Jennifer Golden is entering her 20th season as head coach of the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs’ volleyball team, and her 2020 squad may be her best. That’s not to slight any of her previous teams, two of which captured state titles. Instead, it’s a testament to the incredible height, depth, and talent possessed by her current crop of varsity girls. Altogether, Golden has led Greenwood to eight state finals in her previous 19 seasons.

Last Thursday the GHS girls opened their season with a benefit match at Bentonville, taking three of four sets, winning 25-10, 25-21, losing 18-25, and winning 25-16. The regular season starts this week with a trio of scheduled matches, two of which are at home.

Greenwood was slated to travel to Fayetteville on Monday, the opening day of school, before hosting Springdale Har-Ber on Tuesday and Fort Smith Northside on Thursday. All home matches this season will be played in H.B. Stewart Arena to allow for better social distancing required by state health officials due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Greenwood Athletic Director, Dr. Dustin Smith, recently made a 12-minute video providing more information for fans and family members who wish to attend volleyball matches or home football games this fall. That video is posted on the Greenwood Dog Pound Facebook page.

The GHS girls are coming off a successful season in 2019 that saw them finish among the final four in Class 5A before losing to eventual state champion Jonesboro. “We played five hard sets, [but] lost in the semifinals last year,” said Golden. “It was a match that could have gone either way. [Jonesboro] had an outside hitter who is at [the University of] Arkansas this year, and a couple other good players [who] had started since they were freshmen.”

Greenwood also lost some outstanding players off that 2019 team, including graduated seniors Camryn Pressley, Isabella Davis, and Brooke Jones, all of which signed to play on the college level. Along with fellow senior Josie Chapple, that quartet won 91 matches during their three-year varsity careers. But their coach is confident she has the team depth this season to make up for their absence.

“We’ve got nine seniors,” explained Golden. “I’ve got more depth this year than I’ve ever had. [It seems] I say that every year, but it continues to build. With the kids and experience I have on the court, it could really be our year, so [our] expectations are super high. If we make it all the way [through the season], I think we have a really good chance.” Greenwood’s most recent state title came in 2017.

Like her GHS colleagues and thousands of coaches across the country, Golden is hoping that once the season begins, it will continue uninterrupted by Covid-19. “It’s a bummer,” she said of the pandemic. “We’re just happy to be playing. We [only] found out last Friday we were going to have a season.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 campaign, the Lady Bulldogs have been working hard over the past two months, led by that group of nine talented and experienced twelfth graders. “Seniors tend to turn it on, and the skill level jumps up a notch,” said Coach Golden. There are also eight juniors, 11 sophomores, and one freshman on the roster.

“Anna Johnson returns in the setter position, and Larkin Luke also,” said Golden of her top two returning seniors, both of which earned starting jobs as sophomores. “Everyone else saw playing time last year at a high level in the state tournament and playing against Jonesboro,” she said of her other seniors. “We’ve got experience and leadership, and we’ve definitely had the focus this year and the [desire].

“Anna is very smart, on and off the court,” continued Golden. “She’s got a high volleyball IQ and knows the court very well. Larkin [does] also. They’ve been playing together since they were about 12 years old. All that experience and chemistry together - it’s [just] exciting to watch them. They have a sense of each other on the court, and they can get the job done.

“[Seniors] Madison [Pugh] and Jocelyn [Sewell] have been bringing it every day,” said the coach. “They’re battling for [a] back row position, but there’s a [spot] for both of them on the team, and they will both contribute tremendously. They’ve played at a high level since they were at a young age.

“They are both very strong on the back row and each have their own strengths. It could go back-and-forth all year. They have both been practicing well.” For the past three years the libero [defensive] position was handled by departed senior Isabella (Izzy) Davis, an all-conference and all-state player.

“All of my seniors, you’ll see them coaching the other kids up. [They are] all working towards the same goal, knowing they will make each other [and the team] better,” added Golden, before talking about her secret weapon, senior Hannah Watkins, all six feet seven inches of her.

“We’re excited about Hannah this year. She has grown an inch [during the] quarantine. When she got her physical, she measured at 6-7, and she’s not necessarily done growing. She’s going to do big things for us. She brings an intimidation factor and the skill level she’s worked on so hard since she was a ninth grader.

“It’s been fun to see her progress. She’s on the court every day. She coaches little kids. She’s taking lessons and does extra conditioning. She does everything she can to make herself better. We expect it’s going to be a really good year for her. I don’t think there’s [another player in the state] taller than Hannah.

“In the past she has played the middle for us, and done a really good job, but we’re not quite sure [this season]. She [may] play a little bit of right side this year, but the jury is still out, depending on who we play and what’s on the other side of the net. So, we have options with Hannah, which is pretty awesome,” said Golden.

“We like seeing [her] kind of size on the right side because that puts your big blocks against the [opposition’s] outside hitter, which is typically [their] strongest hitter on the court. So we can put up a monster wall with Hannah at 6-7 and maybe Larkin at 6-1 and [junior] Madie Bateman at six feet.

“[Senior] Caylee [Ciesla] was a starting outside hitter last year,” said her coach. “She got that experience and we’ve seen some [positive] things and [more] consistency from her. She has stepped up and is looking [good]. Opposite her at the other outside position is possibly [senior] Samantha Stilley. She is super athletic. When she jumps, she literally floats. She’s been working hard for that spot.

“Pushing both of them [Caylee and Sammy] is a ninth grader named Myia McCoy,” added Golden. [Myia] is uber athletic and has that ‘it’ factor when she swings. But she’s still got those freshman tendencies that we’re trying to work out. We have that rotation of those three, each trying to push each other and make each other better and earn that spot.

“[Senior] Allison Rose is my other right side [player] and [she] has a heavy arm. When she goes up and hits [the ball], it’s coming down hard. She ended up playing a lot last year. She’s got that competitive mentality, and everybody knows she’s serious,” said the longtime GHS coach.

Rounding out her senior class, Golden said, “Zoie Dean [is] another tall one, about six feet or six-one. She struggled a little last year, but this year she’s been having a great pre-season. Her stats have been really good and she’s pushing for a right side position, but also in the middle to get her some playing time somewhere else.” Dean missed her sophomore year due to an injury.

Moving on to her junior class, Golden said, “I have one lefty, Courtney Swilling, and she’s another one that probably grew an inch-and-a-half. She’s about 6-2 now. She plays on the right side and she is definitely pushing for a spot as much as everybody else.

“My other junior that will see quite a bit of playing time is Madie Bateman. We’ll see her playing that middle position quite a bit this year. I’ve never seen a kid put in more work than Madie. She stays after [practice] to [improve] footwork. She does extra conditioning when she’s running. She wants it and she’s a really good player.

“[Junior] Kylie Lawson is at the outside position with a very heavy arm,” said the coach. “Her and Allison [Rose], when they hit a ball it sounds like a shotgun. Kylie puts in the work and the effort, and she’s vocal on the court. She’s fun to watch.” Another junior, Paige Curry, is out this season with a knee injury, added Golden.

“I have one [sophomore] that will see a lot [of playing time], Rylie Holland, as my offensive setter for Anna [Johnson]. She has put in a lot of work, but she’s still trying to find herself. She’s been working on her hands and feet this summer, [but] she will be our offensive setter. I have about three more sophomores I will probably put on the varsity roster,” concluded Golden.

Like most things in 2020, this year’s schedule has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including the elimination of all tournament play during the season, said Golden. “We start on Monday with our non-conference schedule. I purposely load up our [early] schedule each year with 6A teams, because we want that competition to iron things out to get to where we need to be for conference [play].”

After Monday’s trip to Fayetteville, the Lady Bulldogs will be at home for three consecutive matches. “We’re hosting Har-Ber on Tuesday and Northside on Thursday,” said the coach. “The following week we’re hosting [Ft. Smith] Southside on Tuesday. Those four teams could potentially be in the semi-finals of the 6A state tournament this year. Those are all very strong 6A teams.”

Greenwood also has a pair of new conference opponents this season in Van Buren and Mountain Home, replacing Little Rock Christian and Beebe. “I don’t know a lot about Van Buren,” admitted Golden. “I know they are well-coached [and] graduated two or three of their really good seniors last year. Mountain Home will be pretty salty. They were young last year, and they are pretty tall. They will give us a good match. I just don’t know what else they have.

“Greenbrier stepped up last year and hired a good coach. Typically, Russellville and Siloam Springs are pretty strong. They hired a new coach at Alma, and that was a great hire. I remember when she played at Southside.” Rounding out the 5A West roster is Vilonia. Each school plays a home-and-home round-robin schedule with the seven other schools for a total of 14 conference matches each.

“This is my tallest team since I’ve been here,” said Golden, emphasizing her team’s best physical asset. [But] these kids have been playing since they were 12. Some of the sophomores have been playing since they were eight or nine years old. [That experience] trickles down as far as mechanics and skill level. It makes us that much better. It’s exciting. They just bring it.”

The 5A state tournament is set for the last week in October with the title match in Hot Springs on Halloween day. “We’re supposed to be hosting the state tournament,” said Golden, “[but] I’m not sure how it’s going to work, because [the AAA] canceled all [regular season] tournaments this year. I don’t know if they’ve thought that far ahead yet. It’s hard to put in all that work not knowing if we’re going to be able to even host it.

“I’m hoping – and this is just me thinking and wishing – what they will do is play on the home [court] of the higher seeded team, then have the finals in Hot Springs like they normally do, and let [Greenwood] host it next year. But I’m not in a position to make that call. But that’s what I would like,” suggested the coach.

Golden also said her Lady Bulldogs would be livestreaming most of their matches on the internet through the team’s Facebook page for those fans and family members who are unable to attend live. “We livestreamed our ninth-grade match last night through our Facebook page, and it worked out well. We’ll be streaming everything as much as possible,” she said.

Golden’s staff includes assistant Kim Lowe, who has been with the program for 15 years. Husband Tim Golden, who also teaches at Greenwood, is the team’s statistician. Diane Popp is the junior high coach for grades seven through nine.