Lady Lions lose two close matches during opening of 2017 volleyball season

GRAVETTE -- The Gravette Lady Lions launched their 2017 volleyball season at home as they posted a pair of losses to Pea Ridge and Farmington in non-conference action Aug. 22 and 24.

The Lady Lions opened the season in the new gym at Gravette High School Aug. 22, taking on the Pea Ridge Blackhawks.

Gravette and Pea Ridge battled for control of the first set with neither team gaining an advantage, leading to a 26-26 tie. The Lady Lions then made two straight points to take the set, 28-26. Pea Ridge took the next two sets in close competition, 25-23 and 25-22.

The Lady Lions were able to fight back, taking the fourth set, 25-22, and sending the contest into a tie breaker set. Pea Ridge eventually pulled ahead of Gravette to take the final set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.

Having taken a wrong turn near Siloam Springs, the Farmington Cardinals arrived in Gravette a little late for the second match of the week on Aug. 24.

This was one of the most intense and evenly matched contests thus far as both Gravette and Farmington came to play volleyball. For two hours, the match went back and forth as the two teams set up long rallies, sometimes lasting well over a minute before a mental error or misstep allowed the ball to touch the floor for a point.

The Lady Cardinals eventually won the match in three sets, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20, to Gravette's one, 25-21.

In the Gravette-Farmington junior varsity match, the Lady Cardinals took set one, 25-23, with the Lady Lions taking set two, 30-28, sending the games into a third set tie breaker. Farmington prevailed, taking that set, 15-8, and the match, 2-1.

According to Brandi Varner, head coach, and Amy Metheny, assistant coach, the Gravette team will run through a series of drills designed to work out kinks in the Lady Lion game plan.

Varner will test the effectiveness of these drills in a series of road matches beginning Aug. 29 against the Lincoln Lady Wolves and Aug. 31 against the Prairie Grove Lady Tigers. Both games start with the junior varsity playing at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity games to follow.