The Haughton Lady Bucs claimed their fifth straight District 1-II championship with a four-set victory over Neville on Thursday night in Monroe.
Haughton lost the first set 25-16 then evened the match with a 25-16 victory in the second. The Lady Bucs won a tense third set 29-27 before taking the fourth 25-21.
Haughton closed the regular season 12-17 overall and 12-2 in district play. The Lady Bucs and West Ouachita both finished 12-2
According to Haughton Head Coach Justin Ginn, district by-laws state “there will be no ‘co-champs’ title. After tie-breakers are applied, there will be a clear cut district champion, second place, and third place.
Haughton and West Ouachita split their district matches. Ginn said because Haughton has the advantage in head-to-head set wins, the Lady Bucs are declared district champions.
According to GeauxPreps.com, Haughton is No. 24 in the Division II power rankings and will be on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
Sara White led Haughton with nine kills. Brooklynn Bockhaus had eight.
Haylee Crowder had 18 digs. Haylee Crowder had 14 assists and four digs. Kaely Bettisworth had two aces, four kills and seven digs
Ariana Mathews had five digs, one block and one kill. Ella Vickers had seven assists.
The Airline Lady Vikings won their final home match of the season, defeating Loyola in four sets 25-16, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22.
Seniors Jacqueline Deville and Emma Grace Pittman were honored.
Deville, a major contributor for four years, had 20 kills and four blocks. Pittman had two kills.
Jacqueline Clem had seven kills and one block.
Airline has won three in a row.
The Lady Vikings (11-17) close the regular season in the Dunham tournament.
Airline is No. 37 in the Division I power rankings. The top 32 after Saturday’s matches make the playoffs.
Benton boosted its chances for a playoff berth with a home victory over Alexandria 25-9, 25-13, 25-23.
The Lady Tigers (14-11) are No. 31 in the Division I rankings.
Parkway defeated Evangel Christian 25-7, 25-9, 25-12 at home.
The Lady Panthers (13-19) are No. 39 in the Division I rankings.
Parkway and Benton are also playing in the Dunham tournament.
Official final power rankings and playoffs pairings will be announced Monday. First-round matches must be played by Wednesday.
