By Ray Benton
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville has a new old face heading up its high school volleyball program. Justine Rial is back after a year off from coaching to enter a master’s program at UCA. Rial coached volleyball 2008 and 2009 before leaving for a year. She also played for JHS and graduated in 2004. She played softball and volleyball at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge before coming home to start her coaching career.
This year’s Lady Red Devil team has some new faces to the new head coach, but there are some familiar ones as well.
“My seniors, I know them from when they were sophomores,” Rial said. “It was a pretty good group. The rest of them I’m working on getting to know and getting them ready to play.”
There aren’t many seniors to begin with. One that Rial knows will play a key role is libero Taylor Ruple.
“Taylor did a lot for me as a sophomore,” Rial said. “I heard she did great things last year and I expect her to be one of the team leaders.”
Also Haley Hickingbotham will be a senior on the front row.
“She will be crucial for us up front blocking and spiking,” Rial said.
The seemingly always undersized Lady Devils may not be so undersized this year. While it still can’t be classified as a big team, there will be some height on the front row.
“We have two or three who are around 5-feet-10 to six feet,” Rial said. “We’re always so undersized it seems, usually around 5-8. I’m really excited about it. This is nice this year to have a little bit of size up front.”
