week: lost 3-1 to No. 3 Cabot; Conway Lady Cat Invitational: def. Vilonia 2-0; def. Jonesboro Westside 2-0; Gold bracket: def. No. 8 Shiloh Christian 2-1; def. No. 5 Bentonville West 2-1; lost 2-0 to Farmington
This week: vs. Little Rock Central Tuesday; at Jonesboro Thursday
COMMENT: “The tournament in central Arkansas allows teams to meet up that would not normally get to see each other because of the distance. Conway is proud to host such a competitive tournament. We were proud of the way our team played. Making it to the finals at the Lady Cat Invitational is hard to do. Our athletes kept pushing and did not give up and fought hard to get there.” — Conway head coach Laura Crowy
5. BENTONVILLE WEST (20-10, 10-4 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: lost 3-1 to No. 2 Springdale Har-Ber; def. Rogers Heritage 3-0; at Conway Lady Cat Invitational: lost 2-0 to Brookland, def. Mount St. Mary 2-1; def. Benton 2-1; lost to No.6 Conway 2-1
This week: vs. No. 10 Fort Smith Northside Tuesday; at Rogers Thursday
Lady Wolverines reach semifinals in Conway.
COMMENT: “Our team played great! Noelle Hammond blocked incredibly today. Our offense was fast. This helped our team get prepped for the rest of conference play.” — Bentonville West head coach Britney Davis
6. BENTONVILLE (17-7, 9-5 6A-West)
Previous Rank: No. 4
Last week: def. Rogers Heritage 3-0; lost 3-2 to No. 10 Fort Smith Northside
This week: vs. Rogers Tuesday; at Springdale Thursday; at Blue Valley North (Kan.) Tournament Saturday: vs. Blue Valley North (Kan.), vs. Staley (Mo.)
Avery Jo McDonald (36 assists, 10 digs, 6 aces), Preslie Clubb (35 assists, 13 digs), Tristen Hamilton (26 kills, 14 digs) and Evelyn Venters (27 kills, 7 blocks and 7 digs) had a big week.
7. SHILOH CHRISTIAN (13-12-1; 7-7 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: def. Springdale 3-0; lost 3-0 to Springdale Har-Ber Thursday; at Conway Lady Cat Invitational: def. Pulaski Academy 2-0; def. Wynne 2-0; Gold bracket: lost 2-1 to Conway
This week: vs. No. 8 Fort Smith Southside Tuesday; at Rogers Heritage Thursday
Lady Saints fall to Conway in gold bracket and have chance to get the season sweep on Southside Tuesday.
COMMENT: “I was really proud of our grit and composure today. Our goal was to get better to prepare for the next two weeks of conference and I think we accomplished that! Our girls competed hard and for each other.” — Shiloh Christian head coach Cassie Loyd
8. FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (13-11, 7-7 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: lost 3-1 to Farmington; def. Rogers 3-2; at Springdale Thursday; at Conway Lady Cat Invitational: def. Bryant 2-1; def. Russellville 2-0; Gold bracket: lost 2-0 to No. 2 Springdale Har-Ber
This week: at No. 7 Shiloh Christian Tuesday; vs. No. 1 Fayetteville Thursday
Big matches this week as Lady Mavericks try to nail down a spot in state tournament.
COMMENT: “The Lady Cat is a great tournament to see strong competition from all over the state, especially as we prepare for the opportunity to fight to be in postseason! I’m very pleased with our pool play. Bryant and Russellville are well coached, strong teams and coming out with two wins in pool play with them was a step in the right direction for us. I think we had trouble getting started against Har-Ber. They are such a consistent and steady team. I was hoping we could have fought back a little harder on that one, but overall, it was a great way of good competition.” — Fort Smith Southside head coach Natalie Throneberry
9. BRYANT (15-11, 7-2 6A-Central)
Previous rank: No. 7
Last week: def. Little Rock Central 3-2; def. Little Rock Southwest 3-0; at Conway Lady Cat Invitational: def. Russellville 2-1; lost 2-1 to Fort Smith Southside; Silver bracket; def. Morrilton 2-0; lost 2-1 to Little Rock Central
This week: at No. 3 Cabot Tuesday; vs. North Little Rock Thursday
Lady Hornets reach silver bracket semifinals in Conway. Have big match Tuesday vs. Cabot. Brinkley Gigerich (18 kills, 4 digs), Brynn Bohannan (43 assists, 14 digs, 6 aces), Taleah Shaw (14 kills) and Jordyn Stanfield (22 digs) had a big night vs. Central.
COMMENT: “Girls fought hard- saw some tough competition and we have sickness going around so I’m proud of them for sticking it out.” — Bryant head coach Paige Gantar on the Conway Lady Cat Invitational
10. FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE (15-12, 6-8 6A-West)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: lost 3-0 to Fayetteville Tuesday; def. No. 4 Bentonville 3-2
This week: at No. 5 Bentonville West Tuesday; vs. No. 2 Springdale Har-Ber Thursday
Lady Bears got an upset of Bentonville. Will need more to get spot in state tournament.
COMMENT: “I am extremely proud of the way my group responded coming off the tough loss at Fayetteville. It was one of the most balanced performances we have had as a team.” — Fort Smith Northside head coach Matthew Waack on the victory over Bentonville.