Har-Ber Hosts Volleyball state tournament

Will Crotts, Reporter

It was the final moments of the semi-final game of the state championship bracket as head volleyball coach Shyrah Schisler stood on the sidelines. The final serve came from the Har-Ber volleyball team, and as the ball dropped to the ground, landing on the Conway volleyball team’s side, Schisler jumped with joy. This meant that Har-Ber volleyball would be heading to Hot Springs to play Fayetteville for the state championship.

“It’s all chemistry, and we set goals, but we are never satisfied. We do a lot team bonding and we don’t leave anyone behind,” Schisler said.

On the Wednesday of the tournament, the Lady Wildcats took on Fort Smith Southside, defeating them three to zero in the quarterfinals. The first set went 25-19, the second 25-15, and in the last set Southside managed 20 points against Har-Ber’s 25.

“We prepared well for the tournament and at practices we went really hard. We weren’t going to give up,” senior Emily Doss said.

Following Wednesday’s game, the Lady Wildcats took on Conway. The game began with Conway taking the first set 25-24, Har-Ber barely lagging behind. The second set went to Har-Ber, leading Conway by five points with a final score of 25-20. The third set went to Conway as they quickly swept Har-Ber with a seven point lead of 25-18. Tying up the game two to two, Har-Ber narrowly took the next set 25-24. Finally, Har-Ber took the fifth set 15-12, qualifying for the state championship in Hot Springs.

“The energy at the Conway versus Har-Ber game was so lit. Everyone was cheering and we had so many students out there getting pumped and hyped and the game itself was so awesome. Adding 400+ students to an awesome volleyball match, you can only imagine the energy during that game,” junior Diego Escobar said.

Finally, the Lady Wildcats found themselves in the final of the state championship. The first set Fayetteville beat Har-Ber by seven points, taking the set 25-18. Har-Ber then tied the game by winning the second set 25-21. To the disappoint of the Har-Ber Lady Wildcats, Fayetteville proceeded to win the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-19, winning the state championship.