The Bryant Lady Hornet volleyball team took the first set from the Benton Lady Panthers in the rivals’ first match of the year, but the Lady Panthers came back to take the next three games for a 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-12, 25-23) victory at the Hornets’ Nest in Bryant to kick off Salt Bowl week.
Bryant picked up new bleachers and a new floor, but the gym is still without air conditioning, making it a sweltering environment for all.
“You don’t want to say that being hot is an excuse, but we were sweaty,” Benton Coach Brandy Chumley said. “We really had to make sure that when we hit that we got on top of the ball to get that topspin underneath, because it was just flying of their hands.”
The Lady Hornets would take a 12-6 lead in the first set after senior Sarah Clemmons’ kill assisted by junior Ashlyn Lee but a timeout by Chumley, which was held in front of one of the big box fans, spurred a run started by junior Lauren Hopper’s kill assisted by senior Breanna Landreth, and junior Cassidy Brady’s kill assisted by junior Caitlin Murdock ended a 7-1 run for a 13-13 tie.
The Lady Hornets responded with a 6-2 run capped by junior Raven Loveless kill from Lee for a 19-15 lead, but junior Rylea Brimhall’s kill and a Landreth ace highlighted a 3-0 run. A double block by Brady and Hopper gave Benton a 24-23 deficit, but Murdock served in the net, the sixth serving error of the set for the Lady Panthers, giving Bryant the early win.