A football team has a quarterback. A basketball team has a point guard. A volleyball team has a setter.
If there is one thing in common with those positions, it is that they are the one who is largely responsible for making decisions on the floor and making sure the other playmakers get a chance to be successful.
With volleyball season around the corner, here is SBLive’s list of the top 25 setters in the state of Arkansas. Statistics are from the 2023 season and comments are from coaches when they nominated their players for the 2023 SBLive all-state team.
Players are listed in alphabetical order.
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Audrey Adair, 5-5 senior, Bentonville
Adair had 728 assists on the season with 59 aces and 207 digs while earning all-conference honors and being named to the Bentonville High School Early Bird all-tournament team.
Hayden Allen, 5-9 senior, Rogers
Allen had 419 assists for the Lady Mounties a year ago. She had a season-high 28 assists in a 3-1 victory over Rogers Heritage.
Piper Batie, 6-1 junior, Fayetteville
Batie, who transferred from Gravette, has committed to Missouri. At Gravette, she had 482 assists with 370 kills, 270 digs and 113 aces. She had a season-high 32 assists in a 3-1 victory over Lincoln, 22 kills in a 3-2 victory over Prairie Grove, 19 digs in a 3-1 victory over Clarksville and a season-high six aces in victories over Siloam Springs and Seneca, Mo.
Laura Cathey, 5-6 senior, Little Rock Central
Cathey had 394 assists, 23 aces and 137 digs for the Lady Tigers a year ago. She had a season-high 24 assists in a 3-2 victory over North Little Rock and had 16 digs in a 3-1 victory over Bryant.
Laila Creighton, 5-7 senior, Shiloh Christian
Creighton had 1,092 assists, 88 kills, 21 blocks and 225 digs while earning all-state and all-state tournament honors. “Laila took control of the offense this year after running a 6-2 last season. She showed maturity with her decision making and led our offense extremely well. This team had the highest hitting percentage in a while for Shiloh, and that speaks to the decision making of Laila (as well as how productive our hitters were). She was steady this year and also made it look easy,” said Shiloh Christian head coach Nathan Bodenstein.
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Sydney Crowder, 5-9 junior, Little Rock Central
Crowder had 327 assists and 118 digs a year ago for the Lady Tigers.
Mattyx Cureton, 5-6 junior, Jonesboro Westside
Cureton had 671 assists, 285 digs and 23 blocks for the Lady Warriors, who reached the Class 4A state tournament.
Presley Curry, 5-9 senior, Mansfield
Curry had 600 assists, 45 aces, 115 digs, 20 blocks and 28 kills while earning all-conference honors.
Sunnie Davis, 5-5 senior, Sheridan
Davis had 577 assists for the Lady Yellowjackets, who finished 25-5 a year ago.
Loren Eckhart, 5-11 senior, Greenwood
Eckhart had 870 assists with 41 kills, 61 aces, nine blocks and 246 digs while earning all-conference honors for the Lady Bulldogs.
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Addie Fielder, 5-8 senior, Baptist Prep
Fielder earned all-state and all-state tournament honors with 918 assists, 215 digs and 76 aces. She had a 37 assists in a 3-0 victory over Hackett in the Class 3A state championship match. She had a season-high 19 digs in a 3-0 victory over Bryant and a season-high seven aces in a 3-0 victory over Jessieville.
Brennan Holland, 5-6 senior, Valley View
Holland, who is the second setter for the Blazers in a 6-2 set, had four kills, 39 aces, 404 assists and 188 digs.
Drew Hudspeth, 5-6 senior, Benton
Hudspeth had 602 assists in a 6-2 offense with a season-high 42 assists in a 3-2 victory over Shiloh Christian. She added 70 aces, 44 kills and 208 digs.
Rachel Krafft, 5-7 senior, Fort Smith Northside
Kraft had 334 assists a year ago as a backup to Caroline Snow. She is expected to be the Lady Grizzlies’ starter at setter. She had a season-high 39 assists in a 3-1 victory over Bentonville West.
Lauren Latham, 5-9 senior, Hot Springs Lakeside
Latham, who committed to Kansas State, earned all-state and all-state tournament honors for the Lady Rams, who shared the 5A-South Conference title with 5A state champion Benton. She had 45 aces, 181 kills, 64 blocks and 718 assists in a 6-2 set with 224 digs.
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Riley Owens, 6-2 senior, Valley View
Owens had 91 kills, 60 aces, 445 assists, 225 digs and 11 blocks for the Blazers, who ran a 6-2 set.
Maggie Miller, 5-7 senior, Marion
Miller had 888 assists, 54 aces, 16 blocks and 328 digs while earning all-state honors and being selected as AVCA Phenom. “We ran a 5-1 with Maggie again this season,” said Marion head coach Lisa Beasley. “Although tiny, she is mighty. Maggie had a great season. She set a school record for career assists with 1,774 so far. Maggie is a wonderful teammate and leader; she works her tail off. I have seen her do amazing things with a volleyball. What she lacks in size, she more than makes up with her heart. I can’t say enough about this young lady; she has already left a legacy in this program and school, and she isn’t finished yet.”
Mileah Neal, 5-9 senior, Fort Smith Southside
Injuries limited Neal’s playing time as a junior to 23 matches, where she finished with 279 assists playing on a team that uses a 6-2 set. She had a season-high 23 assists in a 3-0 victory over Springdale Har-Ber. She had 112 digs with a season-high 10 against Fort Smith Northside and 25 aces with a season-high seven against Har-Ber.
Lily Roark, 5-5 senior, Mayflower
Roark had 763 assists, 285 digs and 24 aces a year ago for the Lady Eagles. She had a season-high 45 assists and 25 digs in a 3-2 loss to Central Arkansas Christian. She had a season-high four aces in a 3-0 victory over Little Rock Southwest.
Chloe Rodriguez, 5-11 senior, Brookland
Rodriguez had 1,057 total assists, 109 kills, 269 digs, 52 aces and 31 blocks for the Bearcats, who repeated as Class 4A state champions. She also earned all-state and all-state tournament team honors and recently committed to Northwest Mississippi Community College. “Chloe excelled in many areas outside of being a setter,” said Brookland head coach Nancy Rodriguez. “She ran a very efficient and balanced offense and was key to our success this season.”
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Emma Schnackenberg, 5-8 junior setter, Episcopal Collegiate
Schnackenberg earned all-conference honors with 505 assists and 192 digs and 40 aces. She had a season-high 33 assists in a 3-2 victory over Mayflower. She had a season-high 19 digs and 6 aces in a 3-1 loss to Central Arkansas Christian.
Haley Thomas, 5-7 junior, Siloam Springs
Thomas had 48 aces and 84 kills while hitting .218 with 755 assists and 199 digs on the season. She had a season-high 54 assists against Mountain Home and had 46 assists against Russellville. She earned all-state honors and was named setter of the year in the 5A-West Conference. “Haley’s one of the hardest working players you’ve ever met. She is constantly pushing herself to meet new goals. Her teammates would frequently turn to her to ask questions about the strategy of the game, and she knew how to adjust the offense to put our team in situations to score. She was also an attack option for us by finding the right time and places to score on a dump, and she led our team in aces. She is a well-rounded, smart, coachable, and hungry young athlete, and I am so grateful to have her as a part of our program,” said Siloam Springs head coach Carrie Thammarath.
Emerson Traylor, 5-9 senior, Bryant
Traylor had 299 assists playing in a 6-2 offense with 116 digs and 32 aces while earning all-conference honors and committing to Louisiana Tech. “Emerson is one half of a 6-2 offense that had over 700 assists for the season,” said Bryant head coach Leigh Ann Back.
Emma Kate Vertz, 5-7 senior, Prairie Grove
Vertz had 45 aces, 100 kills, 242 digs and 815 assists for the Lady Tigers, who reached the second round of the Class 4A state tournament where she earned all-state honors.
Reese Wilburn, 5-4 senior, Bryant
Wilburn had 442 assists, playing in a 6-2 offense with 29 aces and 181 digs while earning all-conference honors and committing to TCU. “Reese is one half of a 6-2 offense that had over 700 assists for the season,” said Bryant head coach Leigh Ann Back. “She is a calming influence on the court.”
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Jaylen Raynor passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score, and Zak Wallace had 99 yards rushing and a TD to help Arkansas State beat Bowling Green 38-31 on Thursday night in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Wallace scored on a 14-yard run with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter for a 38-24 lead. He carried the ball on the last six plays of the drive, gaining 59 yards on the eight-play, 68-yard march. It was his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, nine coming in the last six games.
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Rahkeem Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to give Bowling Green a short field. Five plays later, Smith made a 23-yard catch in the end zone to get within 38-31.
Hunter Summers easily recovered the onside kick and Wallace powered through the middle of the defense for a 19-yard gain to seal it.
Corey Rucker added 107 yards receiving and two touchdowns for Arkansas State (8-5), which won a bowl game for the first time since 2019 — the same year it last won eight games in a season.
Rucker caught a long pass from Raynor and raced for a 79-yard touchdown for a 24-14 lead with 4:13 left in the first half. Following a fumble recovery by Noah Collins, Raynor found Rucker for a 6-yard TD to make it 31-21 early in the third.
Connor Bazelak threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns for Bowling Green (7-6). Harold Fannin Jr. had 17 catches for a career-high 213 yards and a touchdown.
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Fannin reached 125-plus yards with a touchdown for the sixth time this season, which leads the FBS.
Bowling Green’s special teams struggled. Zach Long missed his third field goal attempt of the game (one was blocked) with 10:19 left. The Falcons allowed Courtney Jackson to return a punt for a 60-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and BGSU also had a fake punt come up short of a first down in the second half.
Record Holder
Fannin made a catch midway through the first quarter to become the single-season record holder for receiving yards by a tight end in the FBS. He entered needing just 11 yards to surpass Jace Amaro’s record of 1,352 in 2013 at Texas Tech. Fannin finished the season with 1,555 yards.
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Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee
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0 Starts for Texas Tech QB Will Hammond, who will open under center for the Red Raiders against Arkansas after No. 1 QB Behren Morton had shoulder surgery. Morton threw for 3,335 yards and 27 TDs in 2024. Hammond has completed 15-of-23 passes for 191 yards with one TD and no interceptions this season. Hammond won’t have 1,000-yard receiver Josh Kelly to throw to on Friday. The wide receiver has opted out of the game.
1 Previous appearance in the Liberty Bowl for Texas Tech, which defeated Mississippi State 34-7 on Dec. 28, 2021. That kicked off the Red Raiders’ current three-game bowl winning streak that has boosted Texas Tech’s bowl record for 17-23-1.
2 Players in the nation had at least 2,800 passing yards and 500 rushing yards entering the bowl season – Arkansas QB Taylen Green and Washington State QB John Mateer. Green has completed 219-of-360 passes for 2,813 yards with 13 TDs and nine interceptions and run 141 times for 521 yards and seven TDs.
5 2-point conversions have been given up by Arkansas in 2024, tied for the most in the nation entering the bowl season. Texas Tech has scored four 2-point conversions this season.
7 Appearances in the Liberty Bowl for Arkansas when the Razorbacks take the field on Friday, the most in the game’s history (two ahead of Mississippi State). The Razorbacks have a 3-3 record in the Liberty Bowl after winning their past three appearances. Arkansas defeated East Carolina 20-17 in overtime on Jan. 2, 2010, Kansas State 45-23 on Jan. 2, 2016, and Kansas 55-53 in three overtimes on Dec. 28, 2022, and lost to Tennessee 14-13 on Dec. 20, 1971, Auburn 21-15 on Dec. 27, 1984, and Georgia 20-17 on Dec. 29, 1987. Overall, Arkansas has a 17-24-3 bowl record.
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8 Victories and three losses for Arkansas against opponents from the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences in bowls. In bowls against other conferences, the Razorbacks have a 9-21-3 record. Overall, Arkansas has a 34-14 record against Big 12 opponents since 1928, when the Big Six formed, including a 39-31 loss in two overtimes to Oklahoma State on Sept. 7.
10 Victories, 19 losses and two ties for Texas Tech against SEC opponents. The Red Raiders played their first game against an SEC opponent on Jan. 1, 1954, when Texas Tech scored a 35-13 victory over Auburn in the Gator Bowl. The Red Raiders have a 4-6-1 record in bowl against SEC opponents.
21 Victories and 11 losses for SEC teams in the Liberty Bowl. The 1965 Liberty Bowl was all-SEC, with Ole Miss beating Auburn 13-7. Big 12 teams have a 4-7 record in the Liberty Bowl. The SEC has a 4-4 record against the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences in the Liberty Bowl.
29 Victories for Arkansas and eight victories for Texas Tech in the Razorbacks-Red Raiders series, although Texas Tech won the most recent meeting 35-29 on Sept. 19, 2015, and has victories in three of the past four meetings. Thirty-two of the 37 meetings came when the teams were members of the Southwest Conference together from 1960 through 1991.
34.5 Points per game have been scored against the Texas Tech this season, the highest average yielded by any bowl participant this season. The Red Raiders led the Big 12 in scoring during the regular season with an average of 38.6 points per game.
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97 Third-down snaps were converted into first downs by Texas Texas in 2024, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. The Red Raiders have had 196 third-down snaps, tied for the second-most in the nation and have converted 49.5 percent into first downs, the sixth-best rate in the nation.
103 Yards and two TDs on 20 rushing attempts in 2024 for Rodney Hill, who is listed as the No. 1 running back on Arkansas’ depth chart for Friday’s game. Ja’Quinden Jackson led the Razorbacks with 790 yards and 15 TDs on 149 rushing attempts this season, but he has opted out of the game.
231 Plays from scrimmage gained at least 10 yards for Arkansas in 2024, the second-most in the nation entering the bowl season.
1,140 Receiving yards for Arkansas WR Andrew Armstrong, the most in the SEC this season. But Armstrong has opted out of the bowl, as has No. 2 receiver Isaiah Sategna, leaving WR Isaac TeSlaa as the Razorbacks’ leading receiver entering Friday’s game. TeSlaa has 438 yards and three TDs on 25 receptions in 2024.
1,505 Rushing yards for Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks this season as he replaced Byron Hanspard as the Red Raiders’ career rushing leader in 2024. By running for at least 109 yards in each of his 11 games this season, Brooks lifted his career total to 4,557 rushing yards, the fourth-most in Big 12 history. Brooks is in Memphis with Texas Tech, but his participation in Friday’s game has not been confirmed by the team.
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FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
A pair of 7-5 teams from the Sun Belt and MAC are set to square off at South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, on Dec. 26 as Arkansas State meets Bowling Green in the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl.
The game has existed since 1999 and gone by quite a few names, most recently the LendingTree Bowl, and this year’s iteration pits two teams that finished with winning records in conference play against each other.
Former Tennessee coach Butch Jones leads the Red Wolves in his fourth season, and they finished third in the Sun Belt West but suffered blowout losses to Louisiana and Texas State, which finished ahead of them.
The Falcons, led by sixth-year coach Scot Loeffler, finished tied for third in the MAC as they were predicted before the season. After a 2-4 start, Bowling Green strung five wins together in a row, a streak that ended in the final week of the regular season against Miami (Ohio).
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A victory in the 68 Ventures Bowl would give Bowling Green its first bowl win since 2014 and the first under Loeffler. It would also mark his first eight-win season and the Falcons’ first since 2015. Jones is also looking for his first eight-win season at Arkansas State, a program that boasts four bowl wins since moving up to FBS in 1992 but none since 2019, before Jones took over.
We’ll see which coach can reach eight wins for the first time at their respective programs when Arkansas State and Bowling Green head to Mobile on Boxing Day.
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