Surrounded by the state's best players and coaches, Lakeside head volleyball coach Rhonda Thigpen led the West All-Star team against the East with the help of Lake Hamilton standout Audri Winfrey and Fountain Lake star Sophie Skinner on June 24 in Conway.
The East came out on top in the game, but Thigpen said the battle between the two star-studded teams was neck and neck.
"Some of the best that really put on a show that night was our own," she said. "Sophie Skinner from Fountain Lake, she really had an awesome game. She was just spectacular. Then hand-in-hand with her was Audri Winfrey. I'm telling you, first couple of games she dominated on kills. She was impressive."
Despite both being based in Garland County, Thigpen highlighted that Lakeside and Fountain Lake do not often play against each other during volleyball season.
While Thigpen certainly knew who Skinner was heading into the All-Star game, she got to see the Lady Cobra star up close once again on the court.
"I can see why she's a D1 setter," Thigpen said. "She has really good hands. She has an offensive mind as a setter. She brings a lot to the table."
On the other hand, Thigpen saw Winfrey across the net plenty of times in matches between the Lady Rams and Lady Wolves. The Lakeside coach finally got the opportunity to have Winfrey on her team for a change.
"Audri I've always seen as a competitor," Thigpen said. "We always compete. That's how I knew her. Matter of fact, when I played Lake Hamilton, that was my scouting report was to always know all her tendencies. So now I got to see her in a different light. She's such a competitor; oh, my goodness."
Thigpen noted that both Skinner and Winfrey were very coachable, highlighting a departure from some All-Stars who might not listen to a coach because of the level of their play and ability.
Thigpen rotated her roster to make sure her All-Stars all got time on the court and aside from winning, one of her goals was to make sure every player had a good experience.
Lakeside rising junior Madi Belle Landry was selected to the West team as a manager, and Landry practiced with the All-Stars ahead of the game.
The manager at the All-Star event represents an upcoming prospect that will hopefully one day reach the level of the All-Stars, and Landy did not disappoint.
"She was a manager and when she came out you wouldn't believe what the coaches said about her," Thigpen said. "They were thinking like she was an All-Star. So I was just so proud. So proud."
Landry gained valuable experience by practicing with some of the best players from around the state and showcased her talents to coaches at the event.
"Of course, we had those big ol' girls from northwest Arkansas," Thigpen said. "She got to hit against them, play against them. She did not just do it, she did it at a high level. I mean they were, 'Hey Madi, come on!' They were wanting her in their scrimmage drills."
Lakeside junior high volleyball coach April Lawson helped Thigpen coach at the All-Star game.
"She was great," Thigpen said. "Cared for the kids. Worked hard with them. I was very proud to have somebody from my school do so well at the All-Star game."
Lawson travels to the state tournament with Lakeside's varsity team every season, but Thigpen said the All-Star coaching experience shared between the two unified the pair to an even greater level.
"On the bench, we all had assignments," Thigpen said. "She had a group of girls every time they came out she had to check on them, give them a critique, give them a positive. I mean, she did it. She knew their names. She knew everything they were doing. I was just real impressed. The girls liked her."
The All-Star game fielded multiple Division I and Division II athletes across the court, but Thigpen also highlighted the academic talent on display.
"Everyone one of the girls on my team are headed to college on athletic or academic scholarships," she said. "Not all of them are playing volleyball in college, but all of them got -- that's how sharp (they are). When you get to this level it's not just about being a superior athlete. It's about being a superior student."
The occasion meant even more to Thigpen after the pandemic took away the All-Star game from the state's best. The last All-Star contests were held in 2019.
One of Thigpen's former players from Henderson State University, Nikki Dancer, even drove 11 hours to watch the contest and support Thigpen.
Thigpen introduced Dancer to the All-Stars before the game, and Dancer gave a pregame talk to the players.
"She knew how much it meant," Thigpen said. "She was an All-American for me at Henderson. She's in the Hall of Fame at Henderson. She knew what the All-Star meant. Because guess what? She was an All-Star and she was the MVP. That's what I'm saying. That's the kind of excitement it had or it should have."