Holland, Fitzgerald push Mavericks past Pointers

Momentum swings, a game of inches. Pick one. With their backs against the wall, the Southside Mavericks proved they have a pretty resilient back row as well. The Mavericks’ Avery Fitzgerald fought through sickness with a career-high 27 kills to power No. 1 Southside to an energy-draining 22-25, 22-25, 25-4, 25-11, 15-13 win over the Van Buren Lady Pointers. Flat at the start, before riding a wave of momentum to force a fifth set, Southside senior Micah Beth Brasher’s diving tip helped the Mavericks maintain the lead in the fifth and deciding set of a heart-stomping 3-2 victory in the 6A Quarterfinals of the state tournament. The Mavericks (30-3) face Bentonville (18-16) in today’s semifinals at 1 p.m. “That was an unbelievable rally,” Southside coach Steve Haaser said of Brasher’s score. “They (Van Buren) made an unbelievable play, and got it back over, and Micah Beth kept it in play. I thought it was going out, but I guess it caught part of the line.” “It felt like everyone in the gym was cheering against us, and when she (Brasher) got that point, all you could hear was us,” Southside senior Hannah Holland said. “That was really big.” Brasher, Emily Bass and Montana Smith helped the Mavericks sway the momentum after the Pointers played flawlessly in the first two sets. “Their energy really helps all of the hitters,” Holland said. “I always hear Micah talking to me, ‘Hey, you have a block, or you need to get that tip.’ “She helps me every single time I’m going up to hit.” Holland, who had 23 kills, had a hand in the Mavericks’ comeback, too. She keyed an 8-0 spurt to open the third set with four of her five aces. Van Buren coach Brent Reeves burned two timeouts in the third set, including his first after a 3-1 Mavericks’ start. He feared the Mavericks wouldn’t go quietly. “I tried to stop the momentum a little bit,” Reeves said. “I felt like we got a little too relaxed after the first two games. I saw them standing straight up.” Southside breezed in the third and fourth sets, and after taking a 13-11 lead on one of Fitzgerald’s kills, appeared to have locked it down. But Madalyn Doolittle’s seventh block tied the match at 13. “This team right here, they fought all year long,” Reeves said. “These girls just don’t give up.” Van Buren came out swinging in the first set. They trailed only briefly (14-12) in the first set before pulling away for a 25-22 win. They never trailed in the second set. “They played near-flawless the first two games,” Haaser said. “We were talking on the bench, I don’t think they missed a serve until the third or fourth game. They played great, and they had us on our heels.” The Mavericks, who trailed Bryant, 2-0, in 2011, before winning the final three sets, trailed only once (1-0 in game four) in the final three games. “I told the girls I was proud of them for being able to come back,” Haaser said. “We might have been a little tight, but you have to give them (Van Buren) credit for taking it to us.” Alex Dupree led the Pointers with 14 kills. Doolittle had 10 kills. Mikelle Porter, who served out the winner in the second game, finished with 31 assists. Hannah Hogue had 31 digs and 24 assists, along with three kills and three blocks. Southside’s Aleigha Johnson had five kills and a team-high six blocks. Bass went for 32 digs and Sarah Tolbert had 20 assists and 23 digs.

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HOLLAND, FITZGERALD PUSH MAVERICKS PAST POINTERS

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 10/25/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford