HARRISON EARNS BERTH, WORK STILL TO DO

ALMA — It has been over a decade since there was a district volleyball tournament for the Harrison Lady Goblins. Monday night, Harrison faced Morrilton in the 5A-West District Volleyball Tournament. When the evening was over, the Lady Goblins defeated the Lady Devil Dogs, who was also their last opponent that the squad had faced in the 2004 tournament. Harrison defeated Morrilton, 25-15, 25-11, 25-8. The win guarantees the Lady Goblins a spot in the Class 5A State Tournament. The Lady Goblins scored quickly and often. Outside of one scoring run in the opening set, Morrilton didn’t have a three-point run the entire match. Playing at Alma High School, the Lady Goblins moved to the semifinals where they faced Farmington on Tuesday night. The first set saw the Lady Goblins score seven of their first eight points off of offensive plays. Brooklin Edwards had the first four points off of three kills and a tip. Peyton Knight had the fifth point with a kill before Linsey Choate made it a 6-4 contest with Harrison leading. A Morrilton hitting error was Harrison’s first free point of the night. Olivia Alford served the first ace of the night for the Lady Goblins. Leading 8-5, Harrison went on a 3-0 run with Choate getting a block. After a Lady Goblin passing error, the team turned offensive again. Jessica Pratt had a kill that was followed by a Julianna Cramer spike. Izzy Gibbany had an ace and the Lady Goblins had their first double-digit lead of the day. With the score at 16-7, Harrison got a kill from Pratt and an ace from Cramer. Morrilton had its biggest run of the evening scoring six-straight points. Those points came from three Harrison hitting errors and two passing errors. With the score at 18-13, Edwards ended the Lady Devil Dogs run. Harrison led, 21-15, when the Lady Goblins ended the March on a 4-0 run. Choate started the run with a kill that was followed by a Jenna Martin spike. Choate had another kill and Alford finished the match with an ace. The Lady Goblins jumped out to a 12-1 lead with Gibbany and Cramer serving two aces each. Harrison turned offensive again as Knight and Martin had kills and Pratt had two aces. Morrilton opened the final set with a 2-0 lead. Harrison tied the contest at 2 and then again at 3. Then Cramer took over at the serving line. She served 13-straight points with five of those being aces. Harrison’s last seven points of the night were offensive plays. Choate had three kills, Maddie Richardson had two, Cramer a tip and Katie Fowler an ace. Cramer led the team with a kill, tip and eight aces. Choate had seven kills and a block; Edwards five kills, one tip and an ace; Pratt three kills and two aces; Martin three kills, a tip and an ace; Gibbany three aces; Knight and Richardson two kills; Alford two aces and Fowler an ace. Cramer finished with 23 assists with 12 coming in the first set. Gibbany had three assists.

HARRISON EARNS BERTH, WORK STILL TO DO

JEFF BRASEL

Harrison Daily | 10/18/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Harrison Athletics