PARIS- The Lady Eagles volleyball tradition is a championship legacy. One that was built by several years of volleyball seniors who led their teams to state playoffs and championship game appearances. For everyone involved, it is fun to win and to be in playoff contention every season. But for this year’s seniors, like setter Abbi Walker, there is a pressure of high expectations to perform at their best individually, as well as a team.
The Lady Eagles made another state tournament appearance in 2022, losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual Class 3A champion, Little Rock Baptist Prep. Gone from the 2022 team are both seniors and a junior transfer, leaving this year’s team with just a few seniors, but with a group of talented juniors who received significant playing time last year.
One of those seniors is Abbi Walker, a setter and defensive specialist for the Lady Eagles. Last week, RNN Sports had the opportunity to visit with Abbi to get her thoughts on the upcoming season and the challenges and opportunities that await the Paris Lady Eagles. It will no doubt be a challenging season for Paris. The Hackett Lady Hornets will once again be the pick to win the 3A West, and in this year’s schedule, Paris will travel to Hackett very early in the season to face the 3A state finalists from 2022.
But with challenges come opportunities for success, and there is no doubt that this year’s Lady Eagles team will work hard and do everything they can do to uphold the championship legacy of Paris volleyball.
So, when Abbi and I began her interview, I asked her about the feeling of pressure in leading the team back to the playoffs. Abbi began by saying, “Definitely; there is always pressure but it is how you deal with the pressure. Our team does really well with not putting the pressure on just one person…we all take time with the pressure. Like if I am down, someone else steps up, and we go back and forth with that. We have been really good with communication and all of that. The pressure isn’t just on me, but we all have an equal amount of pressure going into the season. In the past we have put that pressure on just one person, and it has taken a toll. But this year, we have all shared the pressure.”
The 2023 summer offseason has been productive for the Lady Eagles. In fact, Abbi believes they have “turned the corner” in the last month. She said, “It has definitely been a broken approach over the summer. You come into the summer, and everyone is everywhere; there’s cheer, basketball, softball, and all kinds of camps everywhere. But this last camp that we had at 501 really showed us what we could do. It was in the silver bracket, and it all came together in the last game, and it was amazing just to see what everyone can do under just that little bit of pressure. In the last match, we won the first set, lost the second, and came back to win the third by two points. It really showed what our serving can do under pressure, and it was amazing.”
With the summer team camps opportunities, the young talent of the Lady Eagles has begun to rise up to the level that they are capable of playing at in the 2023 season. I asked Abbi if this is the case or is it a matter of the team starting to bond and play together. She answered by saying, “Yes, that was the highest our team has finished this summer. And it all started with the Branson (MO) camp this summer. We really got to know each other and see the different personalities, and you have to see what the differences are and who can take the pressure. There are some younger players now that aren’t able to take the pressure right now, and you have to find out a way to talk to them under this type of pressure. You have to find out the different ways they need to be talked to for sure.”
As a senior, I asked Abbi about her perceived leadership style. She described it as, “I definitely like to be encouraging, because if you, and we learned at camp this summer, you definitely can’t get “into peoples’ faces.” It really went downhill, really fast. We ended up losing a game pretty badly, because we were just into each other’s faces, and it did not go well. So, we have learned that we have to be encouraging toward each other to win games. It’s very important that we encourage each other instead of bringing each other down. And there are sometimes where some older players that have to say, “Come on, let’s get it together.” But there are some different personalities on this team, and you can’t do that very often. So, being encouraging is the most important part.”
Listening to Abbi, it appears that the Branson team camp experience gave the team a chance to filter out the team chemistry and how the seniors would lead the team.
Part of the many changes for this year’s team will be the addition of a new head coach. Coach Jordan Devine has retired from the coaching part of her position with the Paris Schools. Taking the reins for the program is Josh Hart, who was promoted after serving as the program’s junior high coach. I asked Abbi about Coach Hart’s influence on the team so far, and she responded by saying, “I think he (Coach Hart) is kind of letting us figure our problems out. He doesn’t step in and show us how to do things. If we are down, he is encouraging, and he is an energy source for the team, for sure. If there is any kind of swing, kill, or play, he is all there. He is louder than the entire team when it comes down. He is really into it. He is very encouraging, and it is just fun to play and to let us figure things out. He doesn’t want to make us figure things out; he wants to help us figure things out.”
Abbi perceives her role as a senior on this year’s team as “being an encouraging person; I want to make sure that everyone is comfortable with what they are doing. Because some of the younger players need to accept the role they are in, and you (Abbi as a senior) you have to do your best to make sure that they are prepared. And I think that is where we are at right now. Making sure that everyone is ready, and everyone knows what their role is on this team.”
The team is making good progress toward being ready to start the season on August 22. I asked Abbi how she thought the team’s progress this summer at this point compared to where they were a year ago. Abbi shared, “I think our front row this year is going to be a big thing for us. Last year, we depended on our outsides and our middle (hitters), and this year, we have a lot more coming from the right side. We are able to use both ends and middle, which is really nice as a setter because we can spread things out, and they are not just going to cheat to our outside. It’s really good as a setter to be able to go to that right side.”
The development of this year’s front line has made a lot of progress as they look forward to the August 22 opener at Russellville. Abbi said, “For sure. Tons and tons of progress has been made on the front row. And that all also comes from our passing; I think our passing has improved tremendously. Since the last camp, things have improved and are seeming to all come together.”
Abbi will once again be a setter and a defensive specialist on the 2023 team. As a setter, she is the “quarterback” of the offense, making split-second decisions on where to set the ball based upon the defense and the position of her team’s front row hitters. Abbi explained, “Yes, the setter runs the offense, and our libero runs the defense. I definitely have to see the other side of the net to see where the opposing team is moving at the time, and then I have to see who is ready on my side of the court (front line hitters) to receive the ball.” All of this is taking place in a split-second, and to the casual fan, it can be easily lost how difficult the setter position is, and how important the position is to the overall success of the offense. In my observation over the years, and in listening to Abbi analyze the position, Paris will be in very good hands this season with this crucial position and its effect on the Lady Eagles’ success.
As a senior, Abbi will be carrying this very important responsibility for the Lady Eagles. In her words, “If there is anything going wrong (volleys in a game), it is the setter’s responsibility to fix it.” She shared openly that as a younger player, the responsibility and pressure got to her. But throughout her own personal development going into her senior year, she feels prepared and ready to meet this important responsibility head on.
Looking ahead to the start of the 2023 season, Paris will once again play a very tough non-conference schedule that will include an early start to the 3A West conference schedule. And part of that early conference schedule will include a trip to Hackett to play a very tough Lady Hornets team on their home floor on August 31, just nine days into the season. I asked Abbi for her thoughts on the schedule, in particular the early days of the schedule leading into Labor Day weekend. She shared, “Our schedule is very much compressed, that is for sure. We have two to three games per week, and we are used to two games per week. But I think it is going to show us how much we can do and how much we can mentally put ourselves through. And I think having Hackett right out of the summer will be really good. We will have our team chemistry and team strong after the so many weeks we have had preparing ourselves for those games.”
The Lady Eagles open at Russellville on August 22 and will then travel to Little Rock Pulaski Academy on August 24. Paris will open 3A West conference play on August 29 vs. Charleston and will then go back on the road to play the defending 2022 3A state finalists, Hackett Lady Hornets, on August 31. Quite a daunting schedule for the young Lady Eagles, but an opportunity to play some important games early and perhaps see the schedule flip in their favor in the finals weeks of the season heading toward the district tournament and the state playoff.
We would like to thank Abbi for taking time to contribute her interview for this story. As the season unfolds, RNN Sports will follow-up with her and other members of the team. Abbi is talking with college recruiters, and we will bring you updates on future opportunities that may be coming her way, as well.
RNN Sports will be in Russellville on August 22 to bring you the action in pictures, both online and in social media, but in RNN’s Logan / Franklin Counties weekly newspaper. And we will be there all season long to bring you the best coverage of River Valley volleyball action.
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