Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Phelan a tough act to follow at Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville senior Kennedy Phelan helped lead the Lady Bulldogs’ volleyball team to its third straight Class 6A state volleyball tournament title, and in the meantime, has repeated as the All-Arkansas Preps Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
The Florida State commit was at the controls of the most powerful offense in the state. The 5-8 Phelan led the state, averaging 9.5 assists per set, according to MaxPreps and also had one of the most potent jump serves, averaging 0.8 aces per set that ranked among the top 10 in the state.
She acknowledged that it’s been a great ride.
“It’s really fun,” Phelan said. “There’s not really a bad decision I can make most of the time.”
She was also quick to praise her back-row defense that also helped make her job easier.
“We were always in [sync] and I had every option to set. That makes my job super easy.”
Phelan also finished her career with a school-record 3,972 assists (9.9 per set) and 288 aces. Both figures are tops in the Fayetteville record book.
Her other career numbers are also impressive, with 425 kills despite being the primary setter and 871 digs in 402 sets played.
She will now go play for Chris Poole at Florida State, who coached her mother, Jessica Phelan, at Arkansas.
But Kennedy said the end of her high school volleyball career was bittersweet.
“It was pretty special to see everything just fall in its place,” she said. “It’s very bittersweet because you’re playing with your best friends, and I played for my mom.”
Phelan said playing for her mother is just something she’d grown up dreaming about. Jessica Phelan was pregnant with Kennedy when she accepted the job at Fayetteville. Jessica Phelan said she has a video of a young Kennedy running across the floor when the Lady Bulldogs won their first state title in 2012.
“I’ve dreamed of being a Bulldog since as long as I can remember,” Phelan said. “It’s been pretty special. I was running around this gym stealing her assistants to pepper with me. It can be hard to swallow that it’s over. It was a really good ride.”
Jessica Phelan said the relationship between mother and daughter is a little different on the court.
“I think there’s that layer of your expectation being higher,” Phelan said. “Kennedy is the setter, and she’s your kid, so you know her really well. Also, there’s the advantage of I know what she’s thinking most of the time.
I think she’s managed really well the relationship with her teammates For both of us in the gym I’m “Phe” or Coach. I think of her on the court she’s my setter.”
Kennedy left a letter on her mother’s computer at school on senior night, but Jessica said she put off reading it until after the state tournament.
“There’s a finality to that, and I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in the emotion,” Jessica said. “But it’s been really special I think a lot of times as a coach when your kids are really young, you miss a lot. Miss a lot of elementary and middle school volleyball games over the years.
“So I think it’s been special to get some of that time back before we send her off to Florida State.”