PRAIRIE GROVE — Hannah McDonald was teaching math in Ohio in four years ago and only agreed to help with volleyball at Prairie Grove to get a job in the school district.
Turned out to be a good move for her and the Lady Tigers, who finished 15-5 and advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A State Tournament this season.
“I am extremely proud of these girls and what they accomplished,” McDonald said. “The girls certainly accomplished a lot, including coming together and being a family, which was their first goal.”
Coach Of The Year
Hannah McDonald
SCHOOL: Prairie Grove
NOTABLE: Led Prairie Grove to 15-5 record and semifinal appearance in Class 4A state tournament in only second season as head coach... Also an assistant coach with Prairie Grove softball team.
McDonald was a math teacher and assistant volleyball coach in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Prairie Grove. She spent two years as an assistant to Chris Collins before the two switched positions with Collins taking over as head softball coach and McDonald taking over as head volleyball coach for the Lady Tigers.
For her accomplishments, McDonald is the All-NWA Media Volleyball Coach of the Year.
“I never set out to be a coach, I wanted to be a math teacher,” said McDonald, who graduated from Western Baptist College in Salem, Ore. “The district I was at, in Columbus, Ohio, needed a seventh-grade volleyball coach, so I came in and helped out. That’s where my passion for volleyball grew. Then, I started as an assistant at Prairie Grove and just fell in love with the girls and wanted to continue to coach them.”
Prairie Grove played its best during the postseason after finishing second to Gravette in the 4A-1 Conference. The Lady Tigers won the Northwest Arkansas District Tournament at Prairie Grove to claim a top seed for the Class 4A State Tournament in Harrison.
Prairie Grove won its first two games at state by sweeping Newport 3-0 and beating Malvern 3-2. The Lady Tigers were then eliminated 3-0 by Valley View, the eventual state champion in Class 4A.
“We had a team meeting before starting our practices in July and talked about our goals,” McDonald said. “We knew we had the potential to do great things, starting with the 10 girls in our senior class. We wanted to win conference, and ended up second. We wanted to win the District Tournament, and we did that. We wanted to go farther than we have in a long time at state, and we went all the way to the semifinals.”
Prairie Grove was a close-nit group this season and the Lady Tigers credit McDonald for bringing the girls together.
“I love my coach to death,” said sophomore Marie Gregson, the NWA Media Newcomer of the Year. “Over the year, members of the team have all grown real close to her. She pushes so hard but, at the same time, we can have a good time and learn a lot about life and not just what’s going on on the volleyball court.”
Gregson will be among a handful of players returning for Prairie Grove, which must replace 10 seniors. But the Lady Tigers are confident their program can continue to grow after this year’s state tournament run.
“My seniors have mentored these girls and my JV team was very strong this year,” McDonald said. “The seniors left something amazing behind and we feel very good about the future of our program.”