Arkansas
Final Arkansas high school volleyball Top 25 rankings of 2023
The 2024 Arkansas high school volleyball season is upon us. Next week we will release the preseason Top 25 rankings. In the meantime, here are last season’s final Top 25 rankings.
NOTE: Records reflect the team’s overall record.
1. Fayetteville (25–8)
Previous rank: No. 2
Last week: Class 6A state tournament at Conway; def. Bryant 3-1; def. No. 19 Cabot 3-0; def. No. 5 Conway 3-2 for state championship
COMMENT: New group of Lady Bulldogs showed it was determined to join the previous three classes and show it was capable of winning a state championship and they did it in one that went down to the wire.
2. Conway (31-5)
Previous rank: No. 5
Last week: Class 6A state tournament at Conway; def. No. 9 Springdale Har-Ber 3-0; def. No. 3 Fort Smith Southside 3-1; lost to No. 2 Fayetteville 3-2
COMMENT: Lady Wampus Cats make first trip to state finals since 2018 and take Fayetteville down to the wire. They also won 19 consecutive matches and went 2-1 against 5A champion Benton and had victories against 5A runner-up Greenwood and 4A runner-up Shiloh Christian.
3. Baptist Prep (37-2-1)
Previous rank: No. 6
Last week: Class 3A state tournament at Valley Springs; def. Salem 3-0; def. Paris 3-0; def. Harding Academy 3-0; def. No. 1 Hackett 3-0 for state championship
COMMENT: Lady Eagles went 1-1 vs. 5A champion Benton, defeated 5A runner-up Greenwood and 4A runner-up Shiloh Christian and went 8-1 against teams in Classes 5A and 6A.
4. Hackett (38-2-2)
Previous rank: No. 1
Last week: Class 3A state tournament at Valley Springs; def Manila 3-0; def. Central Arkansas Christian 3-0; def. Crowley’s Ridge Academy 3-0; lost to No. 6 Baptist Prep 3-0
COMMENT: Hackett went 10-1-2 in teams in higher classes including wins over 6A semifinalist Fort Smith Southside and 5A semifinalist Mount St. Mary and 4A runner-up Shiloh Christian. Three consecutive losses in the state championship match haven’t left Hackett head coach Bridgett Freeman discouraged. As long as she gets a shot to get back to the state championship, she’s said she’ll keep taking her chances.
5. Benton (30-5)
Previous rank: No. 7
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Siloam Springs 3-0; def. No. 18 Paragould 3-0; def. No. 14 Harrison 3-0; def. No. 15 Greenwood 3-2 for state championship
COMMENT: Isabella Lagemann joins her older sister Abigail Lagemann as state tournament MVP. Lady Panthers went 6-3 against teams that reached the state finals.
6. Fort Smith Southside (26-6)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: Class 6A state tournament at Conway; def. Little Rock Central 3-0; lost to No. 5 Conway 3-1
COMMENT: Lady Mavericks followed state runner-up season with a trip to the semifinals and had victories against 5A champion Benton, 5A runner-up Greenwood and 4A runner-up Shiloh Christian.
7. Brookland (34-4-1)
Previous rank: No. 8
Last week: Class 4A state tournament at Shiloh Christian; def. Bauxite 3-0; def. Farmington 3-0; vs. Gravette; def. No. 11 Shiloh Christian 3-0 for state championship
COMMENT Brookland head coach Nancy Rodriguez wanted to challenge her team and she did as the Lady Bearcats went 9-3 against teams in Classes 5A and 6A and that doesn’t include a loss to Collierville, Tenn. which went 38-7.
8. Greenwood (23-11)
Previous rank: No. 15
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. No. 17 Sheridan 3-1; def. No. 10 Marion 3-0; def. No. 20 Mount St. Mary 3-0; lost to No. 7 Benton 3-2
COMMENT: A season that featured losses to 6A champion Fayetteville, 6A finalist Conway, 6A semifinalist Fort Smith Southside and 3A champion Baptist Prep ended in a five-set loss in the championship match.
9. Hot Springs Lakeside MTXE (24-6-2)
Previous rank: No. 4
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Russellville 3-1; lost to No. 20 Mount St. Mary 3-2
COMMENT Lady Rams were one of two teams to beat Hackett, knocked off Class 5A state champion Benton, 4A champion Brookland and shared 5A-South Conference title.
10. Mansfield (35-2-1)
Previous rank: No. 13
Last week: Class 2A state tournament at Quitman; def. Cedar Ridge 3-0; vs. Yellville-Summit 3-0; def. Life Way Christian 3-0; def. No. 23 Conway Christian 3-0 for state championship
COMMENT: Alyson Edwards repeats as state tournament MVP and was the only player to play in all four state championship matches. Only blemishes on the record were a loss to Hackett in the Alma Invitational a tie to Springdale Har-Ber and loss to Paris in the Paris Invitational.
11. Shiloh Christian (29-7)
Previous rank: No. 11
Last week: Class 4A state tournament at Shiloh Christian; def. Lonoke 3-0; def. Wynne 3-2; vs. Fountain Lake 3-0; lost to No. 8 Brookland 3-0
COMMENT: Lady Saints finish runner-up again but went 9-4 against teams in Classes 5A and 6A.
12. Cabot (19-11)
Previous rank: No. 19
Last week: Class 6A state tournament at Conway; def. No. 16 Bentonville 3-1; lost to No. 2 Fayetteville 3-0
COMMENT: Lady Panthers reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year. Seven of their losses came to teams that reached the state finals.
13. Harrison (21-6)
Previous rank: No. 14
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Lake Hamilton 3-0; def. No. 12 Valley View 3-2; lost to No. 7 Benton 3-0
COMMENT: Lady Goblins won the 5A-West, split with 5A runner-up Greenwood and beat 5A-East Champion Marion. Reese Rickets (447 kills) was a fun player to watch.
14. Mount St. Mary (21-10-1)
Previous rank: No. 20
This week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Batesville 3-0; def. No. 4 Hot Springs Lakeside MTXE 3-2; lost to No. 15 Greenwood 3-0
COMMENT: Belles recovered from a late-season slump to reach the semifinals the second consecutive year.
15. Springdale Har-Ber (20-12)
Previous rank: No. 9
Last week: Class 6A state tournament at Conway; def. North Little Rock 3-0; lost to No. 5 Conway 3-0
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COMMENT: Lady Wildcats recovered from six-game losing streak in midseason that included three losses to teams in Oklahoma to end Fayetteville’s 38-match winning streak against in-state opponents.
16. Marion (24-7-1)
Previous rank: No. 10
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Sylvan Hills 3-0; lost to No. 15 Greenwood 3-0
COMMENT: Lady Patriots went undefeated against 5A-East, swept Valley View and tied Hackett at the Hot Springs Lakeside Tournament.
17. Valley View (25-9)
Previous rank: No. 12
This week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Vilonia 3-0; lost to No. 14 Harrison 3-2
COMMENT: First time since 2002 Valley View failed to reach the state finals and the first time since 2001 it didn’t reach the semifinals.
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18. Bentonville (19-15)
Previous rank: No. 16
Last week: Class 6A state tournament at Conway; def. Jonesboro 3-0; lost to No. 19 Cabot 3-1
COMMENT: Lady Tiger loved to challenge themselves against out-of-state competition as eight of their losses came to teams in Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas with a combined 187-65 record.
19. Paragould (23-8)
Previous rank: No. 18
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; def. Little Rock Christian Academy 3-1; lost to No. 7 Benton 3-0
COMMENT: All eyes for the next three years will be on Ava Beasley (418 kills, 51 aces, 29 blocks, 323 digs, 278 assists), who dazzled a freshman. Head coach Reed Fogleman said if rules allowed it, she would have used her as seventh grader.
20. Sheridan (25-5)
Previous rank: No. 17
Last week: Class 5A state tournament at Searcy; lost to No. 15 Greenwood 3-1
COMMENT Sheridan won its own tournament, the Lonoke Tournament and finished third in the 5A-South.
21. Conway Christian (26-2-1)
Previous rank: No. 23
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Last week: Class 2A state tournament at Quitman; def. Magnet Cove 3-2; def. Thaden 3-1; def. No. 24 Lavaca 3-2; lost to No. 13 Mansfield
COMMENT: Kobie McKnight’s first year at Conway Christian ended in the state championship. Both losses came to Mansfield and the tie with Mena at the Paris Invitational.
22. Gravette (23-3)
Previous rank: Not ranked
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Last week: Class 4A state tournament at Shiloh Christian: def. Pulaski Academy 3-1; def. No. 21 Mena 3-0; lost to No. 8 Brookland 3-0.
COMMENT: Semifinal trip earns Lady Lions appearance in rankings.
23. Mena (21-6-1)
Previous rank: No. 21
Last week: Class 4A state tournament at Shiloh Christian; def. Batesville Southside 3-2; lost to Gravette 3-0
COMMENT: Mena wins conference title for second consecutive year.
24. Lavaca (22-12–1)
Previous rank: No. 24
This week: Class 2A state tournament at Quitman; def. Barton 3-0; def. No. 25 England 3-0; lost to vs. No. 23 Conway Christian 3-2
COMMENT Golden Arrows reached the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.
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25. England (18-5)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Last week: Class 2A state tournament at Quitman; def. Marshall 3-0; lost to No. 24 Lavaca 3-0
COMMENT: A pair of late-season wins over Taylor earned England the 2A-Central Conference and Conference Tournament titles.
DROPPED OUT
No. 22 Pottsville
— Jeff Halpern
When he finally met with his former boss last week, Robert Cox peppered Hunter Yurachek with questions about his decision to cut Arkansas tennis.
Although he’s a retired coach, Cox admitted to Best of Arkansas Sports that part of his 45-minute chat with the Razorbacks’ athletics director came across as preaching. If nothing else, he wanted Yurachek to remember one thing.
“We’re not going away,” Cox told BoAS last Friday. “I just wanted to make him aware that tennis players are problem solvers. That’s the way we’re wired. It’s a gladiator sport and win or die, we’re going to stay in the arena as long as we can.”
Sure enough, the fight to resurrect the Arkansas tennis program has continued well past Cornell hammering home what was supposed to be the final nail in its coffin at the NCAA Tournament.
Less than a week after the Razorbacks came up short 4-3 against the Big Red in Fort Worth, Texas, a group of Arkansas tennis alumni and supporters are set to meet with Yurachek on Thursday morning to discuss the future of the men’s and women’s programs, a source told BoAS.
Despite the UA claiming in its press release Q&A that “fundraising is not a sustainable option for the long-term operation of the programs,” another source told BoAS that the plan to be presented to the AD includes more than $5 million raised in a matter of days.
Not only is that double the $2.5 million Arkansas says it would save annually by dropping the men’s and women’s teams, but the source said it’s “just the tip of the iceberg.”
While that amount may come across as shocking to those who don’t follow Arkansas tennis or the sport in general, former men’s tennis coach Tom Pucci told BoAS that it’s indicative of their support — which even Yurachek may have underestimated.
“There’s so much old Arkansas that really truly appreciates the tennis program,” said Pucci, who led the Razorbacks from 1976-84. “I don’t think that the athletic director or the athletic administration ever realized this, and it’s sure coming out.”
Support for Arkansas Tennis
One of those fervent supporters is Jack Lankford, a Little Rock native who played for the Razorbacks from 1991-95 and lettered twice despite being a walk-on.
He’s remained heavily involved with the program since graduating and has even served as the emcee at home matches since Jay Udwadia, his former teammate, was hired as the men’s coach four years ago.
Beyond that, Lankford helps promote and market the program. Matches are free to attend, which means ticket sales are nonexistent, but that doesn’t mean support is nonexistent.
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Countdown to the Crown: Miss Central Arkansas, Karie Miller, speaks about educational diversity
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Miss Central Arkansas, Karie Miller, is competing in the upcoming 2026 Miss Arkansas Pageant.
Miller highlighted her Community Service Initiative, Hands on Learning, in which she advocates for educational diversity.
Her talent will be a performing sign language interpretation of the song “Guns and Ships” from the Broadway Musical “Hamilton.” Miller is not only a manager at Barnes and Noble but also has a love for scary stories.
Miller will be part of the excitement at the Miss Arkansas Pageant on Saturday, June 13, airing on KARK.
For more information on the competition, visit MissArkansas.org.
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