ARKANSAS JRS. RETIRED JERSEYS
Since 1985, the history of the Arkansas Junior Olympic Volleyball program can be traced to the success of a few individuals who excelled. Either on the court with their high schools, colleges or our junior volleyball program, these athletes exhibited exceptional dedication and made a lasting impression on the sport of volleyball in Arkansas. We have chosen to retire their jerseys in recognition of their excellence.
The first four were recognized in 1988 as a group from their founding of the Arkansas Jrs. program as freshmen and their subsequent success in the sport.
1) Jo Beth Carmack Mathis 1988: One of four freshmen playing on an 18 & under team in the inaugural 1985 season. A 5-10 setter from Nettleton high school, Mathis was selected to attend the first National Junior Elite Training Camp in Colorado Springs. She captured the AA/AAA State Championship and was named MVP in 1987 and led Nettleton the state Overall Championship in front of 2,000 fans at the ASU Convocation Center over Jonesboro High School. She accepted a volleyball scholarship to Rice University in Houston and played one season before returning to the Jonesboro area. She then joined Arkansas State University and led them to two conference championships as a hitter/setter, plus ASU's first trip to the NCAA National Championships. JoBeth later was an assistant coach at Arkansas State, then at the University of Arkansas, then was a head coach at Lyon College. She was a high school volleyball coach in Texas for a few years, then returned as the head assistant coach at Arkansas State. Her daughter Megan now plays with the Arkansas Jrs. 10s program.
2) Kristy Dobson Lenoir 1988: A rare sight in 1985, Kristy Dobson was the first 6'0" player for the Arkansas Jrs. program. She was MVP when Jonesboro High School captured the AAAA/AAAAA state championship in 1987. Kristy continued her career at the University of Tennessee, where she was recognized as an all-conference player for two years.
3) Andi Brown Bandy 1988: A defensive specialist who took on the added role as an outside hitter, Andi spent the bulk of her high school career at Westside High School. She transferred to Nettleton High School her senior year and joined JoBeth Carmack as Nettleton captured the state tournament title and the state Overall championship. She signed with Arkansas State University.
4) Kim Sims 1988: A 5-8 outside hitter, Kim Sims' career at Jonesboro paralled that of teammate Kristy Dobson. In the 1987 Delta Regional Championships in New Orleans, Kim hammered a line shot to win the match and send the 3-year old Arkansas Jrs. program on a trip to Albuquerque, NM to the new Junior Olympic Championships. She accepted a scholarship to Arkansas Tech University, where she was an all-conference performer as a freshman. Now standing about 5-10, Kim has continued her volleyball participation in the central Arkansas area, competing in multiple women's national championships.
5) Autumn Tolbert 1990: The first seven-year player in the history of our program, Autumn led Westside High School to a state championship as the top setter in the area. She accepted a volleyball/academic scholarship to Lyon College. At 5-6, Tolbert was the first player able to play "down" and spent four years in the 14s division. Her final participation was at AAU Nationals in Chicago in 1990.
6) Lauren Fair Harmon 1993: At 6-1, Lauren terrorized opposing high school teams while at Nettleton High School. She played collegiately for four years at Arkansas State University, where she was all-conference two years, and was conference Player of the Year. We remember her as a gawky 12 year old who grew into one of the most powerful players in the history of our program. Lauren completed dental school and is now practicing general dentistry in Jonesboro.
7) Toni Coots 1997: The first nine-year player in the history of our program, Toni Coots followed her older sister Jaime through our teams. Her parents, Warren & Tina Coots, have been coaching mainstays of our program since 1988. She captured state volleyball titles at Jonesboro High School and played one season for Eckerd College in Tampa, Florida.
8) Shaila Farley James 2000: At 5-5, Shaila Farley astounded opponents with her 29" vertical leap and ball-control skills. A 4-year state tournament competitor for Crowley's Ridge Academy, she won three state AAA championships and was MVP of the 1999 state tournament. She was a 4-year starter for Harding University and was all-conference in the Gulf South Conference. At Harding, she posted 1563 kills in four years averaging 2.92 kills and 3.66 digs per game and is the all-time Harding leader in attack attempts with 5119 and service aces at 156 and service attempts (2420.)
9) Hillary Speer 2004: The first ten-year player in the history of our program. Hillary Speer began playing as a third grader and competed at 7 national championships. Success followed Hillary, with a state AAAAA championship for Jonesboro in 2003 and all-conference and all-state tournament honors in three years at JHS. As a sophomore, she was a key player in the 2002 18s Cajunland championship--the first Easter tournament championship won by Arkansas Jrs. in 17 years of competition. Hillary accepted a position as an Arkansas Jrs. coach in the 2004-05 season.
