Fort Smith Southside knocks off Conway, sets up rematch with Fayetteville in final

By Steve Andrews  

ROGERS – Fort Smith Southside may have come into Thursday’s semifinals of the 6A state volleyball tournament as underdogs against Conway, but someone forgot to tell the Lady Mavericks, who rolled in straight sets, 25-21, 25-14, 25-20.

“We knew we had our work cut out for us,” Southside’s fourth-year head coach Natalie Throneberry said. “We had seen them on film and had seen how well they played. Their defense is impeccable, and they have some great hitters. So, we knew we just had to play steady and cut down on our errors.”

The Lady Wampus Cats (24-4, 12-0) came in unbeaten in the 6A-Central this season, while Southside (21-6, 13-2) finished second in the 7A-West. The two conferences losses were at the hands top-seed Fayetteville, who they will now face in Saturday’s state championship match in Hot Springs. It will be Southside’s fourth state finals appearance in the last five seasons. Fayetteville defeated Southside in the 2020 title match, and the Lady Bulldogs are vying for their third straight state title.

Sophomore Lydia Pitts seemed to be all over the court for Southside on Thursday, finishing with team highs of 15 kills and three blocks.

“Lydia is a force, and to be a sophomore and be our go-to hitter, is not something you see too often,” Throneberry said. “She is also so level-headed and is our leader, both vocally and by skill. She is a special player, but she also counts on her teammates around her to build her up be the success that she has been. And she recognizes that.”

A Pitts kill put the Lady Mavericks up 8-4 in the opening set. Conway battled back to tie it at 13-13 but couldn’t quite take the lead back. A kill by Kayla Smith and a block by Taylor Tinsley got the Lady Wampus Cats back within 21-20. But a block by Sophia Neihouse and an effective serve from Tinsley Freeman secured the first set, 25-21.

“It’s so big for us to get to the finals,” Pitts said. “There are only two teams in 6A that make it. So, it’s an amazing feeling. We’ve just worked so hard for this. Which just leads up to having this success, and my team has been so supportive.”

After being tied 11-11 in Set 2, Southside went on a 5-0 run. A kill from Pitts and consecutive kills by Reyleigh Twist made it 16-11. Mileah Neal also had consecutive service aces as the Lady Mavericks rolled, 25-14.

Pitts continued to dominate at the net in Set 3, getting two early kills to put Southside up, 8-5. Conway tied it at 12=12, and again at 14-14, but again, was never able to get in front.

Gabby Dupree had a pair of kills late, putting the Lady Mavericks up, 20-17, as they went on to sweep the match with a 25-20 win.

Dupree finished with a team-high 11 digs, while Kennedy Meadors and Neal tallied 16 assists each.

“I think our middles really took the task of, even if we were out of system, being sure they were engaged and ready,” Throneberry said. “But they played very smart and were very intentional of where they placed the ball. And that gave us just enough wiggle room.”

She also praised Conway for a well-fought match, and the effort that the Lady Wampus Cats showed throughout.

“(Conway coach) Laura Crow runs a really elite volleyball program,” Throneberry said. “She is one of the best in the game and one of the sweetest friends to have in the game.”

Southside will now face a familiar foe in the finals. The Lady Mavericks are hoping to avenge a pair of straight-set loss to Fayetteville during the regular season, but know that it will be a steep hill to climb. The Lady Bulldogs have not lost a single set to a team inside the state yet this season. But Throneberry is looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s great, because the 6A-West is just a great, competitive league,” she said. “We beat up on each other on every Tuesday and Thursday. It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s such an honor to get there. It starts in July, in the offseason. It’s just one of those day-by-day discipline things. This is what we do, and we just keep reminding them to trust the process that gets you here.”

The championship game will be played Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bank OZK Arena and will be televised statewide on Arkansas PBS.