CLASS 7A STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT: Anderson Sets Up For Success

ROGERS HERITAGE SOPHOMORE EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS AFTER POSITION SWITCH

Rogers Heritage’s Kaylin Anderson sets the ball to Samantha Ligi during a match against Springdale Har-Ber on Oct. 12 in Springdale.
Rogers Heritage’s Kaylin Anderson sets the ball to Samantha Ligi during a match against Springdale Har-Ber on Oct. 12 in Springdale.

— Rogers Heritage volleyball coach Sara Miser had confidence Kaylin Anderson could do the job at setter when both starter Courtney Heiligenthal and backup Morgan Mitchell were injured.

But Anderson exceeded even Miser’s expectations and has helped the Lady War Eagles (13-16-3) claim their first state tournament berth in school history.

The 5-foot-7 sophomore will help lead Heritage, the No. 6 seed from the 7A-West Conference, against Bryant, the No. 3 seed from the 7A-Central, at 2 p.m. today in a first-round match at the Class 7A State Tournament in Bentonville.

Anderson, who has played in every match this season at three different positions, was thrust into the setter spot pretty much out of necessity.

Heiligenthal was sidelined with a severe ankle sprain and has not returned, while Mitchell, who is also a cheerleader, tweaked her back prior to an Oct. 7 match against Fort Smith Southside.

Enter Anderson at setter.

“I told her, ‘Kaylin, you’re going to set a 5-1 in JV,’” Miser said. “That’s your warmup. Then you’re going to set a 5-1 in varsity. No pressure. We’re not expected to win. Just make each ball a hittable ball.”

Anderson admitted it was a daunting task at the start, but she tried not to show her emotions.

“At first it was pretty intimidating,” Anderson said. “I had set a little before. Practiced it some. But after I did it some I liked it. It was fun.”

Anderson has helped the Lady War Eagles edge rival Rogers High in five games in the final 7A-West match to claim the conference’s final state tournament berth.

She’s set 10 matches now and Heritage is 5-4-1 in those matches, including back-to-back wins against Rogers and Shiloh Christian to close out the regular season.

She more than met Miser’s expectations.

“She did surprise me,” Miser said. “I expected her to get the job done. She just did it better than I expected. She ran the floor. She ran the offense. She played great on defense. She called who will set the ball if she couldn’t get to it.”

Miser said Anderson has also transformed into a much more assertive player on the court.

“We’ve got this player who’s normally quiet on the court,” Miser said. “You’ve put her in a position and she’s just come alive.”

Miser attributed Anderson’s emergence as a key to the team’s success, but things could have gone differently, she said.

“Oh gosh yes,” Miser said. “Things could have gone completely down. If Kaylin would have crashed against Southside, we might have had a rough end of the year.”

Instead, Miser and the Lady War Eagles are coming off two consecutive wins and are heading to their first state tournament.

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