Van Buren volleyball coach Brent Reeves liked what he saw in the first set of Tuesday’s 2018 season opener with Southside.

He would liked to have seen a little more in the second and third games as well.

Southside’s Hannah Holland had 14 kills and three digs to pace the Mavericks to a 25-23, 25-12, 25-17 win over the Pointers at Clair Bates Arena.

“I was disappointed we didn’t play well in the second and third game,” Reeves said. “The first game, it was two good teams going at it and they (Southside) came out on top. But I really felt like we didn’t play as well as we could have in the second and third games. But I have to give the credit to Southside, they really played well.”

The Mavericks, who host Russellville on Thursday, were unable to put the Lady Pointers away in the first game. Every time they appeared on the brink of ending the game, Van Buren stepped up.

Southside saw its 23-18 lead whittled to 24-23 before pushing one through.

“Van Buren’s got a very good team, and a lot of our problem was the green team on the other side of the net — they’re pretty good,” Southside coach Steve Haaser said. “It was a good early season match for both of us that will help get us ready (for conference). We were a little jittery and nervous that first game.”

The Pointers opened the second game with three quick points before the Mavericks completely flipped the momentum. Back-to-back aces by senior Emily Bass capped a 9-1 run, turning a 3-0 deficit into a 9-4 cushion.

Holland had a hand in the comeback, as well as the Mavericks’ relentless back row defensive unit. Bass also had 22 digs in the win. Hannah Hogue finished with 10 digs and 14 assists, and senior Sarah Tolbert had a team-high 19 assists.

“Hopefully we got the first one out of our system,” Haaser said. “We ended up playing pretty good volleyball.”

Along with Holland, sophomore Avery Fitzgerald had 10 kills. Fellow sophomore Aleigha Johnson had seven kills and three blocks.

“Hannah Holland was big, and I thought Aleigha Johnson played very well,” Haaser said. “Emily Bass was outstanding in the libero, and her passes, she makes it look easy. Most of her passes are spot-on and give you a chance to run your offense.”

Alex Dupree lead the Pointers with 10 kills, while Grace Dolittle had five kills. Mikelle Porter had 19 assists and Madalyn Doolittle contributed three aces.
