Har-Ber sets sights on 6A title

SPRINGDALE — Senior middle hitter Kat Cooper said she believes this year’s Springdale Har-Ber volleyball team is just tougher.

The Lady Wildcats lost multiple matches due to covid- 19 a year ago and even dealt with a two-week shutdown because of the virus.

In addition, four of their f ive losses came in five sets, including a marathon match in the Class 6A state semifinals to eventual champion Fayetteville.

The 6-1 Cooper, who has committed to play at San Diego State, said the difference is how the team has learned to deal with pressure.

“We’ve come out with a lot more fight this year,” said Cooper, a starter since her freshman year. “I feel like last year there were times when pressure was put on us, and we would just crumble. But this year, we’re not afraid to fight if pressure is put on us.”

The proof is in the results.

Har-Ber has fashioned a gaudy 31-1 record, which included a string of 29 consecutive wins and an undefeated run through the 6A-West Conference. The Lady Wildcats earned a first-round bye and will begin their quest for the first state title in school history at noon Wednesday against the Rogers=Fort Smith Northside winner at the new Fort Smith Southside arena.

Har- Ber Coach Cassie Loyd said the team, which has lost three straight years in the state semifinals, has shown a tremendous transformation. The 14 seniors on the Lady Wildcats roster are a big part of that, but there’s more to it than that.

“I think the biggest difference with this group and what they’ve learned in those tough moments of losing in the semis and being sad, but also the maturity of them and being able to reflect and learn and grow,” Loyd said. “I think our total advantage is they’re experienced, very mature for their age.

“They’re able to reflect and process and put team first, and that’s helped them through this entire season.”

The senior trio of Cooper, Caylan Koons and Jordan Benford all said the thought of having one more chance to finish with a state title was on their mind throughout the offseason.

“Every day!” the three shouted in unison when asked how often it was on their minds.

It began in the locker room following the state tournament loss to Fayetteville, Cooper said.

“It was sad,” Cooper said. “But nobody was ready to be done. I think that’s also fed into this year. It’s like we had some sort of unfinished business.”

Benford said the growth didn’t just come out of thin air. There was work done both on and off the court in the offseason.

“We had a lot of time to sit down all together and be able to talk to one another and grow with one another and learn about each other,” Benford said. “So it’s made things easier on the court, but also off the court.

“The other thing, I think, is us taking action this year instead of just sitting back and saying ‘Oh yeah, we’re going to be able to do this.’ ”

Benford is a story of growth on the court as well. She didn’t even try out as an eighth-grader and played sparingly as a freshman.

The 5-8 outside hitter could be one of as many as seven Lady Wildcats to go play volleyball collegiately with five already committed.

Loyd said seeing her hard work pay off has been special.

“She’s earned everything that she’s gotten,” Loyd said. “She’s getting some recognition for that and obviously through her play. She’s been solid for us the last two seasons. Her journey is just a very inspiring story and I think her teammates are inspired by her battles through adversity she’s faced.”

Loyd also saw the team’s maturity after its first loss of the season that came just 10 days ago. The Lady Wildcats fell to Liberty, Mo., in the Ozark (Mo.) Grand Slam Invitational semifinals after beginning the season with 29 straight wins.

“When they lost that match, I was intrigued to see how they’d respond,” Loyd said. “I saw some tears and I saw a lot of disappointment … I told them they have an opportunity here through their tears. ‘You can respond one of two ways and how you respond will reflect the rest of your season.’”

The Lady Wildcats responded about 30 minutes later with a 2-0 sweep of a strong Nixa, Mo., team to take third in the tournament and left Loyd impressed.

“To have 16-, 17- and 18-year old high school athletes respond the way they did where they processed, compartmentalized and then warmed up the next match and played some of their best volleyball they’ve played all year after a loss — their first loss all year — was incredible,” Loyd said.

Koons, a starting setter who is committed to the University of Central Arkansas, said the relationships among her teammates are ironclad and are no doubt responsible for the success this season.

“We aren’t scared to tell each other what we need to hear,” Koons said. “Because of the relationships we’ve built. We trust each other no matter what.”

Koons used the example of her friend and teammate Audra Simpson, who is her backup. But Koons is consistently getting information from her friend about what she’s seeing from the bench.

“She communicates with me all the time and I listen,” Koons said. “It’s just because of the relationships we’ve all built. We all trust each other no matter what. It doesn’t matter what our role is.”

The Lady Wildcats have put together an incredible season, but they want to be a part of history for their school. Har-Ber is 0-4 all-time in the finals, including three straight from 2015-17. But this group wants to change that narrative.

Benford said the hope to claim that title for their school and all those players who came before.

“We all want to be the ones to finally do it,” Benford said. “We’ve seen it. We’ve witnessed it. I feel like all of us want it so bad so we can be the ones to finally say, ‘We did that. We are part of history.’ ”