SHERIDAN – Sheridan dominated from the start Tuesday night to claim this season’s second volleyball edition of the Highway 270 Classic.
The Lady Jackets swept rival White Hall 25-12, 25-18, 25-12 at Yellowjacket Arena.
Sheridan (13-4, 7-3 in 5A-South) opened the match on a 10-0 run before White Hall scored. The Lady Jackets didn’t flinch and continued building their lead, which grew as large as 20-5. The Lady Bulldogs finally got going and went on a 7-2 run before Sheridan closed it out.
Sheridan coach Emily Grimmitt said the Lady Jackets came out swinging.
“We started out with Skylar Sterritt front row outside, and we just kept feeding her the ball,” Grimmitt said. “In the beginning, they were late to their block, and she just kept swinging and hitting line, and they couldn’t return it.”
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White Hall (4-8, 2-8) scored first in the second but didn’t lead after 1-0. The Lady Bulldogs nonetheless kept this set closer than the first. Sheridan pulled away with a 6-0 run, later building its lead to 24-13.
White Hall fought off 5 set points, leading to a Sheridan timeout. The break got the Bulldogs out of rhythm, and their first serve afterward sailed out of bounds to end the set.
Grimmitt said she was proud of how the Lady Jackets responded to White Hall’s late run.
“We started playing a little bit scared,” Grimmitt said. “I tried to tell them it just takes one big play to turn it around. Lilly Patrick got an ace. Addi Hill got a kill, and then Addi Hill got a block. So, we rallied back pretty quickly.”
The Lady Bulldogs recaptured that late-set momentum to start the third, taking an early 3-1 lead. Sheridan fought back to take a 4-3 lead, though White Hall answered to tie it at 4.
Sheridan took control from there with 7-0 and 4-0 runs, never allowing the Lady Bulldogs to score more than two straight points. Sheridan junior Payton Sterritt scored the match-clinching kill.
Sheridan sits in third place in the 5A-South, while White Hall is seventh. The Lady Jackets are closing in on clinching a playoff spot but now face a three-game road stretch. Two of those games are conference matchups, including a critical rematch with second-place Hot Springs Lakeside.
Grimmitt said she wants to see good reps from her team in the upcoming road games.
“Be intentional with every touch that we have,” Grimmitt said. “Like I’ve tried to preach all season long, when something’s not going our way or you do make a mistake, just try to bounce back from it quickly. I feel like at this point in the season, we should be pretty jelled.”