The longest tenured head coach at Greenwood High School is Jennifer Golden, now starting her 23rd season at the top of the GHS volleyball program. A special education teacher when she’s not coaching volleyball, Golden also has a heart for kids, especially those with special needs. She is a mother herself whose oldest daughter, Riley, recently left for college. She is married to husband Tim, who has served the Greenwood school district as a teacher, administrator, and coach, while also volunteering with the varsity volleyball program as a statistician and bus driver, among other duties.
The life of the Golden family is very much entwined with the sport of high school volleyball, and the dedication and hard work poured into the GHS program by both Jennifer and Tim has paid off in spades for the Lady Bulldogs. Over the past two decades, the GHS varsity girls have become a perennial threat to win conference and state championships almost every year, and that level of excellence shows no sign of dissipating in 2023, according to Coach Golden, who spoke to the Dog Pound recently about the upcoming season.
Thirty names dot the GHS roster this pre-season, but two are injured and will not compete this fall – Anna Forbus and Alyssa Sharp – both juniors who hope to return next year for their senior seasons. “We have 28 [girls] who will be practicing and [playing] in games,” said Golden, who added that Sharp could return to action at the very end of this season, if cleared by her doctor. Both girls were quality players and will be missed.
Eight seniors lead the squad into the 2023 campaign, including team manager Sadie Clifford. Seven Lady Bulldogs will be playing their final season for Greenwood, including Salem Colburn, Karsen Hart, Carsyn Holland, Torie Howard, Myia McCoy, Keara Rice, and Reagan Zimmerman. Of those, Myia McCoy and Tori Howard are among the most prominent players on the entire roster, but nearly all the seniors will be counted on as starters or play a key role off the bench this season.
Speaking of team manager Sadie Clifford, Coach Golden said, “She started with us as a sophomore, and she has been tremendous for us. She is fun to be around, and the girls love her. I love her. She does so much for us. I’m really sad that it’s her last year with us.” The team has three managers and a trainer to provide support for the players and coaches. Golden is also aided by assistant coach Kimberly Lowe with Diane Popp leading the junior high program.
“Salem [Colburn] is a middle hitter for us,” said the coach. “She plays a role – whatever I need she steps up and says ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever [you] need.’ She’s a great kid in that aspect. She’s probably not a true “middle’, but right now that’s where we need her, and she’s doing a tremendous job with senior leadership. She didn’t get a whole lot of [varsity] playing time as a sophomore or junior, but this year she has really stepped [up] and she’s going to be great.”
The coach then spoke with excitement about the addition of senior Karsen Hart, the daughter of GHS softball coach Donald Hart. “Karsen joined us in January. She transferred in for the second semester last [school] year, so she was with us all during the off-season. She played travel ball with some of the other girls, and she really fits in well with our program. She is going to be my other middle hitter. She’s a tremendous athlete. She can jump out of the gym and has a great arm swing. She’s really going to help us take our team to another level. We’re excited to have her,” said Golden.
Karsen is the oldest of two Hart girls on the team. Her younger sister, Saylor, is a sophomore team manager and plays softball for her dad, though Coach Golden is recruiting her to come out for volleyball as well. Karsen originally wanted to finish high school in Paris when her father was hired by Greenwood before the 2022-23 school year, but later changed her mind and transferred over Christmas break last December.
“Carsyn Holland comes back as a defensive specialist with another year of experience,” said her coach. “She is really good on defense. She has great reactions. She sees the ball and is able to get a lot of touches on balls and keep them up so we can make plays. We’re excited about having her back. She’s not in my starting six, but she will rotate in [and give us a lot of minutes],” added Golden.
Senior Tori Howard is another two-sport athlete (also softball) that helps form the backbone of the team at libero. A defensive specialist who patrols the back row, Howard has impeccable ball-control skills and is responsible for keeping the ball alive and getting it to the setters and hitters near the net. She returns this season with another year of experience and maturity.
“Tori is at home on the back row,” said her coach. “She’s just so even keel in her personality, and she brings that to the court. She’s constant and consistent. She is just great in all aspects of the game and she’s a leader by actions, no doubt. She’s not one to get amped up or out-of-sorts. She just does her job and she’s really good to have back there.”
Golden then spoke highly of senior Keara Rice. “We call her Keke,” said her coach. “She started for us as an outside hitter last year and got quite a bit of playing time and continued to improve as the season when on.” After moving her to a different position this summer, the coaching staff ultimately moved her back to outside hitter. “She fits that role so much better for us. She makes us stronger offensively when she is on the court.”
The next impactful senior on the squad is also its best player – Myia McCoy – a four-year letterman who has garnered numerous all-conference and all-state honors. She is perhaps the team’s best leaper and hitter and the top offensive weapon the Lady Bulldogs have on the floor. Myia saw significant playing time even as a freshman and hasn’t slowed down since, becoming one of the top players in the 5A West conference and the state and will likely receive several offers to play college volleyball.
“Myia is a dynamic offensive player,” offered Golden. “She’s going to fill an even bigger role this year because she’s not just going to play the front row, but all around. We call that a six-rotation player, so she will be on the front row and back, and we expect big things out of her. She is the type of player and athlete that can handle that [pressure], so we’re excited to have her for one more year. She’s such a force for us.”
Among the junior class, Golden expects the following players to contribute this season – Rylee Daniel, Ella Dickinson, Loren Eckart, Aspen Payton, and Lexi Wieser. Other juniors who may see limited varsity minutes but will play extensively on the junior varsity squad include Laikyn Castillo, September Joyce, Peyton Kamirshine, Addison Kittell, Ava Whitaker, and Bri Wilson.
“Rylee [Daniel] is a junior setter, and she’s done really well,” said her coach. “Her defense is phenomenal. Her setting is pretty good, [so] she has the opportunity to be a starting setter at times this year.” Golden added that she is toying with the idea of employing two different kinds of defense, depending on the opponent, the first using one setter and the second using two.
“Ella [Dickinson] played quite a bit for us last year on the right side,” continued Golden. “She has worked hard in the off-season and raised her vertical [leap] five inches, so we’re excited by that. Ella is probably on our right side, and if not, her and Keke [Rice] are going to swap either outside or right side. She puts up an athletic block and is a good player for our right side.
“Loren [Eckart] is my other setter. Both of my setters graduated last [spring], so Loren has stepped into the role really well. She’s taken lessons during the off-season, and she’s really improved. She’s done a great job so far. She loves to run the court and she’s smart. She sees the court well and is working on her connection with her hitters and she’s going to do a really good job for us this year,” said the coach.
“Aspen [Payton] is right on that line,” said Golden. “She’s a great player front row, back row. She will probably see some playing time on the front row, but I don’t know where yet. If we run that 6-2 defense, she will be in the lineup for sure, contributing as much as she can.” Payton will likely also see playing time with the junior varsity to hone her skills and gain more experience.
There are nine sophomores on the roster plus freshman team manager, Kailey Hunter. Among those tenth graders, only one has excelled to the point that Golden feels comfortable giving her varsity playing time early in the season, primarily due to her overall athleticism already amply displayed on the basketball court, and that’s Kyla Pearcy, daughter of GHS tennis coach Dexter Pearcy, who is also the assistant varsity boys basketball coach. The other sophomores, who will fill out the junior varsity roster, include Anna Grace Dedmon, who could see limited varsity minutes, according to Golden, and Lorelai Graham, Lily Johnson, Alyssa Lovell, Daisy Parker, Raylee Wagoner, Janie Witherington, plus team trainer Kaylee Oglesby.
Speaking of her lone sophomore standout, Coach Golden said, “Kyla Pearcy is a basketball phenom, but she can’t be discounted in volleyball because she is so athletic and plays so well. She’s one of the smartest players on the court. She sees and reads [the court] really well. She’ll be a front row player for us, whether she’s in the middle, the right side, or the outside. She’s able to move around.”
The coach was then asked to comment on her overall team depth. “Our depth is better than we’ve ever had, and that’s both a blessing and a curse. We’ve got whatever [reserves] on the bench to come in and fill a need, but on the flip side, they should probably be getting more playing time than they do. But I feel like we have great chemistry, and these kids know their roles and they do a great job of encouraging each other.”
Regarding overall size and athleticism, Golden said, “We’re a pretty athletic team, if not the most we’ve ever had because we’ve got Myia [McCoy], and Karsen [Hart] moved in, and Keke [Rice] is very athletic. I wouldn’t say we are extremely tall. Karsen is probably our tallest, about six feet, and we’ve got several at five-ten or five-eleven. It’s not the height we’ve had in the past.” The coach did acknowledge that she has some very good leapers on her squad like McCoy and Hart among others.
As for predicting the season ahead, Coach Golden said, “Our goal is to always be there in the [state] finals, and I feel like we have a really good chance. I look around the state and see the teams that are as competitive as us and I feel like we can [play] with them. We’re going to have to continue working on a few things, but it’s not where we start but where we end. I feel like we are on our way to having a really good season.”
In the 5A West, the coach sees Greenbrier, Van Buren, and Greenwood as the cream of the crop in 2023. “I would say we are probably in the top three,” said Golden, whose team reached the second round of the state tournament last season. Across the state, she identified some of the usual suspects as teams to beat in the playoffs, including defending state champion Benton. “They graduated a few, but they return a really good group this year. Valley View was in the finals last year and they will be back. Little Rock Christian has a good team. I think Mount St. Mary’s will be back, along with Greenbrier and Van Buren.”
The coach also mentioned that she is recruiting line judges for home games this season, hoping that an adult fan or alumni will come forward and volunteer. “I’ve got one, but I’m struggling to find another one,” she said. “It’s always hard, but it’s just for the varsity match, not the junior varsity. The coach said she usually rewards the volunteer with a small gift of appreciation, like a tee-shirt. Greenwood will have 11 home matches this season starting next Monday against Fayetteville.
This past Thursday the Lady Bulldogs traveled to Springdale to take on the Lady Saints of Shiloh Christian in a pre-season benefit scrimmage match. “We played them in team camp a couple weeks ago,” said Golden of the Lady Saints, members of Class 4A. Besides the Fayetteville match next Monday, Greenwood travels to Springdale Har-Ber next Thursday.
Finally, Golden was asked to sum up her impression of the Lady Bulldogs heading into the 2023 campaign. “I think we are a [strong] offensive team. I feel really good about who we are as a team and our chemistry and how we get along, and that’s always half the battle. We have some aspects of the game that we need to work on, but it’s early. I really feel like we’re going to have a pretty good year.”
The Lady Bulldogs started pre-season practice on July 10th immediately after the mandatory dead period ended, and have been at it almost every day since. But it hasn’t all been hard work and no play. Golden and her staff took their players to a team camp in Branson, Missouri, and the girls were able to go to Silver Dollar City. They also went to Edmond, Oklahoma, the headquarters of the USA Para-Olympic volleyball team, ranked #1 in the world.
“We got to sit in on the women’s national team practice, and they are amazing to watch,” said the coach. “They have won the last two gold medals and are still ranked #1 in the world. They put on a great clinic with us and did a Q-and-A with us, and just got real personal. Our girls got to get out on the court and practice some of those skills. It was a really neat thing.”