BENTONVILLE -- Even with all the seniors that were on Bentonville's volleyball roster this fall, there was still room for a junior to make a statement.
In Sadie Pate's case, it was probably more like an exclamation.
All-NWA Media Girls Volleyball Player Of The Year
Sadie Pate
School: Bentonville
Class: Junior
Height: 5-11
Notable: An all-state and an all-state tournament selection who led the team with 569 kills this season. … Finished with 20 kills in a match eight times, including a season-high 28 in a four-set victory at Fort Smith Southside. … Made the transition to an outside hitter after strictly being a middle hitter last season, and improved her back row play to the point where she never had to leave the court.
She was arguably the most consistent player on a Lady Tigers team that finished 32-4-2, went through the 7A-West Conference unblemished and eventually won the Class 7A state championship. Pate finished the season not only leading the team in kills, but aces as well, and her value on the team increased as the season progressed.
That is why Pate has been named the All-NWA Media Volleyball Player Of The Year.
"I think my role was to help advance the team as far as we could and give those seniors a last shot at a state championship," Pate said. "I almost had to do it for them.
"I appreciated becoming a go-to player, and playing as a sophomore was huge. I gained a lot of experience and learned the ropes, and I was ready to step into my role this year. Haley Seyfarth is also an amazing setter, and I think that's a huge part of my success."
It was a season of adjustment for Pate, who was strictly a middle hitter as a sophomore, but she handled the changes with ease. She was moved to the outside hitter role, and she admitted that it "was like learning a new position."
That allowed Bentonville coach Michelle Smith to use her as a means of attack from a number of ways and directions. Pate finished the season with 569 kills and recorded 20 or more kills in a match eight times, including a season-high 28 in the first of two matches against defending state champion Fort Smith Southside.
"A lot of the improvement Sadie made this year was mental," Smith said. "She always had it skill-wise, but I think she fine-tuned a lot of her skills. Mentally, she had that confidence to go out there and take care of business, and that started in July when we started going to camps.
"We switched her to an outside hitter because she was so consistent and her ball control. She could place the ball basically wherever we told her to put it. She could run all three positions across the net, and that can take an opponent's defense out of its system real quick."
Pate's biggest improvement, however, came with what she did when she was on the back row, and it allowed her to stay on the court at all times if needed. She led the team with 65 aces, and she finished third on the team with 323 digs.
Smith said she started seeing everything come together for Pate while Bentonville was in Springfield, Mo., for the Kickapoo Invitational. That became the breakthrough event that Pate needed to become an all-around player.
"My serve receive became the area where I improved the most," Pate said. "It was lacking in August, but as the season progressed, I was averaging a 2 on serve receive. That's pretty good."I was so privileged to have my teammates and coach Smith that helped me improve as a player, and now I'm looking forward to club season and playing as an outside hitter there. This has been a great experience for me."
Sports on 12/25/2014