Despite injury, Hicks soaked up ‘best feeling’
Rosana Hicks wasn’t on the floor when Fayetteville scored the last point to secure the Class 6A state volleyball title, but the senior was a huge reason why the Lady Bulldogs put an exclamation mark on an unprecedented season.
The 6-1 outside hitter was asked to carry an even bigger load offensively after a teammate suffered a season-ending injury in the middle of the season. Hicks answered the challenge, and in doing so earned the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps Volleyball Player of the Year award.
The Central Michigan signee had to watch the end of the state final victory over Fort Smith Southside after suffering a knee injury early in the fourth set. She went down with the Lady Bulldogs trailing 4-1 and had to be helped off the floor.
Hicks was taken to the dressing room to evaluate her injury, but she returned to the bench late in that set to witness the finish of the match.
“I started crying at 23,” Hicks said. “I said, ‘Yesssss, they’re doing it!’ There’s no way they don’t have it.”They proved her right and celebrated on the court with a dog pile. Then all of a sudden they stopped, remembering their fallen teammate on the bench.
“Gracyn comes barreling toward me, and she’s like, ‘Ro, we did it again,’ ” Hicks said. “It was the best feeling in the world. It didn’t end with me on the court like I wanted, but I was still so happy and excited.”
The group led by senior Gracyn Spresser raced toward Hicks to include her in the postgame festivities. Hicks and Spresser were part of the last Fayetteville team to win a title in 2017 as freshmen. That was the last of three consecutive state championships before a two-year pause.
Fayetteville Coach Jessica Phelan watched Hicks grow both on and off the court. She took on more of a leadership role each year and became an offensive force.
“She played an important role on that team as a freshman,” Phelan said. “You go from that team where she’s blossomed with confidence over the last four years. She embraced her role as a leader and a go-to force.”
Hicks finished with a matchhigh 20 kills in the state finals, despite missing most of the final set. She had 30 kills and took 75 swings in Fayetteville’s marathon five-set win over Springdale HarBer in the semifinals. Hicks also stepped forward with five kills as Fayetteville (21-1) jumped to a 7-2 lead in the deciding set to take control.
The all-state hitter finished with 280 kills, which was fifth in the state and third in Class 6A. But Hicks ranked first in the state with 4.5 kills per set.
Phelan said Hicks took her game to a different level after teammate Perry Flannigan suffered a season-ending injury in Fayetteville’s only loss of the season at Fort Smith Southside.
“You look at Rosana stepping up her stats,” Phelan said. “She had to carry more of the load. Her ability to put the ball down when everybody in the gym knows where the ball’s going speaks to her talent, for sure.”
Hicks got word she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and will have surgery soon to repair it. That might delay her college career, but Phelan knows Hicks will have more success.
“That’s a small setback,” Phelan said. “She’ll be driven to get back on the court, and I’m certainly proud she was able to go out as a state champion.”