Quick start fuels Alma to 3-0 sweep of Ozark
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
There’s no place like home.
Alma didn’t have to wait long to respond following Monday’s 3-2 loss to Charleston. The Lady Airedales took out their frustrations on Ozark early and often en route to a 25-12, 25-20, 25-18 sweep of the Lady Hillbillies at Alma High School.
It was the first regular-season varsity match played in Alene Crabtree Gymnasium since 2007.
After dropping the final three sets a night earlier at Charleston, Alma responded by scoring the first 11 points in Tuesday’s home opener.
“That was a very bad loss for us, and I think that motivated us and shows the eagerness this team has to win,” Alma senior Maggie Brogan said. “We have to strive to continue getting better every single day. We just came out to play tonight.”
Brogan finished with seven kills. Josie Welborn had 11 kills to pace the winners. Chloe Gregory had four kills and four aces, and Breella Hughes and Ah Lea Henson finished with four kills apiece.
“I thought we played really hard,” Alma coach Kim Weaver said.
The veteran Alma coach said she’s grateful to call Crabtree Gym home.
“It’s something I’ve been looking forward to,” she said. “I love the history of Crabtree. I never met Coach (Alene Crabtree), but having a gym named after someone, especially from that time (1970s), means a lot to me. I appreciate Mr. Burns for helping to make this happen.”
Crabtree coached Alma girls' basketball from 1947 to 83.
Alma fell behind 6-3 in the second set before going on a 12-6 burst. Tied again at 15, Alma surged back in front thanks to a pair of kills from Henson. Bailee Oliver’s ace made it 21-17, and kills by Gregory and Hughes extended the lead to 24-19.
The Lady Airedales briefly trailed in the third set before a pair of Henson blocks sparked a mini run. Welborn put Alma ahead to stay (13-12) with a kill.
Tennis
The Alma Airedales’ tennis team opened 5A-West play with a match against Harrison and Siloam Springs on Tuesday.
Landon Wilson won his match, 5-3, over Harrison and 7-2 against Siloam Springs.
Juliet Hargis earned a 4-0, 4-1 singles win, and Lacey Haughton and Piper Powell won 4-1, 4-0 over Harrison. The duo also defeated Siloam Springs, 4-0, 4-0.