Lyon College's volleyball program experienced its best season in a decade this year, and at the center of the Scots' success is a 5-1 libero from Lake Hamilton.
Madisson Williams was a 2015 honor graduate from Lake Hamilton High School before she moved on to Lyon. She is the daughter of Jason and Ashley Ballard.
"Madisson has become the cornerstone of our program," said Lyon coach Ray Green said. "There's not one player that would disagree with me when I say that we would not be as successful without her. She brings a fierce level of competitiveness to the court that pushes her teammates to excel."
Lyon finished with an overall record of 18-16 and an 8-4 mark in the American Midwest Conference, the Scots' best conference record since 2008. Williams was one of three Lyon players named all-conference by the AMC in November. Williams was named All-AMC First Team. Chelzie Ulu, a senior from Hawaii, garnered Second Team Honors, and Iva Popovic, a junior from Serbia, received Honorable Mention.
"We had the personnel to do something special this year, and we did," Williams said. "This is the best season Lyon has had in a long time. We always have beginning-of-the-year meetings, and he basically asks us the same thing.
"What I told him was I wanted us to be the best. I wanted to be the best, and I told him I was going to make sure if any ball came my way, I was going to take it, because I wanted it."
Williams planned in high school to cheer at the University of Central Arkansas. Green saw her play at the Volley at the Rock tournament hosted by Little Rock Juniors at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Green invited her to campus for the program for a camp, and she took an unofficial visit. Williams said she had never heard of Lyon until then.
"I fell in love with the campus then, honestly," Williams said. "Everyone was always really nice when you first meet them there."
Williams earned time immediately as a freshman. She notched 389 digs in her freshman year.
"I was definitely a baby," Williams said. "So, I was trying to learn the new system I was put into, and going into college I knew I was going to be fighting for a starting position. There were a few girls older than me who had already been there. I definitely had some kinks I worked out freshman year."
Fellow Lake Hamilton graduate Shelby Powell joined Williams on the roster last season. Another Lake Hamilton graduate, Courtney Erby, was a freshman on this year's team.
"Now that we are in college, I feel a lot closer to them," Williams said. "I think when you decide to go to the next level and you are with these people, you create a bond that you can't really explain. Even though we played together in high school, it is cool how choosing to go to the next level makes you different in a way. It is nice to have them with us."
Green coordinated with Lake Hamilton volleyball coach Karen Smith to practice against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at Wolf Arena during both teams' preseason. Williams said many of her family and friends were able to watch, along with the entire junior high and senior high volleyball teams. She said family and friends are rarely able to watch her in Batesville or when they play elsewhere throughout Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
"I am super proud to be a Lake Hamilton alum," Williams said. "It is great because my head coach now and my high school head coach are pretty close too."
Williams was twice named AMC Defender of the Week this season. She said she was often in competition with Jessica Jensen, a sophomore libero at William Woods in Fulton, Mo.
"When you get it, it is nice," Williams said. "It is nice to be recognized for all of the hard work you put in."
Williams improved in her sophomore season to notch 508 digs before another jump her senior year to lead the AMC in overall digs, 684, and digs per set, 5.5. She ranked second in the conference with 54 service aces and fifth in service aces per set with 0.4.
"As our defensive leader, she certainly elongates rallies with controlled passing and digging, and that will always give us a chance to score more points," Green said. "As a coach, I have enjoyed her three seasons with us and look forward to her continued success. She has accomplished so much, but I know she will continue to push herself to accomplish more.
"As I say on a daily basis, 'Let's go Willie!'"
Her season numbers ranked her No. 16 overall in total digs among National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics players, No. 22 in digs per set and No. 33 in total service aces. She currently ranks third in total career digs with 1,581. The 54 aces this season was the 10th-most in Lyon volleyball history, and the 684 digs was third-most in program history.
Williams received her first American Volleyball Coaches' Association NAIA All-Midwest Region Honorable Mention in November. It was the second-ever AVCA award for the Scots' program and first since Katie Beineke was honored in 2008.
Lyon saw 11 players, including Williams and Powell, named AMC Academic All-Conference. Williams is a Psychology major with a minor in Physical Education.
The team set a goal of placing in the top four of the conference this season in order to host a match in the AMC tournament. Lyon's conference records since joining the AMC in 2012 were 6-12, 4-7, 5-7, 6-6, 5-7. The Scots were 5-9, 2-12 and 3-11 in their final three seasons in the TransSouth Conference.
"We beat teams we have never beaten before, since coach Green has been there," Williams said. "We beat Freed-Hardeman and Lindenwood-Belleville, and we went to five with them. Going to five and pulling through with a win -- there were games this season where I cried after, just because of how emotional it was and how hard we worked. We had nothing to lose."
Lyon's 8-4 record was good for fifth place in the AMC. Lindenwood-Belleville finished 7-5 in sixth place and Freed-Hardeman placed seventh at 6-6.
"The chemistry on our team is way better this year than it has ever been in years past," Williams said. "I think that is part of it."
The fifth-place finish set up Lyon for a first-round matchup at William Woods. Lyon won the first set, and Jensen was subbed out of the match, but Williams Woods bounced back to win in four sets.
"It was definitely one of those games that it could go either way," Williams said. "We just ended up getting the bottom half of it."
Williams now has time to prepare for her senior year. She said she is excited for a new crop of recruits as the roster will only graduate three seniors from this year's team.
"I definitely do not want to slide back any," Williams said. "I do not want to lose to the teams we beat this year. We made a statement, and I want to stay there.
"Your hopes and your goal for every year is to keep building. You are going to bring in more kids wanting the same thing you do. Who knows? Maybe next year we will get that fourth seed. We are so close. We are right there."
Sports on 12/19/2017