FAYETTEVILLE -- The goal for Fayetteville volleyball is simple this season. The Lady Bulldogs didn't like the view from the middle of the 7A-West Conference pack a year ago, and they have no plans of staying too far from the top for very long.
Fayetteville suffered through its most difficult win-loss season under coach Jessica Phelan last fall. The Lady Bulldogs, who won the Class 7A state title in 2012, dropped to 12-19 overall in 2013. That included a respectable 8-6 record in the conference, but by Fayetteville standards it wasn't up to the usual par.
Fayetteville Lady Bulldogs Volleyball
Date^Opponent^Time
Aug. 19^Purple-White Scrimmage^5 p.m.
Aug. 21^at Harrison (vs. Siloam Springs/Harrison)^5 p.m.
Aug. 25^Greenwood^6:30 p.m.
Aug. 28^at Ozark, Mo.^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 2^at Conway^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 4^at Rogers Heritage*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 5-6^at Tulsa Bishop Kelley Tournament of Champions^TBD
Sept. 9^at Fort Smith Northside*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 11^Springdale Har-Ber*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 13^Fayetteville Tri-State Challenge^TBD
Sept. 16^Rogers High*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 18^at Springdale High*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 23^Fort Smith Southside*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 25^at Bentonville*^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 30^Rogers Heritage*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 2^Fort Smith Northside*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 7^at Springdale Har-Ber*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 9^at Rogers High*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 11^at Ozark, Mo. Grand Slam Tournament^TBD
Oct. 14^Springdale High*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 16^at Fort Smith Southside*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 20^Benton^7 p.m.
Oct. 21^Bentonville*^6:30 p.m.
Oct. 28-30^Class 7A Tournament at Fayetteville^TBD
As the Lady Bulldogs begin preparations for the new season, there's no talk of another rebuilding campaign. Six players return with significant varsity experience in seniors Ellie Breden, Olivia Thomas, Brooke Baledge, Nikki Hayes and juniors Hadley Spresser and Olivia Doty. Just as significant, and perhaps even more so, is a talented crop of young players entering the program this fall.
Add them all together and Phelan has high hopes for the Lady Bulldogs.
"We have a lot of talent coming up from the junior high level," Phelan said. "So we have a mix of players in the different classes.
"I think the expectation is we want to get back to that elite level and back to that championship game. That's what we're working toward."
Fayetteville opened practice last week with focus on position training and agility drills. This week, the Lady Bulldogs attended the Licking Team Camp in Joplin, Mo., on Monday and Tuesday and won the team camp tournament, with Breden named team camp MVP and sophomore libero Abbie Kathol and senior middle blocker Jordan Liddell also named All-Tournament.
While newcomers like Kathol and fellow sophomore Faith Waitsman give Fayetteville plenty of reason to be optimistic, another pair of young Lady'Dogs have already grabbed plenty of attention. Freshmen setter Ella May Powell (5-foot-11) and freshman Haley Warner (6-2) are both being recruited by many of the top collegiate programs in the country, including Nebraska, Florida State, Florida and LSU.
"They both made the USA Select team, so they're not with us right now because they're at a USA Select camp in Tulsa," Phelan said. "They're both certainly extremely talented and we like how they've converted well with the upperclassmen."
Fayetteville was undersized in comparison to other 7A teams a year ago, but with the addition of Powell and Warner, size on the outside immediately becomes the Lady Bulldogs' major asset.
"We have some good size across the front line," Phelan said. "But time will tell with playing together."
The Lady'Dogs are closing out the week with another team camp in Lincoln, Nebraska. "It takes some time to get used to playing together on the volleyball court," Phelan said. "Being here in Nebraska against some exceptional competition is invaluable for us."
Fayetteville opens the season with its annual Purple-White scrimmage on August 19.
Sports on 07/26/2014