BENTONVILLE — There was never any doubt who Bentonville volleyball coach Michelle Smith would turn to if it was crunch time and her team needed something done.

Smith knew she could count on Anna LeDuc to deliver when it mattered the most, and the junior outside hitter relished the opportunity.

“I liked having that pressure on my shoulders,” LeDuc said. “Once I did it a couple of times, it became easier and easier.”

The 5-foot-11 LeDuc became the Lady Tigers’ primary offensive weapon, and she was one of the main reasons the Lady Tigers won the 7A/6A-West Conference championship and reached the Class 7A State Tournament final. She led the team with 353 kills in 35 matches, a little more than 10 per match.

It proved fitting that LeDuc be named the volleyball Player of the Year for Class 6A and 7A schools by NWA Media.

“Anna brought, as anybody knows from watching her play, a lot of energy,” Smith said. “She lifted us up when we needed it, and she brought an undeniable fire, game in and game out.

“In a game of momentum, we were definitely happy to have her on our side of the net. Anna has improved with her consistency on the outside, and that’s something we had been working on this season. Her improvement from last year has increased so dramatically, and with that came a lot of confidence. If we needed a point delivered, it was going to her.”

That confidence came in the conference opener, when she delivered a season-high 24 kills in a match against Siloam Springs. She finished in double figures in kills in half of Bentonville’s 7A/6A-West kills and had nine in three other matches.

Her greatest improvement, however, may have been in other areas of the game, particularly when it wasn’t her turn to be around the net. She recorded 242 digs during the season, good for third on the team.

“It was probably passing,” LeDuc said. “Working with coach Smith, we learned about hitting our targets all the time and making sure we had our hands right. We worked on it a lot during practice.”

Smith has made it clear that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to playing time during matches, and competition for each position takes place on a daily basis. Those who perform well during workouts will be the ones that see more court time when matches take place.

One player she never had to worry about when it came to stepping to the forefront was LeDuc.

“Pretty much hands down since August, Anna earned her spot and kept earning it,” Smith said. “Her position and her role never changed. She was always doing 
her job and always out there.

“If anything, we relied on her a lot more when it came to leadership. She was an all-around player and never came off the floor, so she was touching the ball a lot more than others. We needed as close to perfection as she could from her, and she never had a bad game or a streak of bad luck. She was a player that we always looked to and always expected the best out of her.”