While both Vilonia and Greenbrier volleyball teams still have more work to do to claim a berth in the 5A state tournament, both coaches believe there are enough matches to finish in the top half of the 5A-West Conference.
The Lady Eagles got the better of Greenbrier on Tuesday night with a 25-23, 19-25, 12-25, 25-18, 15-11 win at the Panther Pavilion, but both teams are tied for fifth in the conference with a league record of 3-6. Both teams have winnable matches left at home and on the road, but the margin for error is slim.
"We've played pretty close to everybody that we have left," Vilonia coach Karla Ault said. "Of course, Greenwood and Siloam Springs are head and shoulders above everyone else. We play Harrison at home (today), and we've beaten them twice. We beat them in a conference match and up there at a tournament."
Greenbrier coach Cindy Hartman was disappointed with the Lady Panthers' home loss to their county rivals, saying Vilonia's intensity was unmatched. Greenbrier has a tough test today when it travels to the possible conference champion Greenwood. The Lady Panthers still have dates with others such as Central Arkansas Christian and Alma.
"We still have a shot," Hartman said. "We're just gonna have to work hard to get there."
Vilonia has three home matches left, and Ault believes those can go a long way in determining whether the Lady Eagles can pile on a few wins.
"Most people would look at that and say, 'There's no way. Look at your record,'" Ault said. "Everybody still has an opportunity to beat everybody. ... You would think that you would need at least seven or eight weeks to get in, but there's still an opportunity with six."
Reflecting back on Vilonia's much-needed win on Tuesday, Ault saw plenty of bright spots in the play of her team, which is something to build off going into the final stretch.
"I thought Courtney did a nice job, and she's always consistent," Ault said. "She had some good kills (Tuesday night). I thought the middle girls did a good job, Liz (Clites) and Samantha (Nealey). We did a good job of mixing it up against Greenbrier. We didn't just keep going to one spot.
"We talked a lot about ball control. I thought the last the last two games that we controlled the ball and that makes a difference. The game that we got blown out, we were chasing it everywhere. You just can't do anything if you're chasing the ball. I thought ball control was a big issue."
JUNIOR VARSITY
Greenbrier defeated Vilonia 25-13, 25-23 in junior varsity action on Tuesday.
For Greenbrier, Abby Mallett led the way with three kills and four blocks. Summer Richard and Rachel Mulkey had two kills.
The Lady Eagles' Victoria Samuelson had 15 digs and Ashley Talbert, who also went 13-of-15 on serves, added 14 digs. Vilonia's Jessica Ragland ended with 12 digs, four blocks and two kills. Mallorie Ault was 7-of-8 on serves, with two digs and seven assists. Kalyn Rappold was 19-of-21 on serves, with seven assists. For Vilonia, Heather Brantley was 100 percent on 13 serves, with four kills and a block.
