Northwest Arkansas becoming volleyball hotbed

Bentonville High volleyball coach Michelle Smith has seen the game grow by leaps and bounds in Northwest Arkansas.

Two decades ago, only Steve Haaser's Fort Smith Southside team was considered a state title contender with any regularity from the area. Teams in the northeast corner had a stranglehold on state championships through much of the 1980s and '90s.

When Smith entered the coaching ranks in the area, she admitted it was lacking overall.

"Coming out of the Division I level and looking at school volleyball, I was like 'Oh my gosh we've got our work cut out for us,'" Smith said.

The work's paid dividends over the past two decades as teams in this quadrant of the state have become not only contenders but powerhouses in their respective classifications. The latest example was last season when teams from this area claimed state championships in four of the five classifications.

Fayetteville claimed the Class 6A title, while Greenwood won its third in 5A. Hackett won its second straight title -- claiming the 3A crown after the defending 2A champion bumped up in classification. And Mansfield sailed to the 2A title, going undefeated after dropping down a class.

Smith said the advancement is not tied to one specific aspect.

"Between the schools, the level of coaching that's now in this area compared to what it used to be, the level of play compared to what it used to be is light-years," said Smith, who has won 6 state titles in 7 finals appearances over 14 seasons at Bentonville. "The game's advanced on all levels and it's really exciting. I think it speaks volumes for the high school coaches up here and the club systems in Northwest Arkansas.

"We used to walk into a school system, not that they didn't take volleyball seriously. It just wasn't where it needed to be. And now it's a dominant sport."

Like Smith, Jessica Phelan and Jennifer Golden have built programs basically from the ground up in the last 20 years at Fayetteville and Greenwood, respectively.

Phelan, the first All American at Arkansas, has led the Lady Purple Bulldogs to nine state finals in 17 years. They've broken through lately with four titles in the last six years. Golden begins her 21st year at Greenwood with 10 state finals appearances to her credit and she said the community is special.

"The support we get from everyone is tremendous," Golden said. "From our administrators to teachers to community leaders, it's just built a culture of winning here. It's not just about winning though, we've built a culture of family with Greenwood volleyball."

All four defending state champions are dealing with different situations. Fayetteville must replace several key components, while Greenwood returns just one player who saw action in last year's state tournament.

On the other hand, Mansfield returns all but one starter, and Hackett gets five back who played in the state tournament despite graduating nine seniors.

Golden believes in her program, despite the heavy losses to graduation.

"I feel like a lot of my players just didn't get a chance last year," Golden said. "Now, it's just their turn.

"It's still gonna be a real competitive year. I feel real good about it. Sometimes it's ugly in the beginning but by the end of the year it's right where you want it to be."

Phelan acknowledged a talented senior class graduated, but she has confidence in the returnees and their ability to deal with whatever comes their way.

Fayetteville lost a starting outside hitter midway through the season because of an injury and state tournament MVP Rosana Hicks was even lost late in the state finals to injury. But the Lady Purple'Dogs never flinched.

Several key members were also part of the Ozark Juniors team that finished fifth nationally over the summer and were a whisper from being a spot or two higher.

"We have a lot of kids who are seasoned volleyball players," Phelan said. "They do know what it takes and that it's not easy in our conference."

Junior setter Kennedy Phelan leads the way for Fayetteville. She's started since her freshman year, and during the summer she committed to Florida State, where she will play for coach Chris Poole -- who started the program at Arkansas and coached her mother.

Junior outside hitter Brooke Rockwell, who joined Phelan on the All Arkansas Preps Underclassmen team, stepped forward a year ago as an offensive force when needed.

Phelan echoed the other coaches about the buy-in from players all over the area.

"You see this consistent thing between all the communities, good feeder programs, good youth programs," Phelan said. "Kids start playing at a younger age and aspire to be good whether it's Greenwood or Bentonville or Fayetteville."

That's been the case at Hackett, which will begin just its sixth season with a volleyball program.

Bridget Freeman, a Mansfield graduate, started the program at Hackett from scratch six years ago and is looking for a three-peat. That success has helped young ladies in that area to fall in love with the game.

"They want to play all different age levels now," said Freeman, a former Arkansas Tech standout. "We've got five different age levels of club teams now. Every kid I have played club ball last year. That doesn't happen without some amazing parents, too."

While Freeman's built from scratch at Hackett, Kaylie Pyles has re-invigorated a program at Mansfield that has some history but just experienced a drought.

It was Mansfield's first trip to the finals since winning three in a row from 2012-14. The group was focused, Pyles said.

"They set a goal starting last summer and that was to make history," Pyles said. "They were focused and accomplished their goal in the end."

This year the group goes from the hunter to the hunted. Pyles acknowledged they'll have a bit of a target on their backs, but they have experience on their side.

"They have that humbleness, but also that cockiness at the same time," Pyles said. "They know they have to work twice as hard and stay focused because they want to win two in a row."