Bentonville seniors hoping to save best for last

Bentonville High School senior Grayce Joyce makes a spike against Shiloh Christian during a match Thursday in Bentonville. The Lady Tigers’ seniors hope to end Fayetteville’s two-year reign as state volleyball champs.
Bentonville High School senior Grayce Joyce makes a spike against Shiloh Christian during a match Thursday in Bentonville. The Lady Tigers’ seniors hope to end Fayetteville’s two-year reign as state volleyball champs.

BENTONVILLE -- Bentonville High's volleyball team may have a lot of the same faces from a year ago, but players and coaches alike will tell you they are different.

Captain Emma Palasak said a key difference is experience with 12 seniors this year, compared to only three a year ago.

"I think we have found a sense of purpose, a sense of direction," Palasak said. "This year we have 12 seniors, five of us have been on varsity for three-plus years. We rely on each other. We trust each other."

The Lady Tigers finished 21-16 overall and lost in the Class 7A state quarterfinals. Not a shabby finish by most teams' standards, but Bentonville is not most teams. The Lady Tigers have won five state titles in the last 10 seasons, but only one in the last five.

Players and coaches alike are already comparing this year's group to the 2014 team -- the last Bentonville team to claim a state title.

"They joke about the number of seniors (10 in 2014, 12 in 2017) and the fact that I was pregnant in 2014," said head coach Michelle Smith, who is also again expecting a child this year. "In some ways, they're a mirror image of 2014. As a coach, I see a lot of similarities, how far we can push them.

"Last year as coaches we sat down, we said, 'What are we missing?," Smith said. "We are doing everything from film, to book studies to leadership training and they were given all the opportunities, but inside, I don't know if they truly believed they could do it. This year, we come out doing a lot of the same things and we only have to tell them once or they only have to fix it once or even not at all. It's like a light bulb just clicked."

Bentonville opens the season by hosting Nixa, Mo., on Tuesday, but begins 7A-West Conference play nine days later by hosting two-time defending state champion Fayetteville in what looks to a huge early season matchup.

The Lady Tigers return six starters from a year ago, but also added 6-1 middle Fess Hawkins, who moved in from Illinois in the spring. The team has a balanced attack between the middle and the outsides with setter Baylee Barganier, another senior, returning at the controls. Smith said there's also a plethora of defenders to see that the ball gets to the potent attackers.

Palasak, along with fellow captains Grayce Joyce and Tymber Riley, agreed the team is more mature. Having the large group of seniors plays a part, Riley said.

"Even though we have three captains, all 12 seniors help the younger players," Riley said. "It's great to have 12 seniors and 12 leaders."

"We definitely had some chemistry issues last year and I think us being younger and not having as much experience on the senior end was a big part of that," Joyce added. "Chemistry is a lot better this year and we all work together as one that way."

Palasak said there's a sense of urgency for the seniors being their final season of high school volleyball.

"Last year as a junior, you're thinking this is your chance to step up, but still in the back of your mind somewhere, you're thinking you have one more year," said Palasak, who was on the 2014 team as a freshman. "The tables have completely turned for me this year. I'm not saying that I ever slacked off, I'm just working so much harder. It's just a different feeling."

The Lady Tigers believe this team is similar to the 2014 team. Thanks to a strong senior class and good leadership, they are just hoping for the same result.

Sports on 08/18/2017

Upcoming Events