The Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets, have been slammin’ and jammin’ their way through one opponent after another in 3A volleyball. Green Forest, Elkins, Alma, and Lincoln have already felt the wrath of the Lady Hornets and there are a plethora of teams left waiting in fear for when it’s their turn to take on Hackett. This past week, the Lady Hornets raced off to Alma to take on the 5A Lady Airedales. The Airedale dog breed is known for its size and intelligence but when it comes to facing Hackett, all of that goes down the drain. A hornet might be small in size and keep to itself, but when they do decide to attack, it can be fatal.
And that’s just what happened on Monday, August, 31. The first set between Hackett and Alma showed the Lady Airedales having a hard time getting their legs under them with a score of 25-9 Hackett. But by the time the next two sets came along, Alma was good and warmed up. Although the matches left both sides of fans on the edge of their seats, the Lady Hornets took the wins 25-21 and 25-23 earning themselves a 3-0 victory. The “ace” of spades title went to Madeline Freeman with 5 and Kayla Richardson with 1. “Killing” the Lady Airedales with kindness was Freeman with 14, Shayla Foster with 4, Rain Vaughn with 10, Jamye Durham with 2, Kandace Byrd with 3, and Madi Taylor and Kenadi Wright with 1. No mental “blocks” happening here as Durham got 3, and Wright and Freeman each earning 1. “Assisting” with this winning endeavor was Freeman with 10, Foster with 3, Taylor with 12, Richardson with 2, and Vaughn, Durham, and Byrd with 1 each. And taking a “dig” at their opponents was Freeman with 12, Foster with 16, Vaughn with 1, Richardson with 13, Durham with 2, Byrd with 11, and Taylor with 6.
The next night on Tuesday, September 1, the Lady Hornets kept their volley party going as they temporarily put down roots in Lincoln. By the end of the night, the Lady Wolves were left dazed and confused as they tried to figure out what had just happened. In almost complete annihilation, Hackett pulled the rug right out from under the Lady Wolves as they won all three sets 25-7, 25-9, and 25-13. With plenty of “aces” up their sleeves Taylor and Durham each made 1, Byrd earned 5, and Freeman snagged 7. With a ton of time to “kill” was Wright and Byrd with 5, Mendenhall and Durham with 2, Vaughn with 12, Freeman with 9, and Foster with 4.
Proving there were no mental “blocks” happening in this match was Wright and Mendenhall with 1 each. Willing to “assist” whenever needed was Wright with 4, Richardson with 5, Taylor with 11, Byrd with 1, and Freeman with 18. And with plenty of “digs” left in their back pocket was Wright and Sarah White with 2 each, Richardson with 6, Taylor with 5, Brooke Holt, Emma Infalt, and Vaughn with 1 apiece, Byrd with 7, Freeman with 4, and Foster with 8.
The Lady Hornets will divebomb headfirst into the new week with a season record of 4-0. On Tuesday, September 8, Hackett will face the Lady Bulldogs in Waldron at 4 pm. And on Thursday, September 10, the Lady Hornets will stay home and host the Paris Lady Eagles with a 4 pm start time.
Photos courtesy of Mandy Foster
