Prep Dig Team of the Week and the Highs and Lows of Volleyball

I typically don't write on Sundays. But this Sunday I felt I needed to write a few thoughts down on some highs and lows of this opening week of volleyball. This a great week in many ways, great rivalary games, amazing performances and tournaments on Saturday where the action was fast and furious. I was able to go and cover the tournament in Bentonville and it was worth the drive. You will have to check out the podcast next week because I was able to interview a lot of great players who really love the game.   But first, lets talk about the other side of this week. Mixed in with a lot of great play a couple of players had their seasons come to an end early. Three tremendous young ladies I have had the honor of covering will miss the remainder of the season. Our prayers go out to Thaden senior [player_tooltip player_id='750475' first='Londyn' last='Jackson'] who just committed to Emory, Brookland senior [player_tooltip player_id='806194' first='Kinley' last='Hammett'] and Lakeside freshman [player_tooltip player_id='758288' first='Hendrix' last='Yancey']. Londyn and Kinley were both on the POY watchlist this year and Hendrix was on our futures team. We wish all three a speedy recovery. Kinley said it best in her post in instagram, "Let this be a reminder to value your sport! Never stop having fun, cheering loud, being proud of where you are, and love the game! And don't be so hard on yourself!" Well said.   Now onto the good stuff! After a tremendous week, it is hard not to talk about the team that shined the brightest this week. Springdale Har-Ber had a tremendous first week of the season. 2-0 in 6A West play defeating Southside on the road and Fayetteville at home in sweeps. Earning [player_tooltip player_id='771153' first='Beaux' last='Cameron'] one of the Prep Dig Player of the Week spots. But that wasn't all. Saturday they took part in the Bentonville Early Bird one-day tournament and dropped one set on a day that saw them beat Greenwood, Little Rock Christian Academy, defending 6A state champions Conway, 6A West rival Bentonville West and took the title against 6A West rival and host Bentonville in a 2-1 thriller(the only set they dropped). After the game I texted Coach Simmons "Pretty good week!" Her response shows where the Wildcats heads are..."And a long way to go!!" One week doesn't make a season, but sure is a great start to the year.    Offense starts with the setter and Reese has been pretty dynamic so far. In seven games Davis has 120 assists and in the games vs Southside and Fayetteville, she averaged 11.3 assists per set. Pretty solid numbers from the senior. With a ton of weapons at her disposal, look for her to be one of the leaders this season in assists.     Offense gets the attention, but defense does the dirty work. Coach Simmons can breath a little easier knowing that Joely is manning the back row and keeping her team in system. In seven games he had 61 digs for the Wildcats. Tankersley does a great job of covering for her squad and is determined not to let a ball hit the court!     Continuing on the theme of defense, senior [player_tooltip player_id='749844' first='Leighton' last='Keyes'] has piled up 18 total blocks so far and gotten her hands on many more. Her experience at all three front row positions gives Har-Ber flexibility and strength. She is a leader and contributes across the board. In the two regular season games she also had 14 kills.     The junior right-side for the Wildcats provided a lot of offense this week. Pryor piled up 61 kills in seven games. Keep in mind that the games at the Early Bird were just two set contests. She racked up 25 in six sets vs Southside and Fayetteville and then 36 on Saturday. That is production from the opposite side spot. If Pryor keeps that up she and our next player may end up as the top one-two punch in the state!     That brings us to the Prep Dig Player of the Week, [player_tooltip player_id='771153' first='Beaux' last='Cameron'] (<a href="https://prepdig.com/2026/08/players-of-the-week-kaminshine-and-cameron-shine/">https://prepdig.com/2026/08/players-of-the-week-kaminshine-and-cameron-shine/</a> ). Cameron racked up 80 kills this week including a 19 kill performance vs Southside and 13 kill performance against Fayetteville. Then she turned right around and had 48 over the next 11 sets to help lead the Wildcats to the tournament title. In the two week days games, she also added 2 aces, 7 blocks, 8 digs and 13 serve receptions.    -Robert Birch, Lead Scout-Prep Dig Arkansas. Reach out to me at <a href="mailto:bdsrecruiting10@gmail.com">bdsrecruiting10@gmail.com</a> or connect with me on X (@predigRob) and Instagram(@prepdigarrob)

I typically don't write on Sundays. But this Sunday I felt I needed to write a few thoughts down on some highs and lows of this opening week of volleyball. This a great week in many ways, great rivalary games, amazing performances and tournaments on Saturday where the action was fast and furious. I was able to go and cover the tournament in Bentonville and it was worth the drive. You will have to check out the podcast next week because I was able to interview a lot of great players who really love the game.