The Mountain Home Lady Bombers experienced a heartbreaking loss on the volleyball court Tuesday night as they fell to Van Buren in a tightly contested conference matchup at The Hangar.
The Lady Bombers started strong, sweeping the visiting Pointers in the junior varsity match with set scores of 25-21 and 25-14. Layla Uchtman led Mountain Home's effort in the JV contest, recording 10 kills and 12 assists. Jocelyn Green contributed seven kills, and Avery Carson added 12 assists.
In varsity action, Mountain Home sought to snap a four-game losing streak but narrowly missed securing the victory. The visitors from Van Buren claimed the first set 25-19 before the Lady Bombers rallied to take sets two and three by scores of 25-22 and 25-18, respectively.
Van Buren fought back in the fourth set, evening the match with a 25-19 win and setting up a decisive fifth set. Mountain Home got off to a promising 3-0 start in the final frame, but Van Buren responded with a strong comeback to win 15-11 and seal the match.
Lady Bombers standout Annyston Crooker made a strong return to action in her first match since September 3, recording a team-high 22 kills. Teammates Dawson Harper and Eliana Pepin added 21 and 14 kills, respectively, with Pepin also registering 21 digs. Setter Violet Daugherty totaled 30 assists, while Zoey Throckmorton anchored the defensive effort with 37 digs. Shayn Wickersham contributed another 20 digs on defense.
The loss drops Mountain Home’s record in 5A-West conference play to 0-5 as they continue to search for their first league win. The Lady Bombers are set to travel to Alma on Thursday for their next matchup.