ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage seniors Alye Darter and Lindsay Glynn helped the Lady War Eagles volleyball team reach the Class 7A state quarterfinals a couple of weeks ago, and both made sure they will continue their athletic careers in college but in different sports.
Darter inked a national letter of intent to play tennis at Missouri State, while Glynn signed to play softball at William Jewell in a ceremony Wednesday afternoon.
Darter, a two-time Class 7A state singles champion, chose not to play tennis in high school this year, but strangely enough that gave her more practice time on the court, she said.
"Really I was on the court a lot more and able to practice in the mornings and even play tournaments on the weekends," Darter said. "It was different. It added a lot more time for volleyball, which is what I focused on in high school."
Darter was a two-time all-conference selection in volleyball and also was selected to the all-state tournament team this season. She acknowledged that being closer to home made Missouri State attractive, but also considered Eastern Illinois and Western Carolina.
"I didn't take any visits anywhere else," Darter said. "I want to major in speech pathology and Missouri State offers a four-year program and a masters degree in that, so that made it a great fit."
Even though she didn't play high school tennis this season, Darter was the top-ranked girls singles player in Arkansas in the 2016 class according to Tennis Recruiting Network. She was selected to represent Arkansas for the second year in the Arkansas Cup, competing against nine other states this fall.
Daniel Cornelison, who coached Darter the past two years at the Southern Cup, said her tenacity coupled with a big lefty serve are keys to her success.
"She's one of the most fierce athletes I know," Cornelison said. "I think her potential is unlimited. She hits a big ball with massive spin. Being a lefty gives her a natural advantage. She's very talented and she works her tail off."
Glynn became the first Heritage softball player to earn all-state honors, doing so as a freshman. She has a career batting average of .404 and is in position to finish among the school's career leaders in several offensive categories, including hits, RBIs and stolen bases.
She also had an offer to play at McPherson College in Kansas and considered walking on at Kansas, but admitted the NCAA Division II school located in the Kansas City suburb of Liberty, Mo., felt like home. She also said it was one of the few places she could pursue a nursing degree and also play softball.
"I was completely blown away by what they had to say and they are upgrading their facilities," Glynn said. "Everything will be done by the time I get there next year."
Sports on 11/12/2015