Van Buren bounces back, sweeps Heritage

The Van Buren Lady Pointers took care of business Tuesday against the Heritage War Eagles. But it doesn’t get any easier from here on out. Senior standout Alex Dupree hammered home eight kills and Mikelle Porter had 23 assists to pace Van Buren to a 25-4, 25-16, 25-6 victory at Claire Bates Arena. “Every night’s going to be a fight,” Van Buren coach Brent Reeves said. “It’s like every night everybody’s going be going head-to-head, and somebody’s gotta give.” For the Pointers, the next step may be the toughest — holding their own against 6A-West heavyweights Fayetteville, Bentonville, Har-Ber and newcomer Bentonville West. “I think mentally, we have to get that mental toughness to get over that hump,” Reeves said. “Once you get over that hump, I think it’s going to be really good.” The Pointers, who lost a difficult five-set decision to Greenbrier on Monday, showed no ill effects of the long drive home. At least not in the first set. The Pointers, already cruising at 10-3, ran off 13 straight points en route to a 25-4 victory. They appeared for all the world to be on their way again in the second set. “I thought they focused really well tonight,” Reeves said. “Coming off a five-game night last night, plus the long trip home, to come back and play like they did, I thought that was good.” Up 10-2, Van Buren began making mental errors — hitting and serving — as Heritage fought and clawed its way back to within 18-16 before the Pointers went back to work. Grace Doolittle’s no-look tip stretched Van Buren’s lead back to five, and a block from Doolittle put the Lady Pointers on easy street at 24-16. The Lady Pointers kept it rolling in the third set, bolting ahead 14-2 thanks to some dazzling kills by Doolittle and Dupree. Doolittle’s ace gave the Pointers an 11-2 cushion, and Dupree followed with a tip to make it 12-2. Dupree ended the match by blasting a line drive ace free of Heritage players. “She’s got a lot of fire about her,” Reeves said. “She’s real intense, and when she gets going, she can pound that ball.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

VAN BUREN BOUNCES BACK, SWEEPS HERITAGE

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 9/17/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford