PURPLE PERSISTENCE

FAYETTEVILLE’S MARTIN BOUNCES BACK FROM SURGERY WITH STRONG SEASON

Fayetteville’s Haley Martin switched positions and bounced back from an offseason injury to lead the Lady Purple’Dogs to the Class 7A state semifinals. Martin was named the All-Northwest Arkansas Big 6 Player of the Year for her efforts.
Fayetteville’s Haley Martin switched positions and bounced back from an offseason injury to lead the Lady Purple’Dogs to the Class 7A state semifinals. Martin was named the All-Northwest Arkansas Big 6 Player of the Year for her efforts.

— Haley Martin admitted there was uncertainty coming into her senior year at Fayetteville.

The 5-foot-11 senior underwent knee surgery in the spring and a position change over the summer.

Things seemed to turn out well for Martin though, as she enjoyed an outstanding season moving from the middle to an outside hitter position. She led the Lady Purple Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the 7A-West Conference and an appearance in the Class 7A State Tournament semifinals.

For her performance Martin has been named the All-Northwest Arkansas Big 6 Volleyball Player of the Year.

“It was no big secret a large part of our success would hinge on her performance,” Fayetteville coach Jessica Phelan said.

Bentonville coach Michelle Coens backed up that notion.

“She’s full of energy,” Coens said. “Haley was definitely their go-to person this year. When thinking of Fayetteville, she was the force we were worried about and tried to stop.”

Her hard-hitting attacks along with precision passing made Martin a complete player. She definitely drew the opposition’s respect, Phelan said.

“It was something how teams would just avoid serving her,” Phelan said. “People knew she was more than just a ball banger.”

Martin’s overall performance was a big reason why Fayetteville had a chance at a share of the conference title heading into the final regular-season match.

However, the strong performance was by no means a given.

Martin said she had plenty of doubts after the arthroscopic knee surgery.

“I was constantly thinking about ‘I’m not ever going to be as good as I used to be,’” Martin said. “I hoped to get my knee better, but there was always that doubt in my mind. It was a major challenge I had to overcome.”

Another setback came when some colleges that had shown interest in Martin before the surgery backed off afterward. She eventually decided to sign with Missouri Southern State in Joplin, Mo.

“It was disheartening,” Martin said. “But it all worked out, and I’m happy with my decision. I stuck with it and worked hard.”

Phelan said Martin hit her stride about midseason for the Lady Purple’Dogs.

“I think that Haley certainly had a frustrating time last spring,” said Phelan, who was an All-American at Arkansas. “She had knee surgery ... she missed some club tournaments last spring that kind of set her back. She missed some of that prime recruiting time for a junior.”

“But she just worked hard and steadily improved and hit her top form about midway through the season for us,” Phelan said. “Obviously we relied a great deal on her for ball control and offense.”

After playing the middle as a sophomore and junior, there was an adjustment going outside, Martin said.

“She was a huge part her sophomore year on the team that made the finals,” Phelan said. “She was third on the team in kills that year and led us in kills as a junior and senior. She played all the way around all three years.”

Working to wait and hit a higher set was just one of the problems, not to mention adapting to the added defensive responsibilities.

But the maneuver was made for several reasons, not the least of which was to make sure Martin got a lot of hitting opportunities.

Sometimes middles don’t even get a chance to swing if a team’s passing breaks down.

Phelan said the added passing responsibilities were no problem for Martin.

“She was our best passer,” Phelan said. “A lot of teams just didn’t serve her.

“As far as hitting outside, she just kind of went with the flow,” Phelan added. “Haley’s one of those kids that just leads by example. She’s not going to get in anyone’s face. She just does her job, does it well, and that carried over to her teammates. We certainly exceeded people’s expectations, and I think she was a big reason for that.”

Martin earned plenty of individual accolades throughout her career being a three-time all-conference and two-time All-State selection. But Phelan said Martin brushed off that attention.

“Volleyball’s the ultimate team sport,” Phelan said. “That’s one of the great things about Haley: She didn’t get caught up in the awards and things. It was more about team. That’s what you want in a kid who’s leading you offensively. To keep all that in perspective and keep the team first.”

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