The Paris Lady Eagles began the defense of their state volleyball title with by defeating Central Arkansas Christian 3-0 in the first round. The Lady Eagles will now advance to the second round to play Little Rock Episcopal at 3 p.m. The match will be a showdown of the top two ranked teams in Class 3A.
In the second match of the evening, the Charleston Lady Tigers defeated the Baptist Prep Lady Eagles 3-1. The Lady Tigers advance to the second round and will play the Hoxie Lady Mustangs at 5 p.m.
The sixteen team field has now be narrowed to eight. The schedule for Wednesday’s quarterfinal games is:
1 p.m.
Waldron vs. Piggott
3 p.m.
Episcopal vs. Paris
Winners of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. games play in the semi-finals
5 p.m.
Harding Academy vs. Fountain Lake
7 p.m.
Hoxie vs. Charleston
Winners of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. games play in the semi-finals
After today we will know the final four teams remaining in the chase for a Class 3A state volleyball title. Today’s teams are now just two wins away from appearing in Saturday’s championship final in Hot Springs.
Three teams from the River Valley area remain alive in the tournament. Waldron is the Cinderella of the tournament so far. The Lady Bulldogs continue to improve with each week.
Paris faces a tough path to return to the finals, although many, including myself, believe the Lady Eagles will once again be playing for a state title on Saturday. Today, Paris plays the number two ranked team in the state, Little Rock Episcopal. This is a huge game to be played in just the second round of the tournament. The Paris High School gymnasium should be packed for this showdown of Class 3A heavyweights.
The Charleston Lady Tigers were pushed by a very good Little Rock Baptist Prep squad that battled Charleston all of the way. The Lady Tigers expended a lot of energy in last night’s first round game. Charleston will play Hoxie for the opportunity to advance to the state semi-final.
The chance for the River Valley to have both teams in Hot Springs is still alive, and after tonight, we will be step closer to knowing if this will happen.
