Bearcat volleyball will be returning to the Class 3A state tournament next week after having punched their ticket last night with a straight set win over West Fork in the District 3A-West.

With their 11th win (26-24, 25-17, 25-17) the Bearcats surpassed the 2021 team and set a new high for second year head coach Bailey Bunch.

It wasn’t easy for the third seeded Bearcats against the sixth seeded Tigers.

It was 4-2 in the first set after a kill by Laney Parrish, but West Fork ran off six straight points inducing a time out, then ran it to eight straight before Karmen Kent got a kill to stop the run.

From there the Bearcats chipped away with, in succession, an ace by Camdyn Doe and a kill by Sara Ulmer cutting it to 13-11.

An ace by Ellie Smith would tie it at 14 but West Fork again went on a run and led 20-15 before another Kent kill made it a four point game.

Kent followed that up with an ace and a kill by Parrish and another Kent ace was followed by a West Fork time out with the score 21-20.

West Fork broke serve out of the stoppage but a kill by Smith and an ace by Dove tied it at 22. A kill by Ulmer retied it at 23 and when Smith blocked a ball back across the net it was tied at 24.

Kills by Kylie Lunsford (shown) and Kent finished off the set.

In the second set the Bearcats raced to a 6-1 lead behind an ace by Smith, a kill by Parrish that broke serve, and back-to-back aces from Ulmer.

On the next pont Ulmer suffered an injury and left the game and did not return.

Then it was West Fork chipping away into an eventual tie at 9 and again at 10 before kills by Emma Mikles, Smith, and Lunsford preceded three straight serves into the net and it was 14-12.

Kent followed that with a kill and an ace by Teagen McMaster had the Bearcats up four.

A series that saw a block by Kent and an ace by Lunsford pushed it to 19-13, resulting in a time out.

The interruption did not change momentum as Lunsford added another ace and an ace sandwiched by kills from Parrish and Shelbie Myers mad the Bearcats within a point of a two set lead at 24-15.

After two Tiger points Mikles blocked another kill attempt to end it, 25-17.

In the third set there was a scoring dispute early in the game after a kill by Kent made it 4-3. An ace from Lunsford pushed it to 5-3 but West Fork pulled even at 5 and 6.

After a service break in a tie game an ace by Dove and another point from Myers gave the Bearcats the lead for good.

Kills by Mikles and Lunsford had it the lead at three and when McMaster dropped in an ace it was 15-9.

A long serve by the Tigers made it 17-12 ending a short rally and Kent added a point on an ace before a lengthy point that included a block by Parrish finally made it 19-12.

Mikles blocked another attempt to make it 20-12 and she had a kill at 21-14.

Two Smith kills and an ace from Lilly Downs got the Bearcats to set point but West Fork broke serve only to see the match conclude at 25-17.

the Bearcats will face second seeded Paris at 6:30 tonight in the tournament semifinals.

Next week's state tournament will be held at Harding Academy in Searcy.