Coaches responded to the call for nominees for The Natural State Sports Network’s All-Star teams as over 160 players were nominated from 40-plus schools.
In the end, tough decisions were made as 21 players were selected for the first team, second team and newcomer team which consists of freshmen who played in at least half of their team’s matches and sophomores who were in their first year of varsity experience.
Players were nominated by their coaches and selections were based on their overall performance during the 2024 season, along with information provided by the coaches and observations by The Natural State Sports Network’s staff throughout the season.
Teams have two outside hitters, two middle blockers, one setter, one libero and one six-rotation player – a player who did everything well.
In the end, two teams — Fort Smith Southside and Shiloh Christian — had three players selected to the three squads while four others — Hackett, Benton, Hot Springs Lakeside and Bentonville — had two players selected.
In a related story, Southside’s Gabriela DuPree was named Player of the year. Springdale Har-Ber’s Reese Davis was named Newcomer of the Year and Paris’ Jerry Fulmer was named Coach of the Year.
Served by Arkansas Select Volleyball.
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Six-rotation – Gabriela DuPree, 5-11 senior, Fort Smith Southside
Key stats: 498 kills, .252 hitting percentage, 464 digs, 42 aces, 48 blocks.
DuPree did everything well for the Lady Mavericks, who were ranked No. 1 for seven weeks, won the 6A-West Conference and reached the semifinals in the Class 6A state tournament. The Southwest Baptist (Mo.) signee earned a spot on the All-Star team, was nominated for Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year, on the Under Armour Phenom watch list, named AVCA All-American honorable mention and was named to the AVCA Best and Brightest first team.
Comment: “Gabriela put her whole heart into this team taking on her role as an unshakable leader on and off the court. Her steady defensive presence had her second on the team in digs (10th in the state), only behind the libero who is 2nd in the state in digs, and our highest serve-receive passer rating. She earned first on the team in kills (second in the state in kills) and kills per set as on offensive threat on front and back row.” — Fort Smith Southside head coach Natalie Throneberry
Outside hitter – Madison Crum, 5-11 senior, Greenbrier
Key stats: 560 kills, 294 digs, 64 aces
Crum, who signed with Missouri State, had over 500 kills for the second consecutive season in leading the Lady Panthers, who made a big turnaround from five victories in 2023 to 5A-Central champions and state runner-up.
Comment: “Madison is the type of player every coach wants on their team. Her tenacity really showed in the state tournament. She led our offense, but she also commands the court in a way that empowers her teammates to perform, and that had a lot to do with why we made it to Hot Springs this year. We are going to miss her on and off the court next season.” — Greenbrier head coach Katie Huff
Outside hitter – Victoria Otter, 6-2 senior, Bentonville
Key stats: 445 kills, .266 hitting percentage., 311 digs, 45 blocks, 49 aces
Otter, who signed with Providence (R.I.) College, moved from the middle to outside hitter, and played a big role in leading the Lady Tigers, who closed the season strong with 17 victories in their last 19 matches, in reaching the Class 6A state championship match. Otter was also selected as an AVCA third-team All-American.
Comment: “She was our go-to player.” — Bentonville head coach Hannah Berry
Middle blocker – Audrey Pender, 6-0 senior, Shiloh Christian
Key stats: 345 kills, .335 hitting percentage, 45 Aces, 76 Total Blocks, 57 Digs
Pender, who signed with Western Illinois, was a major inside force for the Lady Saints, who won the Class 5A state championship. She earned all-state and all-state tournament team honors and was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Best and Brightest first team, as well as tabbed AVCA All-American honorable mention.
Comment: “Audrey had a phenomenal offensive year for us and was a force at the net all year. She was almost impossible for teams to slow down as you can see with her amount of kills and her hitting percentage. She is so competitive and was not going to be out-worked by anyone. She put together an amazing last match at the state championship and was a key reason why we went 34-4 this year.” — Shiloh Christian head coach Nathan Bodenstein
Middle blocker – Gracie Brown, 6-1 senior, Bryant
Key stats: 43 aces, 236 kills, .387 hitting percentage., 86 blocks, 9 assists, 55 digs
Brown, who signed with Southeastern Louisiana, was an inside force for the Lady Hornets, who finished second in the 6A-Central Conference. She was a AVCA Phenom, appeared on the AVCA All-America Watch list and earned all-state honors. Bryant head coach Leigh Ann Back said Brown sets such a high standard that Brown didn’t think her senior year lived up to her standards, however, Back said Brown’s senior year was still very good.
Comment:
“She kept pushing to reach the level she wanted. But a non-Gracie level is still a very good year. Her level of confidence and need for perfection, not only pushed her, but helped her teammates along the way. Her competitiveness will be missed, but she has left a mark on this program to be felt for years.” — Bryant head coach Leigh Ann Back
Setter – Lauren Latham, senior, Hot Springs Lakeside
Key stats: 280 kills, .251 hitting percentage, 31 blocks, 409 assists, 210 digs
Latham played in a 6-2 set and led the Lady Rams in kills and assists. She earned all-state honors and was on the AVCA phenom watch list, the AVCA All-America watch list and signed with Kansas State.
Comment:
“Lauren Latham to me is the best setter-hitter in the state! She is a very strong lefty setter hitter. She sees the whole court and is so savvy. She understands the game at a high level and she can run a fast offense. Kansas State is getting an experienced player.” — Hot Springs Lakeside head coach Rhonda Thigpen
Libero – Bella Bonanno, 5-5 senior, Shiloh Christian
Key stats: 59 aces, 573 digs, 123 assists
Bonanno, who signed with Ole Miss, was named to the AVCA Best and Brightest first team, AVCA All-American second team, earned all-state honors, all-state tournament honors, was named MVP of the Class 5A state tournament where she had 22 digs in a 3-1 victory over Greenbrier.
Comment: “Bella has had one of the best careers in the history of Arkansas volleyball. She has helped lead her team to three-straight state finals, concluding with a 5A State Championship this year. She has over 2,000 career digs and almost 300 career aces. She is smart and seems to be everywhere on the court. She was a vocal leader for our team this year, and set the standard with her excellent work ethic and attitude.” — Shiloh Christian head coach Nathan Bodenstein
SECOND TEAM
Outside hitter – Lyida Pitts, 5-10 senior, Fort Smith Southside
Key stats: 410 kills, .279 hitting percentage, 172 digs, 60 aces, 39 blocks, 23 assists
Pitts, who signed with Arkansas-Fort Smith, helped lead the Lady Mavericks to 6A-West Conference title and a trip to the state semifinals. She earned all-state, all-state tournament team honors and was named to the 2024 AVCA All-Region team and was Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year nominee.
Comment:: “She is the player who would fill any role her team needed her. She took on the role of a setter, and again, an outside hitter with very little experience in either. She showed exactly what makes her irreplaceable on the court — there isn’t anything she can’t do!” — Fort Smith Southside head coach Natalie Throneberry
Outside hitter – Michaelyn Freeman, 6-0 junior, Hackett
Key stats: 455 kills, .440 hitting percentage., 213 digs, 16 blocks, 26 assists
Freeman, who committed to Tulsa during the season, was named Class 2A state tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Lady Hornets to a 36-0 record and a state championship. She was an all-state and all-state tournament selection. She was named to the AVCA all-region team as well as the AVCA All-American third team. In matches against teams in Classes 3A and higher (21 matches), she had 201 kills, 124 digs and 34 aces.
Comment: “Michaelyn is truly a dominant player in all aspects of the game. She has the ability to take over at any point in the game on the back row with her attacks and relentless defense, or dominate the front row to propel her team to achieve the lead.” — Hackett head coach Bridget Freeman
Middle blocker – Evelyn Venters, 6-1 sophomore, Bentonville
Key stats: 259 kills, .313 hitting percentage, 81 digs, 93 blocks
Venters played a big role for the Lady Tigers, who won 17 of their last 19 matches to reach the Class 6A state final. She had a season-high 15 kills in a 3-2 victory over Webb City (Mo.) on Oct. 5. She had a season-high six blocks in a 3-2 victory over Benton on Sept. 21 and in a 3-2 victory over Fort Smith Southside in the state semifinals.
Comment: “Evie has had an outstanding year, her second year on varsity. We could always count on Evie to put a ball away when we need her. She can swing big and hard, but is also a very smart player as well and puts the ball wherever she can get a kill. She is also one of our best servers and I saw her best serving at the state tournament when the pressure is on. I believe she is one of the top middles in the state.” — Bentonville head coach Hannah Berry
Middle blocker – Kendall Brown, 5’8, sophomore, Marion
Key stats: 327 kills, .267 hitting percentage, 82 blocks, 67 digs, 13 assists, 24 aces
Brown, who started as a freshman, had a strong sophomore season for the Lady Patriots, who shared the 5A-East title with Valley View. She earned all-state, all-state tournament honors and was a AVCA Phenom. She had a season-high 24 kills in a 3-2 loss to Batesville on Oct. 3 and had a season-high 7 blocks in a 3-2 loss to Brookland on Oct. 7.
Setter – Laila Creighton, 5-7 senior, Shiloh Christian
Key stats: 1,161 assists, 99 kills, 50 aces, 20 total blocks, 299 digs
Creighton was the main distributor in leading the Lady Saints to the Class 5A state championship. She was named AVCA Best and Brightest second team, earned all-star honors and was named to the all-state tournament team.
Comment: “Laila almost surpassed 4,000 assists in her career. We ran a 5-1 this year with her, and her decision making and confidence were amazing this year. She turned into an offensive threat as you can see with 99 kills. She made setting look easy, and led the team to 1,484 total kills this season. It was also impressive to see how her defense improved this year.” — Shiloh Christian head coach Nathan Bodenstein
Libero – Miranda Leslie, 5-1 junior, Mayflower
Key stats: 627 digs, 64 aces, 93 assists
Leslie earned all-state and all-state tournament honors for the Lady Eagles, who reached the Class 3A quarterfinals before losing to eventual state runner-up Central Arkansas Christian.
Comment:
“I have done this 25 years, she is simply the best libero I have coached and is one of the most coachable. In 2019 I was fortunate enough to win a state championship at Episcopal. The MVP of the state was my libero. Miranda is better than her, right now. She is incredibly hard-working and selfless. She wants to be great, but does not care about being a star. The most important stat for her is if we won or not.
“She would have started for any team in our conference, including Baptist Prep. She would have started against any opponent we played, and that includes the 6A schools. I won’t argue for any team in the state, I haven’t seen all of them, but she would give any a run for their money.” — Mayflower head coach Monty Smith
Six-rotation – Isabella Lagemann, 6-0 senior, Benton
Key stats: 295 kills, 50 blocks, 118 aces, 192 assists, 246 digs
Lagemann, who was MVP of the Class 5A state final in 2023 when helping lead the Lady Panthers to their second consecutive state championship, signed with Louisiana State University. All year, she showed she could do everything well in leading Benton to a 14-0 record in the 5A-South and a trip to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year.
She had a season-high 15 kills in a 3-2 loss to Brookland, which won the Class 4A title, as well as in a 3-1 victory over Little Rock Christian and she had 9 matches with at least 10 kills. She had a season-high six blocks and 22 digs against Brookland. She had six matches with at least 10 digs. She had a season-high 17 assists in a 3-0 victory over Sheridan and in a 3-1 victory over Little Rock Christian.
NEWCOMER TEAM
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Setter – Reese Davis, 5-1 sophomore, Springdale Har-Ber
Key stats: 1,024 assists, 235 digs, 56 kills, 21 blocks, 35 aces
Davis stepped in as a sophomore and played with a level of maturity beyond her years in leading Har-Ber to a 20-12 record and a trip to the Class 6A quarterfinals. She had a season-high 50 assists in a 3-2 loss to Fayetteville on Sept. 12 and had nine matches with at least 40 assists. She also had nine matches with at least 10 digs.
Comment: “As a sophomore and first-year varsity starter, she was not only an amazing setter but a great leader too. Her competitive edge and will to win sets her apart.” — Springdale Har-Ber head coach Cassie Loyd
Outside hitter – Emmerson Rehkopf, 5-11 sophomore, Farmington
Key stats: 345 kills, 255 digs, 38 blocks, 23 aces
Rehkopf, who moved in from San Diego (Calif.), earned all-state honors in leading the Lady Cardinals to the Class 5A quarterfinals before falling to eventual 5A runner-up Greenbrier.
Comment:
“Emme is an absolute force on the outside. She is quick, has a 27-inch vertical (jump) and a dominant mentality. Emme is a well rounded 6-rotation sophomore with an extremely high volleyball IQ. She was our lead attacker this season and is aggressive defensively. She excels on the volleyball court and in the classroom with a 4.13 GPA. She competes every possession, has an extreme work ethic, is selfless, and a true leader.” — Farmington head coach Kyle Moad
Outside hitter – London Jackson, 5-10 freshman, Hot Springs Lakeside
Key stats: 230 kills, .249 pct., 20 blocks
Jackson earned all-conference honors for the Lady Rams, who reached the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Comment:
“What an exciting player to watch develop. She has a very high reach on her attacks and her speed to the ball is very good for a freshman. She is already a very good blocker. She plays with such intensity.” — Hot Springs Lakeside head coach Rhonda Thigpen.
Middle blocker – Aniya Morris, 5-9 freshman, Fort Smith Southside
Key stats: 87 kills, 84 blocks
Morris stepped in as a freshman and had a season-high nine blocks in a 3-2 loss to Bentonville in the Class 6A semifinals.
Comment:
“She didn’t accumulate a lot of kills, but she was an elite blocker for a freshman!” — Fort Smith Southside head coach Natalie Throneberry
Middle blocker – Kinley James, 6-1 sophomore, Hackett
Key stats: 131 kills, 62 aces, 46 blocks, 38 digs
James earned all-state honors as a sophomore. In 21 marches versus schools in Class 3A and higher, she averaged 3.5 kills and 1.3 blocks per game.
Comment:
“Kinley has really come on this year and learned to run the quick tempo attacks. She had a great year of hitting and blocking, and became very solid serving for us as well.” — Hackett head coach Bridget Freeman
Libero – Gabby Metheny, 5-3 sophomore, Harding Academy
Key stats: 52 aces, 327 digs, 61 assists
Metheny stepped in for a a team that fell 3-1 to eventual Class 3A state champion Paris in the quarterfinals and was named MVP of the Cave City Tournament and earned all-conference honors.
Six-rotation – Bella Gonzalez, 5-10 sophomore, Benton
Key stats: 207 kills, 24 aces, 37 assists, 216 digs
Gonzalez had a season-high 11 kills in a 3-1 victory over Little Rock Christian and 10 in a 3-0 victory over Cabot. She had six matches with at least 10 digs including a season-high 12 in a 3-2 victory over Bryant.
Cover photo of Fort Smith Southside’s Gabriela DuPree by Karen Schwartz
More volleyball coverage on The Natural State Sports Network:
Natural State Sports prep volleyball best performances (Nov. 4)
Arkansas high school volleyball final 2024 Top 25 poll (Nov. 4)