Heat seek to build on last season's successes

The Hot Springs volleyball team is looking to continue with the success that they accomplished last year. Last year the team won the district tournament, got second in divisionals and went on to state for the first time ever.

Bonnie Franklin is in her third year as head coach of the volleyball team and she helped out for five years before that.

“I’m very optimistic,” Franklin said about the upcoming season. “The girls are progressing rapidly this year.”

Franklin said that they have 20 girls total on the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams and that everyone is doing a good job.

“We had a summer volleyball camp in Hot Springs that really improved our hitting, which was our biggest weakness,” she said. “We’re really looking good.”

Although Franklin would love to be able to make it to the state tournament again this year, she cautioned that the team has a long season ahead of them.

“We’re going to take it one match at a time,” she said.

She said that the varsity team is going to begin with a fairly short bench but that she sees a lot of potential in the junior varsity players, so she feels confident that by the end of the season they’ll fill out to about 11-12 solid players.

“Since we have such a short bench, we really can’t afford any injuries this year,” she said.

Franklin said that there were several players that she was really looking towards to help with leadership on the team.

Junior MacKenzie Wood was first team all-state and all-divisional last year. “She is looking very solid,” Franklin said. “I’m really looking for leadership from her.”

Matea DePoe, a senior, was honorable mention at the state tournament last year, as was Randi Arnold, a junior. Arnold is currently injured.

Franklin said she struggled with her left shoulder after a car accident about a year ago and the shoulder was reinjured in a basketball tournament.

“We hope she’s as strong as ever when she recovers,” she said.

Whitney Wood and Jordon Fisher, are both seniors and were all-conference picks last year and are two more players that Franklin is looking towards for leadership.

Franklin said that senior Jocelyn Erchul and junior Devon White complete the group of juniors and seniors she’s really hoping will help to carry the team.

“These are the girls that I’m really looking towards this year,” she said.

Franklin said she was also very excited about the two freshmen they have on the team. “They’re looking very good right now,” she said.

“We’re very excited about the season,” Franklin said. “We’re going to take it one match at a time and we’re going to work very hard to have a successful season.”