If you’ll open your Bible to Proverbs 27:17 you see the verse “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. While volleyball isn’t exactly a biblical sport by definition, the verse can be tied into the game as a team making each individual player better by giving their best in practices, camps, and scrimmages. That has been the focus of the Lady Tigers during the summer as they strived to make their team great as a whole. The ladies in Mansfield’s volleyball program are friends, family, and teammates on each and every day that can be found on the calendar. Each day except for days that involve a Red/White game such as the upcoming one on Friday, August 12th.
It’s no secret that the Mansfield volleyball program is going to be a hot commodity going into the 2022 season. The Lady Tigers clawed their way to the top last season and closed out with an Arkansas State Championship. While the achievement of being crowned the best in the state is quite a feat to obtain, it is nearly impossible for a team in any sport to pull off dominating opponents in multiple seasons. Mansfield has something many other teams don’t have though. While many teams were loaded with heavy senior talent last year, the Lady Tigers won their 2021 State Championship with only a couple of seniors on the team and only lost two starters from last season. That means the sophomores and juniors that contributed to the 2021 success will all be returning this season with a lot more experience under their belts than what other programs will have.
“We have eight seniors on our roster this year,” said head coach Kaylie Pyles. “We have a lot of experience on our varsity roster, along with a great group of seniors who show a lot of leadership for the team. The team has participated in a lot of team camps this summer with high levels of competition, which in return has prepared us for the upcoming season. The entire team has come to summer workouts and practices with a focus and determination to keep the legacy of Mansfield volleyball State Championships going while going in search of a threepeat also.”
Even though the Lady Tigers are already favored in many upcoming matches, they have been making their rounds with practices and camps all summer to get everyone on the team added experience to the roster as a whole. Mansfield is loaded with so much talent and experience on this years team that the term “iron sharpens iron” seems very fitting for the Lady Tigers. You could build two separate teams with the Lady Tigers roster and each would eventually wind up facing each other in the State Volleyball Playoffs. “Our biggest threat this season will be our non-conference schedule,” said Pyles. “We will face teams like Van Buren, Farmington, and tournaments in Alma and Paris. As for conference play, we’re geared up and ready to take on the alwyas tough programs of Lavaca, Life Way Christian, and Thaden. There is so much talent across the entire program that everyone will have the opportunity to step into key roles if they’re needed to. This team is something special and we expect big things this season”.
But wait, there’s MORE to this team than just volleyball greatness? Why yes, yes there is. The Lady Tigers are seeking more than gold this year though, they’re also eyeing the gold of the future. With volleyball on everyone’s minds, some might miss the fact that these players are more than athletes. The girls in the program have been hard at work away from the court too. Even though they have worked hard all summer to prepare for the challenges they’ll face this year, Mansfield has also found time to give back to the community by hosting Tiger Tot volleyball camps and volunteering to help with the United Way Fill the Bus program over the offseason. Giving back to the community and working with the next generation of Lady Tigers gives Mansfield more shine than any gold could give. They’ll be making their overall depth on the team equally impressive for the real games to come as well as depth of a solid footing for the future of the program.
That means the upcoming Red/White game has the makings of an evenly matched Wonder Woman vs She-Hulk volleyball throwdown. Although the scrimmage is bound to be a good one, the squads will be unknowingly doing something more important than playing for the W. They’ll be playing the best of their team to be ready for the best other teams have to give. “The girls are very excited about the Red/White game,” said Pyles. “We will have a younger age scrimmage starting at 5:00pm. The JR High scrimmage will start at 5:20pm and then we’ll kick off the SR High game around 6:00pm. The teams will play best of three out of five sets for the SR High game.” Simply stated, the 2022 Mansfield Lady Tigers are already slated to be one of the best on and off court programs in Mansfield volleyball history. But can they live up to the 2022 hype? Everyone will have the opportunity to see for themselves and make their own prediction on Friday, August 12th at the Red/White game.
