The Cotter Lady Warriors solidified their position atop the 2A-2 volleyball standings with a commanding three-set victory over the Salem Lady Greyhounds in Cotter on Tuesday. The matchup pitted two conference leaders against each other, as the Lady Warriors entered the game with an 18-2 record (5-0 in conference), while the Lady Greyhounds stood at 9-4 (7-1 in conference).
Cotter dominated the match, winning the sets 25-8, 25-11, and 25-13. Lily McNutt led the charge for the Lady Warriors, recording numerous kills throughout the match, many of which were set up by Reagan Cowart. In the first set, Cotter opened with a 6-0 run, highlighted by three early kills from McNutt. Salem briefly rallied with kills from Gracie Abney and Jailyn Strong, but Cotter maintained its momentum. McNutt added three consecutive kills late in the set to secure the win.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Cotter jumping out to a 14-3 lead driven by kills and ace serves from Myah McNutt. Salem’s Reece Nelson and Gabby Gaskins made contributions, but Cotter closed out the set decisively, capped by two more kills from Lily McNutt.
In the third set, Cotter again started strong, opening with a 7-0 lead on five kills and a block from Lily McNutt. Despite Salem's efforts, including points from Abney and Natalie Burk, the Lady Warriors maintained their advantage. McNutt added two late kills to secure the match.
In other area volleyball action, Cotter also defeated Omaha on Monday, winning in straight sets 25-10, 25-14, and 25-5. Salem recorded a straight-sets victory earlier this week against Cave City, while Yellville-Summit defeated Valley Springs 26-25, 25-23, and 25-17.
However, the Flippin Lady Bobcats suffered a narrow loss to the Bergman Lady Panthers in a five-set battle. Flippin dropped the first set 25-20 but rebounded to take the second 25-21. The teams alternated wins in the next two sets, with Flippin taking the fourth set 25-19 to force a deciding fifth. Bergman clinched the match in the tiebreaker, winning 15-11.
Additionally, Mountain Home Christian Academy pushed Viola to five sets but ultimately lost 3-2. The match featured tightly contested sets, with Viola taking the fifth set 15-10 to seal the victory.