The Paris Lady Eagles ended the 2021 season with a culminating victory in the state tournament finals to win the Class 3A state championship. Many seniors who had contributed for several years in the program ended their high school careers with a state title. Those were heady days for the Lady Eagles volleyball program, but that year has been long over, and for the past several months, a new generation of Lady Eagles has been working hard to continue the championship pedigree of the Paris program. And for Paris, it will not be easy.
Paris graduated several seniors from last year’s team, and the Lady Eagles will face a determined Hackett Lady Hornets team that certainly has not forgotten the loss in last year’s final, and has a strong nucleus of returning players in 2022. Paris will have their work cut out for them, and to be ready to compete this year in post-season play, the Lady Eagles will have to improve and come together as a unit more and more with each passing week of the season. There is unquestionable talent on the roster, but their is also a significant number of players who will be playing their first year of varsity volleyball that must step-up early for Paris to be successful.
The Paris schedule will again be very challenging, as the program will face a good variety of good 3A programs from around the state, as well as some 4A programs. The conference favorite will be the Hackett Lady Hornets, but an improved Booneville Lady Bearcats program, and a Charleston Lady Tigers program that is always in the competitive mix in the upper tier of the conference will certainly be factors. But, again, for Paris, the focus for the Lady Eagles will be on one match at a time, looking to improve with each opportunity on the floor.
Recently, I asked the Lady Eagles’ head coach, Jordan Devine, to respond to a list of questions that I had for her and the program as they prepare for the 2022 season. Devine, who had announced last school year that she was stepping down and “retiring” as a coach in the district, was asked later in the year to return as the Lady Eagles’ coach. She agreed to do so for this season, and her presence will bring continuity to the program in a year that is already labeled as a transition year with the heavy loss of players from a year ago due to graduation. Coach Devine cares greatly for her players, especially those remaining players from last year’s roster, as well as the newcomers to the program. She wants them all to have a good year during this year of change.
When I asked Coach Devine what she thought her team’s strengths and weaknesses were for this year, she commented, “This year’s team will be a fun group to watch. You can tell they all love to play the game and are out there putting out their all on every point. I think we will compete well. I see our strengths being our returning players in key spots. Our weaknesses may be that we have a lot of new faces. We are a brand new team that has to learn how to play together.”
Key returning players will have a heavy load on their shoulders this year. Coach explained, “Our key players include Brailey Forst at middle blocker. She is an all around player that you will see do just about everything this year. She is confident and wants the ball. Reagan Lowery and Rachel O’Neal at the DS/Libero (defensive specialist) position will be key for us. They are both great leaders on the floor with a lot of experience. Abbigail Walker is our returning setter from the end of last season. She is a hard worker and has a huge drive to win games. Karsen Hart will return for us at middle blocker; she keeps getting bigger and bigger at the net and can hammer the ball. We will also see her at serve and receive.”
There are several key newcomers that must work to fill the shoes of last year’s senior class. Coach Devine continued, “For us to be successful, key newcomers will be Claire Zeiler, Annabelle Perry, and Lauren Reames. All sophomores, they will be taking over the front line for us at outside / opposite hitters. Faith Sanders will be a senior that you will see on the floor this year. Juniors Carsyn Johnson and Kendri Martinez will play at the setter and DS positions. Both are upperclassmen but are new to the varsity roster.”
There are several important non-conference games on the Lady Eagles’ schedule that will play an important role in giving the new team experience against very good competition. This will be an important phase of the team’s development as they compete in the conference and in post-season play. Highlighted non-conference games include Russellville and Pulaski Academy that will be played at Paris Gymnasium. Coach Devine said, “In September, we will be playing Greenwood and Greenbrier on a Saturday which will be two good challenges for us. We play Episcopal in Little Rock during the month of September, as well.”
Looking forward to conference play, the 3A West conference will look the same for the Lady Eagles with the exception of losing Waldron to the 4A classification. The member size of the conference will be smaller in 2022. Coach Devine remarked, “We can absolutely compete for a conference title.” The Hackett Lady Hornets will be the favorite to win the regular season conference title, but the two matches with Paris, plus possibly a third in the district tournament should prove to be very important to both schools. Hackett has had the upper hand in the previous meetings between the two schools with the exception of a stunning win by Paris in the finals of last year’s district tournament, and in the state championship final in Hot Springs. All of this just adds to the intensity of what has already developed into a vicious rivalry the past few years.
For Paris fans who are used to seeing their Lady Eagles dominate opponents, it may be a season of patience that is required each week. The team will get better with each week, but may struggle early as the team develops chemistry with the new members of the starting lineup. I asked Coach Devine if she thought there would be growing pains early in the season and she said, “Yes, probably some growing pains early. I am already seeing some during the camp season. Key with this young team is to keep their confidence up early. We will go through some growing pains but will be patient and work through it. We will take the leadership from our seniors, buy into it, and then…get after it!”
The personality of this year’s team is in stark contrast to the seriousness and the often reserved emotions of the past two years. This group, from observation, seems to be much more loose and relaxed. Coach Devine told me that what she likes about this team is, “They are a really fun group. I love their support for each other. At Branson (summer camp) they supported each other through every game. Rachel, Brailey, and Reagan have definitely emerged as the team’s leaders. Claire Zeiler has had a great camp season so far. She has a lot of power and is working on her control. Lauren Reames has only played volleyball for a year and is giving hitters fits with her blocking.”
In a program with a championship pedigree, the goals are the same each year. According to the coach, “Our goals and expectations never change. I don’t have to set those; the girls do. And realistically, we can reach our goals. Do we have the work to do? Yes. But I believe in this team and their abilities.”
And Coach Devine, the Paris faithful believes in you! In just a few short weeks, the 2022 Lady Eagles will begin a new era of Paris volleyball. The Paris coach concluded by saying, “Come out and watch this awesome group of girls play the sport they love! I promise you won’t be disappointed!”
The season begins Monday, August 22 when the Lady Eagles host Trinity at 4:30 p.m. I will see you then, and good luck to Paris for a successful 2022 campaign!
