ROGERS — Elleson Dunagin has tried more than her share of sports. She’s played basketball, soccer and even ran track and cross country.
But Dunagin found her niche on the volleyball court. The 5-foot-10 sophomore’s arm swings forward and contacts the ball with a loud thwack. A high percentage of the time, the ball hits the floor on the opponent’s side of the court. She and the Lady War Eagles celebrate.
Dunagin’s big smile was as much of a constant on the court as a thunderous kill by her this season, Heritage coach Sarah Miser said. And that’s saying something since Dunagin set a single-season school record with 309 kills.
She was the War Eagles’ go-to hitter in Heritage’s best season in school history and for her efforts Dunagin has been selected as the volleyball Newcomer of the Year by NWA Media for schools in Class 6A and 7A.
Miser said Dunagin’s warm, laid back disposition translated well to the volleyball court.
“She has confidence in herself, but she never gets too excited and she’s not going to get too down when she makes a mistake,” Miser said. “She’s able to just laugh it off if she shanks a pass and get the next one.”
Dunagin described a humorous moment when the Lady War Eagles were playing Fort Smith Northside in the state tournament this year. Her personality was able to diffuse some tension on the court, Dunagin said.
“Yeah, we were struggling a little bit and some of the players were yelling at each other,” Dunagin said. ‘I just said ‘Don’t worry, be happy. We all laughed. You can’t get frustrated and freak out.”
Dunagin said volleyball is definitely her favorite, despite trying and enjoying other sports. Her older sister, Blakelee, who plays college volleyball at Arkansas is a big reason why, Dunagin said.
“I pretty much play volleyball year-round,” Dunagin said. “I enjoy it. I have fun.”
Her ability to perform at a high level with consistency was a big key to the Lady War Eagles’ fashioning a best ever 24-9 record and making only their second state tournament berth in school history.
Dunagin’s consistency also gave her teammates’ confidence to go to her again and again in big situations, Miser said.
“Our setters always looked to Elleson in tough situations, because they had that confidence she would make a big play,” Miser said. “They just knew when push comes to shove they are going to find her on the court. The big thing is Elleson didn’t stress about it, she just played volleyball.
“It’s nice to have a girl like her on your team.”
The future appears bright for the Lady War Eagles, who return several starters including Dunagin. Both Miser and Dunagin are excited about next season.
“She exceeded my expectations this season,” Miser said. “I expected her to be our go-to girl. She made mistakes at times, but she didn’t make that many. Really she stepped up and played like a senior.”