With the Arkansas high school volleyball season now concluded, there was one theme to describe Saturday’s state finals: If at first, you don’t succeed, try again.
That was the case as three teams — Conway in Class 6A, Shiloh Christian in 5A and Hackett in 2A — who were runners-up in 2023, brought home state championship trophies this year.
Conway lost a five-set match to Fayetteville with the final being decided 16-14 and defeated Bentonville 3-1 this year. Shiloh Christian, which was the two-time 4A runner-up to Brookland, moved up to 5A because of the Arkansas Activities Association’s Competitive-Equity Rule for private schools. The Lady Saints swept Greenbrier. Hackett, which was 3A runner-up the past three years to Paris and Baptist Prep, moved down to 2A and swept England.
The two others champions — Brookland in 4A and Paris in 3A — were no strangers to state championship weekend. Brookland defeated Wynne 3-0 for its third consecutive title and Paris defeated Central Arkansas Christian 3-1 to win its sixth title in the past 10 years and its first since 2021.
Here is The Natural State Sports Network’s final poll.
Served by Arkansas Select Volleyball.
1. HACKETT (36-0), 2A STATE CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 1
After coming up short three consecutive years in the state finals, the Lady Hornets go undefeated with two of their victories coming against 3A state champion Paris and 5A champion Shiloh Christian. They closed out the season with a dominating sweep of No. 25 England in the state final to complete a perfect season.
“It feels amazing especially for this group of seniors who worked non stop. We talked about it because these seniors, I moved them up as ninth graders and they were part of the three runners-up and for them to finish their senior year is special.” — Hackett Coach Bridget Freeman
2. SHILOH CHRISTIAN (34-4-1), 5A STATE CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 4
Moving up to Class 5A didn’t stop the Lady Saints from grabbling the one prize that eluded them the past two seasons, and that’s a state championship. They also won the Bentonville Early Bird Invitational and the Hot Springs Lakeside Tournament and were runner-up at the Conway Lady Cat Invitational.
“I’ve never had a group like this. They are so calm and so level all the time and it starts with our leaders. It starts with an experienced setter and libero. They’re so special, not because I’m losing them. We’ve got plenty of pieces. They’re a group I’ve never had before.” — Shiloh Christian Coach Nathan Bodenstein.
3. CONWAY (27-9), 6A STATE CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 8
Lady Wampus Cats get the one prize that eluded them last year and that is a 6A state title, defeating Bentonville 3-1. They overcame a 2-0 deficit in the semifinals against Fayetteville to win 3-2, storming back from a 12-7 deficit in the final set.
“The first one is always awesome. I thought I was going to retire and not get one, but I checked that off my bucket list. Any state championship is great. It’s very hard to get here. I just appreciate the fact our kids did so well to get us here. I told them you don’t know how special it is to drive to Hot Springs. I told them to soak it in.” — Conway Coach Laura Crow
4. BENTONVILLE (24-9), 6A RUNNER-UP
Previous rank: No. 6
After knocking off Fort Smith Southside in the Class 6A semifinals, the Lady Tigers close the season winning 17 of their last 19 matches, the final result a 3-1 loss to No. 8 Conway in the final.
“It wasn’t our day. I think a little of the nerves got to us. It’s been five years since we’ve been here. Conway was here last year and it showed. I’m really proud of how hard we work in practice and have the hunger to get better. They bought in.” — Bentonville Coach Hannah Berry
5. FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (29-6), 6A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 3
After spending much of the season ranked No. 1 and going 15-1 in the 6A-West, the Lady Mavericks fell in the semifinals to Bentonville.
“Our kids fought until the end. We won’t hang our heads on this season for a second. I’ve done this a while now and can tell you, it’s great to get to that last match. You always want to be there. This one will hurt for a bit. We wanted it, but Bentonville fought hard and caught fire at the right times. They played a great match. At the end of the day all you want are good human beings to buy into something bigger than themselves, learn to face adversity, and grow a little bit as a person. This group did that and so much more. Their testimony is going to be a road map for so many young women. I’ve learned so much from them. I’d choose them every day.” — Fort Smith Southside Coach Natalie Throneberry.
6. BROOKLAND (37-5), 4A STATE CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 9
Lady Bearcats complete the three-peat by sweeping Wynne, giving them three victories over the Lady Yellowjackets this year. They also had victories in the regular season over 5A runner-up Greenbrier, 5A semifinalists Benton and Valley View, 5A-East co-champion Marion and 4A semifinalist Baptist Prep.
“Who gets to do that? Not many people. A lot of people didn’t think we could get back here. I told them to chart their own path. … I think that’s what I’ve done [scheduling tough opponents]. You’ve got to put your kids in a situation where when they’re on the big stage, they know what to expect.” — Brookland Coach Nancy Rodriguez
7. BENTON (32-4-1), 5A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 2
For the first time since 2020, Benton failed to make the state final after losing 3-2 to Greenbrier in the semifinal round. They also had victories over 6A champion Conway, 5A champion Shiloh Christian and 5A runner-up Greenbrier in the regular season.
“Greenbrier brought it and took us out of our game, hats off to them. We would make run and they would answer. Back and forth the entire night. We have been blocking well and funneling the ball to our defense. We did not do that tonight.” — Benton head coach Michelle Shoppach.
8. BAPTIST PREP (33-8-1), 4A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 5
Lady Eagles suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to No. 9 Brookland that halted their third consecutive trip to Hot Springs. They also had victories over 4A state champion Brookland (in the regular season), 5A semifinalist Valley View and 6A semifinalist Fort Smith Southside.
“It was a great match to be a part of. Brookland is a great team and we competed with them for five sets but ultimately they made big plays when they needed to and they came out on top. I’m proud of my girls. Moving to 4A and playing the best of the best was so good for us. I don’t think anybody but the two teams on the court last night believed that Baptist Prep could move to 4A and be playing in the state semifinals. Nancy is a great coach with great kids and one of the best programs in the state [in every classification]. I am proud of her and thankful for her kindness to me and my team. It was a match for the ages. I trust that God gets the glory He deserves and I rest in knowing He is sovereign. You can’t pick and choose when you believe that. A loss like that is tough but I can’t dwell on it. I just have to be thankful for the opportunity to play the best of the best and know we get ready for next season.” — Baptist Prep Coach Krista Spoon
9. FAYETTEVILLE (21-8), 6A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 7
For the first time since 2019, Fayetteville failed to get to the state final after losing 3-2 to Conway. Three of the Lady Purple Dogs’ losses came to teams outside the state.
“I am proud of my team for their progress this year. They really battled against a strong Conway team. They put their heart into finishing this season well and they did.” — Fayetteville Coach Jessica Phelan.
10. GREENBRIER (24-10), 5A RUNNER-UP
Previous rank: No. 17
One year after winning five matches and not qualifying for the state tournament, the Lady Panthers win the 5A-Central with a 16-0 record, knock off Benton in the 5A semifinals before Shiloh Christian in the final.
“We’re happy to be here. I’m so proud of them. We won five games last year, two conference games. To be here is incredible. There are so many coaches who coach for a long time and don’t get here.” — Greenbrier Coach Katie Huff
11. VALLEY VIEW (25-9-1), 5A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 10
Valley View closed the regular season strong with 12 victories in 13 matches before falling to Shiloh Christian in the 5A semifinals and won the 5A-East title.
“We have had a roller coaster of a year starting with a few tough, down to the wire, 5-set losses to top notch teams. Setting our schedule up that way prepared us for our talented 5A-East conference. I couldn’t be more proud of this year’s team and finishing as conference champions and a deep run in the gauntlet of the 5A State Tournament.” — Valley View Coach Margie McGee
12. PARIS (33-6), 3A STATE CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 19
Hired in July, Jerry Fulmer leads the Lady Eagles to their sixth state championship in the past 10 years, first since 2021.
“This is the first time to be in these shoes as head coach. My feeling is for these seniors. I knew how bad they wanted it. The last two years, we’ve been put out by Baptist Prep [which won the 3A title the past two seasons] and they kept us from coming here. This might have been the first group to come through here and not get a ring. We have that tradition still going.” — Paris Coach Jerry Fulmer
13. CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN (21-9-2), 3A RUNNER-UP
Previous rank: No. 20
Lady Mustangs make it to the 3A state final before falling in four sets to Paris. In the regular season, they had victories over 3A state tournament teams Mayflower and Episcopal Collegiate .
“They’re setting the tone for the program and should be proud of how we finished the year.” — Central Arkansas Christian Coach Lynn Brown
14. WYNNE (20-11-1), 4A RUNNER-UP
Previous rank: No. 23
Wynne opens state tournament week by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to Pulaski Academy to win in five sets, knocked off Mena and then fell to Brookland for the third time this year in the state championship game.
“We’ve been up and down and stayed on an uphill trend and hit a high peak at the end. I don’t think anyone thought we could beat Mena and Pulaski Academy when we’re down 2-0.” — Wynne Coach Codie Zeigler
15. MENA (26-12), 4A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 24
Lady Bearcats make run to 4A semifinals before falling to No. 23 Wynne. In the regular season, they had loses to 6A Cabot, 5A Mount St. Mary, 3A champion Paris and 2A champion Hackett.
16. MOUNT ST. MARY (25-10), 5A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 12
Belles reach the second round of the 5A Tournament before losing to state champion Shiloh Christian. They had regular-season victories over 4A semifinalist Baptist Prep and 4A champion Brookland.
17. BRYANT (19-11-1), 6A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 13
Lady Hornets close the season with a loss to Conway for the 6A-Central title, 6A semifinalist Fort Smith Southside and 6A runner-up Bentonville. During the regular season, they snapped Conway’s 45-match winning streak against 6A-Central opponents and had victories over 4A semifinalist Baptist Prep and 5A state tournament teams Little Rock Christian, Mount St. Mary and Hot Springs Lakeside.
18. LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL (21-8-1), 6A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 14
The Lady Tigers reached the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, falling to Fayetteville. Central climbed to No. 2 after beating Benton on Sept. 14 to win the Little Rock Christian Classic and spent several weeks in the top 10 before losing six of their last 10 matches.
19. SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (20-12), 6A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 16
Lady Wildcats close the season with a 3-1 loss to Conway in the quarterfinals. Outside of the conference, they had victories over Farmington and Greenbrier. They also had a victory over Bentonville in the Bentonville Early Bird Invitational, and one in 6A-West action.
20. FARMINGTON (19-7), 5A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 22
In their first year in 5A, the Lady Cardinals were runner-up in the 5A-West and fell to Greenbrier in the quarterfinals in five sets. Outside of the conference, losses came to 6A qualifier Bentonville West, 6A quarterfinalist Springdale Har-Ber and 3A champion Paris.
21. MARION (23-8-1), 5A FIRST ROUND
Previous rank: No. 11
Lady Patriots lost middle blocker Kennedy Bullins for part of the season with knee and achilles injuries. They shared the 5A-East title with Valley View before falling to Van Buren in the first round of the 5A state tournament.
22. EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE (17-13), 3A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: Not ranked
The Lady Wildcats played a tough non-conference schedule with matches against 4A semifinalist Baptist Prep, 4A state qualifier Pottsville and 6A qualifier Little Rock Central, faced Bryant and Brookland in tournaments and defeated 3A champion Paris in the regular season.
23. HARRISBURG (27-2), 3A SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: Not ranked
Lady Hornets win the 3A-3 Conference with a 14-0 record, defeat defending 2A champion Mansfield in the state tournament before falling to Central Arkansas Christian.
24. GRAVETTE (19-6), 4A QUARTERFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 19
Lady Lions close the season with a 3-1 loss to Mena in the 4A quarterfinals. After losing twice to Prairie Grove in the regular season, they knocked off the Lady Tigers in the district and regional tournaments.
25. ENGLAND (20-8), 2A RUNNER-UP
Previous rank: No. 25
England won the 2A-South Regional and advanced to the state finals for the first time in school history before falling to No. 1 Hackett.
“We made history for our school and made our town proud and made our families proud and wrapped up a good season. I told our girls there are several teams in Arkansas that want to be in our shoes. Being runner-up is an honor to be proud of.” — England Coach Samantha Brewer
DROPPED OUT
No. 18 Fort Smith Northside, No. 21 Prairie Grove
Cover photo by Joshua Gao
