Going for the Kill: West Ouachita volleyball has sights set on titles while inspiring youth

WEST MONROE, La. ( KTVE/KARD ) — The West Ouachita Chiefs are one of those schools making their mark on the court this season and they are finding success in the process.

In that, they are making a major impact on the sport–only growing it bigger and better for future volleyballers down the road.

“Volleyball didn’t exist up here 5 or 6 years ago and now seeing it in almost every high school up here is amazing,” said Bonney. “I am from down south, so volleyball has been in the school programs for 15 or 20 years and Northeast Louisiana is finally on the map with volleyball and we are making it competitive up here.”

“I love that the sport is growing and how it’s not just growing in school volleyball,” said Libengood. “It’s going out of the season to club volleyball and a lot of us do love that.”

“It’s very exciting because whenever we came into high school, none of us had never touched a volleyball before in our lives because it wasn’t really a thing,” Henley said. “Now some of us play club and that’s becoming a bigger thing and I think it’s really great because younger girls can start by playing club and then actually have experience coming into high school.”

The West Ouachita Volleyball program is growing right along with the game of volleyball itself.

The Lady Chiefs started from scratch and won a district title just a year ago and this year, they are looking to the same…and then some.

“Our goal as a team is to make it further into the playoffs,” Libengood said. “Right now, we are 1-0 in district, and I think that has given us a really strong passion and want to get further.”

“Our end goal this year is to definitely win the district,” Bonney said. “We keep telling them every year, we want to go one step further into state.”

The Lady Chiefs bring a ton of talent to the floor from blockers at the net to hitters on the outside.

But there are a few skills they possess one simply can’t teach.

“We all have good hustle and care for the game and that comes in play in big rallies, we never stop trying to get the point,” said Spradlin.

“Having fun on the court and having energy on the court definitely helps us play better as a team,” Libengood said. “When we are down, we have to just joke around to play better.”

“They bring everything on the court on game day,” Bonney said. “They never leave anything behind. That is one huge thing I really enjoy about this team. These girls will go all out for everything. It doesn’t matter if their arms hurt or their legs are bruised. It doesn’t matter. They never let a ball drop and it’s like every game is their last.”

West Ouachita has another strength that they bring together–something that has less to do with the volleyball skill itself.

“We are friends on and off the court and it helps us to trust each other in high pressure situations,” Spradlin said.

“We’ve all become best friends,” Henley said. “We do stuff together. We all have great energy and a love for the game that I feel like is kind of rare to see on a high school team.”

That tight bond all starts with a senior class who are extremely close themselves.

8 seniors who have gone through all the highs and lows together and when you have a strong senior core like that, everything else falls into place.

“We’ve all grown up together over these four years and we’ve watched each other grow and become stronger at this sport and I think that really helps us become closer and bond over this sport,” Libengood said.

“They have raised the bar and they have brought the juniors up with them, so I know when they are going to be graduating this year, we are still going to have a great program in the future with our underclassmen and it’s all going to be because of them being such great leaders on this team,” said Bonney.

The Lady Chiefs are out on a mission to win.

More importantly, they are out to be an example for the little ones in the crowd–who one day want to be a Lady Chief themselves.

“I am so excited when I do see the younger kids out here and they are not just running around,” Bonney said. “They are actually watching the game and learning the game and the excitement level pf volleyball because volleyball is an extremely exciting game. It’s nonstop. I would love to see it continue to grow, especially with these young kids who can maybe start it off a lot younger and they can have their dreams of playing a sport one day as well.”

“I love that the younger generation can look up to us and see our bond in this sport and I hope that some of these other girls can love the sport how we do,” Libengood said.