Record-setter Crader signs with Ottawa University

By Billy Woods

WM School District

Presley Crader has grown up around volleyball most of her life, and it has paid dividends.

Crader, the all-state volleyball player for the West Memphis Lady Devils, announced she will sign scholarship papers with Ottawa University in Kansas. The Academies of West Memphis senior starred as a four-year starter for head coach Erica Lear and was the team's setter and the school's all-time assist leader.

"I'm really excited about going somewhere new," said Crader, the daughter of Jeannie and Chad Crader. "There were some other schools that were recruiting me, but Ottawa was the first school that was really engaged with me. They actually found me, and I felt like that was a big part in me deciding where to go to college."

In her four years as a Lady Devil, Crader filled up the stat sheets.

She played 287 sets, most of any player in school history. She ended with a record 1,668 assists and registered the most assists in a game in school history with 46 against Mountain Home in 2018. Her other school records include most kills in a game, 27, against Batesville this year and most kills in a season with 270 this season.

She was floor captain all four years, was All-Conference her junior and senior seasons and she was All-State in 202. She will likely be an all-state choice in 2021. In 2020 she made the All State Tournament team.

Crader has been told by the Ottawa coaches that she will be utilized as the setter for the team.

"When I went for the visit (to Ottawa) the players were just so nice," she said. "I was chit-chatting with other schools, but this school definitely showed the most interest in me."

Other schools she considered were Central Oklahoma and West Palm Beach Atlantic.

Crader said she will have a double-major in college. She said she will for sure major in marketing while her other major will either be business finance or business economics.

Although the Lady Devils didn't make the state tournament this year, Crader considers it a banner year.

"I think we all had a lot of fun," Crader stated. "We were a real team. It was fun and exciting."

Describing the setter in volleyball as "like a quarterback in football," Crader said she was drawn to the position once she began playing volleyball at an early age.

"You have to run the court," she commented. "You have to make sure you know what everyone else is running and you have to be vocal, pulling everyone together and being the glue to the team."

Lady Devils fall in opener, but look to continue momentum in '21

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The Lady Devil volleyball team enjoyed a break-through campaign last year in the midst of the Covid storm, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 5A state tournament.

After losing some key members and size from last year's squad, head coach Erica Lear says her team will have to get by on moxie and determination this season.

The West Memphis girls put all that on display yesterday as they gave a strong Houston High School team all it wanted in a five-set loss in the 2021 regular-season opener at Lehr Arena.

"We love playing Houston because they have such a fine program," said Lear. "This helps us find out what our strengths and weaknesses are before we start conference play."

The Lady Devils got off to a strong start by winning the first set 25-22. Houston then took set two 25-17, but the hosts came back strong in the third set, winning 25-18.

With a 2-sets-to-1 lead, the Lady Devils saw Houston bounce back to take sets four and five by scores of 25-20 and 15-10 respectively.

"I like how scrappy we were," said Lear. "It's hard to get a ball down on our side, and it became frustrating for Houston watching us keep that ball in play. We kept putting pressure on Houston."

The Lady Devils will rely heavily this season on senior setter Presley Crader, an all-state selection a year ago and who had a team-high 20 kills at the net against Houston. Crader also added 13 assists and 2 aces.

"We've asked Presley to switch roles a little bit," said Lear. "She's setting and hitting for us this year. She's one of our top hitters. Definitely our leader on the floor."

The Lady Devils will need some top hitting from junior Clemisha Prackett, who added 9 kills against Houston.

"(Prackett) can really spark us at the net," said Lear. "She has a 10-4, 10-5 reach at the net."

Another senior, Alexis Chamness, will be a key for West Memphis this season. She slammed 9 kills as well against Houston and added 2 aces.

Junior libero Samantha Holt is the team's top defensive player and who holds the school record for most digs in a game. On Monday against Houston, Holt dug out 30 balls and had a couple aces.

"Sam was all-state honorable mention last year," Lear commented. "She played great tonight. I've got her moving all the way around this year. She sets the tone for our play at the back."

Junior Mary Grace Duncan will provide stability in the back this season, and she can help out Crader in the assist department. Duncan had a team-high 18 assists against Houston.

Lady Devils reap individual awards after fine season

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devils just finished their finest season in 12 years as they finished with a 10-8 overall record and an 8-6 mark, good for third place in the 5A-East Conference.

Several players garnered postseason accolades, including junior Presley Crader, who shattered the school career record for assists. Crader was selected all-conference, all-state and all-state tournament. She eclipsed the 1,000 assist mark for her career and now stands at 1,479 and she holds the school's record for aces with 103.

Senior Delanie Johnson was all-conference, all-state honorable mention and an all-star nominee. Johnson holds the school's career record for kills with 442.

Senior Cimiya Stokes made all-conference and all-state honorable mention.

Senior Ta'Nya Burnett was all-conference.

Sophomore Samantha Holt was all-conference and she shattered the school's all-time record for digs with 813.

Head coach Erica Lear has become the school's first-ever coach to be invited to the East All-Stars coaching staff.

The Lady Devils advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament in Greenwood and very nearly knocked off the tourney's No. 1 seed, Hot Springs Lakeside, winning the first two sets in the quarterfinals before bowing out in five sets.

Stokes was the team's top player in kills with 167 while Johnson and Burnett finished with 155 and 132 respectively.

Crader was the team's top server with 35 aces while Stokes had 28 and Johnson compiled 26. Holt owned the team's top serving percentage at 96.8 while junior Alexis Chamness had a 94.3 mark and junior Jordan Pulliam pulled in a 93.3 percentage.

The team's top shot blocker was Burnett with 15 solos and 39 overall. Johnson and sophomore Clemisha Prackett each had 13 solo blocks while Prackett had 25 overall and Johnson and Stokes each had 20.

Holt led the team with 273 digs while Chamness had 148.

Of Crader's 1,479 assists, a team-leading 510 of them came this year while Holt was next with 21.

Lady Devils claim first-round win over Little Rock Christian

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devils used a stout defense Tuesday to claim their first state tournament victory since 2008 as they cinched a four-set decision over Little Rock Christian Academy in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at Greenwood.

The win advances the Lady Devils to today's 6 p.m. quarterfinal against Hot Springs, which defeated Mountain Home in five sets in another first-round game.

West Memphis bolted to a two-set-to-none lead against Little Rock Christian and then held on for the four-set win. The Lady Devils won 25-22, 25-20, 22-25 and 25-17.

"Defense was key tonight," said West Memphis head coach Erica Lear. "It allowed us to run an offense. We had tons of momentum and energy. Everyone played as a team."

Senior Cymiya Stokes was 20 for 22 in serves with 3 aces and she had 9 kills and 2 blocks. Fellow senior Delanie Johnson was perfect on all 14 on all her serves with 3 aces. She also had 10 kills.

Junior Presley Crader compiled 42 assists and was 15 of 16 from the serve line with 3 aces. Sophomore Samantha Holt was 13 for 13 serving and she led the team in digs with 15.

Senior Ta'Nya Burnett topped the team in kills with 17 and she added 4 blocks. Sophomore Clemisha Prackett had 6 kills and 3 blocks. Alexis Chamness was 15 for 16 serving and she had 10 digs and 4 kills.

Serving specialists Mary Grace Duncan and Jordan Pulliam each hit on all of their serves.

In other first-round action, Marion swept Beebe in three games to advance to today's 3 p.m. quarterfinal against host Greenwood.

Tuesday's win was West Memphis' first in state play since it defeated Little Rock Fair in the first round in 2008.

Lady Devils close out regular season with victory at Searcy

The West Memphis Lady Devils clinched third place in the 5A-East Conference and a berth in the Class 5A state tournament on Thursday night with a five-set win at Searcy.

The West Memphis girls won 25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-27 and 15-9.

Senior hitter Ta'Nya Burnett had a game-high 18 kills to lead the Lady Devil offense and she provided 3 solo blocks and 7 assisted blocks.

Sophomore Clemisha Prackett had 3 solo blocks, 1 assisted block and 6 kills.

Alexis Chamness had 18 digs, went 17 for 17 in serving with one ace and played great defense all evening.

Sophomore libero Samantha Holt also compiled 18 digs.

West Memphis finished 8-6 in conference play and 9-7 overall. It will play Little Rock Christian Academy at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the first round of the state tournament at Greenwood.

Lady Devils fall at Marion, but still hold onto third place

By Billy Woods

WM School District

Despite a three-set loss last night at Marion, the West Memphis Lady Devils volleyball team remains solidly in third place in 5A-East Conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season.

Marion got out to a big lead early against West Memphis and never let up, winning 25-14, 25-14 and 25-16.

The loss leaves West Memphis with a 6-6 record in conference standings. Batesville and Searcy are right behind the Lady Devils in league standings with 4-6 records. The Lady Devils will play at home Thursday night against Greene County Tech (2-8) and will close out the regular season Oct. 22 at Searcy.

The top four teams in the conference qualify for the state tournament in Greenwood.

The Lady Devils were led statistically by junior setter Presley Crader, who had 14 assists and 4 kills. Senior Delanie Johnson was tops in kills with 6. Sophomore Samantha Holt, who just hours earlier in the day competed in the Class 5A state tennis tournament with two matches in advancing to the girls doubles championship round, led the Lady Devils in digs.

Lady Devils strengthen hold on third place with win over Batesville

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devils went a step further in solidifying their hold on a state tournament berth and stayed in third place in conference standings with a four-set victory over Batesville Thursday night at Lehr Arena.

After falling behind and losing the first set 15-25, the Lady Devils reeled off three straight victory sets 26-24, 25-23 and 27-25.

The win puts the West Memphis record at 6-5 with three games to go in the regular season. Nettleton, at 5-6, is in fourth place while Batesville falls to 5-7. Jonesboro leads the 5A-East Conference with a 12-0 record while Marion is in second at 10-2.

In an earlier meeting this season, Batesville took a five-set win over West Memphis.

"In the game before, we were out two players, Clemisha Prackett and Ta'Nya Burnett," said Lady Devil head coach Erica Lear. "Tonight we had a couple people step in and play crucial roles. Very much a team effort. This was a crucial win for us."

Offensively, the Lady Devils got a big game out of senior hitter Delanie Johnson, who led the team in kills with 12 while fellow seniors Burnett and Cymiya Stokes followed with 9 each.

Sophomore libero Samantha Holt led the team in digs with 14 and she was 14-for-14 serving.

Presley Crader, a junior, had 27 assists and 5 aces.

Lear said she was pleased with how her team responded after falling behind in losing the first set.

"We've had a lot of five-set matches," she said. "We're fighting. We're figuring out ways to win now. In the first part of our conference schedule it was fight, fight, fight. Now, we're fighting and winning."

Winners of three straight and four of their last five, the Lady Devils will travel to play Marion on Tuesday before home dates against Greene County Tech next Thursday and a makeup game at Searcy on Oct. 22.

The Class 5A state tournament is set to be held in Greenwood.

Win over Nettleton vaults Lady Devils into 3rd place in standings

By Billy Woods

WM School District

Gaining momentum as the home stretch of the season approaches, the West Memphis Lady Devil volleyball team posted another key victory Thursday night at Lehr Arena.

West Memphis easily dispatched Nettleton in three sets by scores of 25-12, 25-19 and 25-21. The win vaults the Lady Devils into third place in 5A-East Conference standings at 5-5. Jonesboro is in first place with a 10-0 record, followed by Marion at 9-1.

The Lady Devils hold a comfortable two-and-a-half game lead over fourth place Batesville, which sits at 3-4. The Lady Devils host Batesville next Thursday.

The top four teams in the conference standings qualify for the Class 5A state tournament.

Thursday night's game also served as Senior Night as West Memphis honored four seniors, including Delanie Johnson, Ta'Nya Burnett, Cymiya Stokes and Alaunna Robinson.

Stokes and Johnson were the major forces against Nettleton leading the Lady Devils with 11 kills each. Burnett provided 7 kills. Johnson was also 21-for-22 serving with a team-high 8 aces.

Junior setter Presley Crader piled up a game-high 31 assists while sophomore libero Samantha Holt had 17 digs and was 10-for-10 serving.

West Memphis travels to Searcy next Tuesday.

Lady Devils score key conference victory at Paragould

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devils solidified their state tournament resume last night with a key 5A-East Conference road victory at Paragould.

The five set decision saw the Lady Devils lose the first two sets before scoring decisions in the next three sets 25-15, 25-13 and 15-6. The win improves the West Memphis girls to 4-5 in league standings, which gives them a solid hold on fourth place over fifth-place Batesville, which is 2-3.

The top four teams in each 5A conference qualify for the state tournament.

At Paragould, junior setter Presley Crader compiled a career-high for assists with 45. Most of those went to Cymiya Stokes, who led the Lady Devils in kills with 21. Also, senior Ta'Nya Burnett had 12 kills and fellow senior Delanie Johnson had 11 kills.

Sophomore libero Samantha Holt led the team with 21 digs.

The Lady Devils will return home on Thursday at Lehr Arena to take on Nettleton for Senior Night festivities.

Crader, Tyler spark Lady Devils over Searcy

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devils won a key 5A-East Conference volleyball match Thursday at Lehr Arena, with a four-set decision over Searcy.

West Memphis set the tone early, winning the first two sets 25-22 and 25-15 before falling 25-22 in set three and then clinching the win with a 25-16 decision in set four.

Junior Presley Crader eclipsed the 1,000 mark for career assists as she set up for 18 on Thursday night. She now has 1,014 for her career.

Sophomore Priscilla Tyler provided a huge spark, stepping into the varsity lineup and adding so much to the victory with several blocks at the net. She was also 21-for-21 serving with 3 aces. She also had a .400 hitting percentage.

Also playing well at the net were seniors Delanie Johnson and Cymiya Stokes with 6 kills apiece. Junior Jordan Pulliam provided solid serving by going 18-for-19 with 4 aces.

The Lady Devils will return to action on Tuesday with a road match at Batesville and then will travel to Marion on Thursday.

Lady Devils oust Paragould for first victory of the season

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devil volleyball team put on a powerful show early on Tuesday at Lehr Arena to post its first victory of the season with a three-set-to-one decision over Paragould.

West Memphis ran out quickly on Paragould winning the first two sets 25-16 and 25-10 before the visitors responded with a 25-19 win in the third set. But the Lady Devils gathered themselves for a decisive 25-14 win in the final set.

Some of the top performers for the Lady Devils included senior Ta'Nya Burnett, who had 6 kills and 3 solo blocks and Alexis Chamness with 8 kills, 17 of 18 serving with 4 aces and 11 digs.

Senior Delanie Johnson had 10 kills and Cymiya Stokes led the way with 12 kills at the net. Along the back line, junior Presley Crader had 32 assists and 8 digs while sophomore Samantha Holt compiled 21 digs, 12 of 13 serving and 1 ace.

The Lady Devils will travel to Nettleton on Thursday.

Lady Devils take Mountain Home to the brink

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devil volleyball team's loss on Thursday night to Mountain Home is deceiving.

The West Memphis girls took the second-best team in the conference to five games in their penultimate home game of the season and their head coach admits her club is peaking as the postseason nears.

Mountain Home, whose only league loss this season has been to Jonesboro, edged out the Lady Devils, winning the deciding fifth set 15-8.

"We're peaking late, which is when you want to be peaking," said Lady Devils head coach Erica Lear. "This is a five-game match that we fought out. A few unforced errors. It's good to see their fight now. They're starting to work together."

After Mountain Home won the opening set 25-20, the Lady Devils rallied for a 25-22 win in set 2 and they then took set 4 25-23 before losing the fourth set 25-7.

"People are starting to take notice of us, because we are so athletic," said Lear. "We're going to be a force to be reckoned with. They fought hard this game, and I told them to be proud of that. That's a really good Mountain Home team."

The Lady Devils honored the team's six seniors on Senior Night. Cameron Aaron, Calianna Freeman, Madison King, Anna Nelson, Tommie Grace Prater and Madison Wann all were honored following the game.

Statistically, the Lady Devils were led in kills by junior Chloe Kauffman's 20 while sophomore Delanie Johnson added 12, Cimya Stokes tallied 9 and Ta'Nya Burnett had 7.

Freshman setter Presley Crader enjoyed an outstanding night with a team-high 46 assists. Nelson led the Lady Devil defensive effort with 16 digs while Prater collected 8.

The Lady Devils also posted a five-set victory over Searcy recently, winning 17-25, 26-24, 25-17, 21-25 and 15-12.

In that game, Kauffman led the team with 16 kills and she also had 3 solo blocks and 7 block assists. Burnett contributed 9 kills and 2 solo blocks.

Nelson led the defense with 13 digs while also going 15 for 15 in serving with 6 aces. Cymiya Stokes was also 9 for 9 serving with 1 ace and 8 kills.

Crader went 21 for 24 serving with 3 aces and 37 assists.