HS, Lakeside, LH compete in new 5A-South

Hot Springs and Lakeside are welcoming a new conference foe to the 5A-South. The opponent is anything but unfamiliar as the Lake Hamilton Lady Wolves move down from the 6A-West.

“We went from a five (team) conference (in) volleyball that was not extremely strong to an eight-team conference that is really strong,” said Hot Springs head coach Deana Franklin. “I’ve never played Benton or Sheridan. We have played Lake Hamilton, El Dorado, Texarkana because we had that blended conference the last two years. So, we have seen those, but we’ve never played Benton or Sheridan which are both pretty good powerhouses.”

The Lady Trojans lost just two seniors from last year’s volleyball squad that went 5-16 and fell to Harrison in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament. Four seniors anchor the squad along with a large sophomore class of eight.

“I’ve got a big group of seniors and a big group of sophomores,” Franklin said. “I’ve got probably a junior and a sophomore that will be setting for me, and neither of them set for me last year. One set a little bit for the junior high team, and my junior set some in my JV games, played a little bit of varsity but not a whole lot.

“I’ve got one of my outside hitters back. One of my setters last year is now going to play outside for me. I’ve got one of my middles back; the other one has had some health issues and will not be able to play this year, so I’ve got a sophomore going to be my other middle blocker, probably. I’m looking at a sophomore as a very possible libero. We are young, and we are old. There’s not a lot in the middle.”

Lakeside, under the ministrations of first-year head coach Rhonda Thigpen, brings 23 athletes to the court this season after former head coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer took over at Ouachita Baptist.

“I’m playing a varsity, JV and JV 2,” Thigpen said of her plans

for the season. “If you’re out, you’re going to touch the ball. I did it the first year because I got in late, and I didn’t do a tryout. If you can make it through Mama Thig, that’s your tryout. I’m going to play them in groups, let them develop and see.”

Thigpen shies away from a set group of starters, allowing the players to constantly improve and try to advance to the starting six.

“I have some ideas, but I know that I’m very competitive,” she said. “It’s going to be competitive every day. There’s some young girls who can move up quickly. … There’s some girls who have played beach and worked on their ball control all summer, and it’s really helped their game.”

Lake Hamilton brings back nearly the entire roster from last year’s team that went 18-14 before falling in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state tournament to eventual state champ Greenwood.

“Last year, I had zero seniors,” said head coach Karen Smith. “I have eight (seniors), seven returning and one that just moved in. … I thought we had a pretty good season last year. We did pretty well at state, I thought.”

The Lady Wolves have 19 athletes on their roster for this season, but Smith has a big hole to fill after starting libero Mason Aitken graduated early.

“She graduated school early, so we’re having to fill her position,” Smith said. “We’re looking for her position. I know that Meadow Orrell is a senior this year, and she got minimal playing time. She got playing time last year, but not as much as she or I would have liked for her to have. I feel like she’s going to have a pretty strong role this year.”

The new 5A-South conference, in addition to the introduction of Lake Hamilton, consists of some familiar foes from the last two years’ blended conference. Texarkana and El Dorado both move to the 5A-South from the old blended conference while Benton, J.A. Fair and Sheridan also join the conference.

“It’s really close to the one we had before the blended conference,” Smith said. “As far as volleyball is concerned, … we have a stronger schedule this year than we had last year. I think the competition that we have with our local schools is going to be strong, regardless if it’s going to be a conference or non-conference game. It’s all close, so you get more people at the games, better attendance. Everybody wants to win those matches. They are definitely top-priority matches.”

“Benton and Sheridan are two quality (programs),” Thigpen agreed. “Some of the teams they’ve played in the past have new coaches. I don’t want to overlook anybody. Statewide, they changed the classifications, so Greenwood and Jonesboro went from playing in 6A to 5A. That’s the state champ, state runner up the last three years.”

Despite the tougher conference opponents, Franklin anticipates her team remaining in the mix this season.

“They’re not going to lay down; I can tell you that for sure,” she said. “They’ve got a lot of hustle, a lot of grit, a lot of determination. … I hope we’ve got enough fight in us that we’ll be battling for more than that four-spot. From what I’ve seen, they’re going to give me everything they’ve got. I don’t believe they’re going to walk off with anything left in them; I believe they’re going to leave it all on the floor.”

None of the three area teams in the conference are taking it easy early in the season.

Following its season opener against Mena, Lake Hamilton hosts Bryant before the conference season opener against Sheridan. The Rams travel to Bryant and Greenbrier and hosts Mena before opening the conference season on the road at El Dorado. Hot Springs travels to Malvern, White Hall and Fountain Lake with the conference opener at home against J.A. Fair.

“I did that intentionally,” Franklin explained. “You don’t get better if you keep playing teams that are weaker than you. Hopefully we can find where our weaknesses are, and we can fix those.”

The Lady Wolves have worked with area Marines this summer to help instill the idea of teamwork.

“We’ve had really good summer practices,” Smith said. “We were good at camp, and I’ve got the Marines — that’s what I think was the most exciting to my kids anyway. We’ve had the Marines out here twice. They were doing community service with our kids about teamwork. It’s a lot of fun. It’s hard work; don’t get me wrong. They’re leaving red-faced and just tired, but it’s still a lot of fun, and I think they like it.”

Thigpen has worked to bring a youth program to Lakeside as well.

“I had a dream when I got here to build the program, so people would have the same minds as they got on up in the program,” she said. “Jared McBride, I think, was the first one to start a youth program, and it has been very successful. He gave me a lot of tips, a lot of advice.

“We’ve had registration of

85 kids — 11 teams, 85 kids, and that’s just right now … I got hired, and I started to wait a year, but I thought if the interest is there and the help is there, and it was. … Lakeside has some wonderful parents that are willing to work and give to their daughters, so that’s been tremendous.”

Lakeside also plans to host promotions for each of their home matches this season.

“I’m doing promotions at every home match,” Thigpen said. “We’ll do Rising Ram youth night, so we’re inviting all them, doing stuff for them during the matches. Veterans Day, a cancer night — I’m big on community service. … I’ve taken them out, but then I also want to invite those people back, so they can see the people who helped you, here’s what we do.”

Hot Springs opens its season tonight as it hosts Cutter Morning Star in a benefit game at 4:30 p.m. Lake Hamilton hosts Mena Tuesday for its season opener at

4:30 p.m.