Finding Strength Through A Setback; Ozark’s Sydnie Herriage Finds Purpose Beyond The Game

By Editor | July 7, 2026 |

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by Janice Penix

With over half of her senior year behind her, Sydnie Herriage was confident her plans for the future were set.

An all-conference volleyball player for the Lady Hillbillies, she was the first player in Ozark history to earn a spot in the state all-star volleyball game. She also secured an offer to play collegiately for Cloud County Community College in Kansas following graduation.

On the basketball court, she was a standout leader for Ozark and would ultimately earn all-conference honors in that sport as well.

But when a knee injury sidelined her during the Lady Hillbillies’ second game of the district basketball tournament, Herriage’s best-laid plans suddenly seemed to be falling apart.

An Injury Changes Everything

“My ACL was completely ruptured, and my lateral meniscus was torn in a very odd way,” Herriage said. “It’s crazy because the game before, I literally had my career high, 22 points against Mena, and I think I had eight rebounds, so I almost had a double-double. I was so ready.”

The Lady Hillbillies were playing Pottsville in the tournament.

“We were Pottsville’s only conference loss, so I was hyped,” she said. “I was ready to go beat the Apaches. It was the second possession of the game. Brooklyn (Akers) made an and-one layup, and I went up for a defensive rebound.”

A Pottsville player also went for the rebound, and the two players collided, with the Lady Apache landing hard on the back of Herriage’s knee.

“Everything just went loose, and I knew,” Herriage said. “I was mad because I knew that this was not normal. This was not, like, just a sprained ankle. But I got up, I walked it off, and Coach Cooper taped my knee. I thought I would be OK, so I went back into the game. And as soon as I had to put weight on it, it would just twist, and there was a sharp pain. So I couldn’t play.”

For someone who was used to being active all the time, the injury had both physical and emotional impacts.

“It was emotionally harder than it was physically,” Herriage said. “I was playing two basketball games a week. I had two volleyball practices a week. On my off days, I was lifting and running. And then it all went away at once. So that was hard, because it was literally my life and then it all stopped. I couldn’t do any of it.”

The recovery process gave Herriage time to reflect on her priorities, she said.

“There have definitely been waves of growth,” Herriage said. “I used to always pray for patience, and then this happened, and I was like, ‘Why would I do that?’ Because I would get angry really easily, and it’s something I still sort of struggle with. But the process of the injury and getting healed…I feel like it’s definitely taught me patience.”

Herriage also found the injury brought much-needed time for her body and mind to rest.

“I was doing it to myself, because I was practicing so much and doing so much physically,” she said. “I would pray for rest because I was just so exhausted for so long. Since I started playing club volleyball when I was in eighth grade, that was my schedule. I had stuff going every night, plus homework, and so, even though I didn’t want rest in this way, I got my rest.

“I realized that God really does have a plan for me, and it’s better than my own. I definitely have had to learn to trust in His plan through this.”

Her faith also helped her to remember her value as an individual, even when her athletic abilities were taken away temporarily.

“I realized that, although sports are important, and they’ve given me a lot, and I love them, I think that there’s a lot of value in other things too,” she said. “And I’m not just an athlete. My value isn’t based on my performance. Because I would be so upset after a bad game, or if I felt like I was practicing and putting the work in, but I wasn’t seeing the results. You have to battle through that, because that’s not who you are. This whole process has helped me to remember that.”

Because of her injury, Herriage’s plans for college changed as well. Her initial commitment to the community college six-and-a-half hours away in Kansas was too far from home for her to tackle while also rehabbing her knee. Instead, she signed a letter of intent with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEOAM) in Miami, Okla., where she will be a member of the Golden Norse volleyball team after a medical redshirt during her freshman year.

“My plans for college changed because of my injury, and initially, that was really hard,” Herriage said. “But it all worked out how it was supposed to.”

Discovering A Love For Volleyball

Although Herriage has played basketball longer, she said volleyball grew to be her favorite sport.

She took up the sport in sixth grade, soon after Ozark added it as an option for student-athletes, and liked it enough that she joined a travel team.

“Sixth grade was just a practice year because it was a pretty new program at Ozark,” she said. “We started officially playing games in seventh grade. When I was 14, I started club volleyball, and I feel like that’s when there was a shift in me, when I went from an all-basketball girl to an all-volleyball girl.”

When she was young, Herriage said her aunt and uncle, who were coaches, encouraged her to try volleyball.

“They were trying to get me to do all the sports, including volleyball, and I was like, ‘I’m never going to play volleyball. I just love basketball,’” she said. “Then I played it just for fun with my friends, and I ended up loving it. We would always play beach volleyball in my family, at my uncle’s house, and I guess that’s where they would talk to me about it. But at first I just refused to entertain the idea.”

In addition to Ozark volleyball, Herriage has played club volleyball for teams in Fort Smith and Conway.

“I had a friend from Alma who was trying out for Fort Smith Juniors (FSJ), and I thought I might as well do it too, because I feel like in school ball, you can always tell the difference in who plays travel ball. I just wanted to get better for school ball, so I tried out and ended up making it. And I loved that year, so I kept trying out.”

Club volleyball filled the offseason between the end of school volleyball and the summer, and helped Herriage develop and refine her skills.

“After my sophomore season, I did speed and agility and strength training, and I noticed a big difference,” she said. “Not only physically, but mentally. I became a lot more confident because I knew I was putting the work in. I think I also mentally grew in that I didn’t put all of my value in how I performed.”

She said she also saw her understanding of the game improve by competing in both school and club ball.

“Last year, over club season, I feel like I improved all around in my ball IQ,” Herriage said. “I played at Conway Juniors last year, and the girls I played with were so smart, so that made me a smarter player. I feel like my IQ improved a lot from junior to senior season and everything cleaned up.”

Her club volleyball experience is another example of Herriage seeing God direct her path.

“I played for Fort Smith when I was 14 and 15, and for Alpha in Alma when I was 16,” she said. “Last year, when I was 17, I tried out for FSJ, and I felt like I had improved a lot and I should have made the team. But I didn’t make it, and I was really upset. I knew I had worked so hard, and I felt like I deserved it. But my dad’s friend reached out and said someone in Conway was needing another player, so I tried out there and made it.

“It was a whole process for me. I had prayed about it a lot before, and I just had to trust that God knew what He was doing. I knew that I put the work in to be on the team, so I thought, ‘Why is this not working?’ Then I made Conway, and I played with players who were playing at such a high level and against high-level competition. And my head coach was an assistant coach at Arkansas Tech, so he had a lot of connections.

“I feel like I grew a lot more in having to go through that, physically and skill-wise, and I got exposure and connections to people that I never would have. I think it gave me resilience in the end.”

Herriage was an outside hitter for Ozark during her senior season, but has played multiple positions on the court.

“This year, I was a six-rotation outside, a pin hitter,” she said. “Last year, I was an outside hitter, the year before I was right side. When we were in sixth and seventh grade, I did everything, because that’s the rotation. Everyone just played every spot. So I was a middle some, and then I was a setter and an outside hitter. Then I was a right side, and I was a six-rotation outside. I’ve kind of done it all, other than being a libero. I’ve never been a libero.”

As a senior member of the Lady Hillbillies, Herriage provided leadership for her team.

“I would say I was a leader,” she said. “I think that’s just my personality. This year, we had a lot of adversity. Our head coach left last year, and our assistant coach got moved up to head coach, but she had a baby and was on maternity leave. So she couldn’t even go to practice. We had a brand new assistant coach hired who was our head coach, but she had played college softball, not volleyball. So, I felt like the team needed a leader, and I tried my best.”

Herriage said her passion for the game often shows through in her vocal responses.

“I think that I’m very passionate,” she said. “If you’ve ever watched me play, well, you could probably hear me from a few courts away. I am very vocal, very passionate. But I wouldn’t just say, ‘Guys, we need to get in and get more reps.’ I think that I was always first in the gym and last out. I tried to lead by example.”

The Ozark team had a strong bond that helped them persevere through the season’s ups and downs, according to Herriage.

“It was the closest, the most tight-knit team I played on in school ball,” she said. “I feel like it was the most fun season I’ve had, even though it was also the most challenging.”

One of the most rewarding parts of the season, Herriage said, was her selection for the Arkansas Volleyball Coaches Association’s all-star game.

“The all-star game was the most fun I’ve had in volleyball ever, the adrenaline rush and everything,” Herriage said. “It was so fun because my teammates were great players, but we all meshed really well. They were there for the love of the game, and to win. I knew some of them, and had played against some of them, but never got to play with any of them before that.

“During conference season, I would battle it out with these girls, and then I’m on their team. It was fun getting to know them, and it was cool getting to see them in a different light as my teammate and not just my opponent. That refreshed the whole season. I got to go out on a high note.”

Her First Love

Herriage began playing basketball in first grade, with the Ozark Area Youth Organization (OAYO).

“I played OAYO, and then I played in the Alma league and in a Clarksville league,” she said. “Then I played just on some small travel teams here and there. So, childhood-wise, I played a lot more basketball than I did volleyball. I had zero volleyball experience until sixth grade. But basketball, I played a lot of basketball.”

When she was young, Herriage spent a significant amount of time at baseball fields, while her two brothers played on travel baseball teams. Basketball, she said, gave her a chance to shine athletically.

“Maybe it’s because I’m so competitive, and because basketball was my initial sport, that I fell in love with it,” she said. “But I just loved it. And my brothers were always playing travel baseball. I feel like I spent my whole childhood at a baseball field, either at their practice or their tournaments. So I liked that basketball was like my thing.”

She said she felt her ability on the basketball court came somewhat naturally.

“For volleyball, I came in with no experience,” Herriage said. “I was athletic, but I was not good at volleyball, and I had to ease into it. With basketball, I feel like I was pretty good when I first started, probably because I was taller and faster than most girls my age. There are definitely skills I’ve strengthened over the years, but it was more consistent than volleyball. Basketball, I was initially more gifted at, and in volleyball, I had to work up from the bottom.”

Herriage said she enjoys the speed of basketball.

“I like the fast pace,” she said. “My favorite thing in the game is transition. I like going fast, I like getting steals. I also like watching it, because I feel like it’s very skill-oriented. You can see people’s athleticism on the court, but you can also see the skill they have.”

As one of three seniors on the Lady Hillbilly basketball team, Herriage also brought leadership to her team, as in volleyball.

“Coach Nagel emphasizes seniors being leaders of the team, but Coach Nagel and Coach Cooper are also a lot more structured,” she said. “All three of us seniors had played basketball our whole lives, so it was different than volleyball.

“It was a challenging season. I feel this has been the case the last few years, we have potential and we just aren’t consistent throughout the season with it. I feel like we started off this season pretty well, and then, we got into the tournaments in December, and I don’t know if it was fatigue or what, but we hit a little bit of a bump. It was challenging, knowing that we had everything to win, and we just couldn’t put it together for one reason or another.”

Like her volleyball teammates, Herriage said she shared a close bond with her basketball teammates, as well as her coaches.

“We have lots of talks in basketball,” she said. “But I liked that. I felt like I could talk to my coaches about anything, even if it was about them.”

Herriage said the team had a large number of sophomore players, including Livvie Clauson and Landry Myers, who both played a significant amount of time for Ozark.

“That was cool because Brooklyn Akers and I were kind of in their boat sophomore year,” she said. “We were the two sophomores that were playing, so I felt like they were us, and we were able to bond with them in a different way, because that was just like, us talking to ourselves. We tried to be for them what we needed our sophomore year.

“So, with basketball this year, it’s the same as volleyball. I feel like our team was very close.”

Herriage said she developed a particularly close bond with Clauson.

“Me and Livvie played volleyball together, and then we played basketball together,” she said. “And I see a lot of her in me. We’re like best friends now because we’re at camps all the time and everything together. We would always stay for extra reps after practice, and lift and run together, so even though I’m kind of mentoring her, she’s been a big help to me. She doesn’t even realize it.”

Hillbilly Pride

Herriage started school at Ozark in first grade, and she said being a Hillbilly is an important part of her identity.

“Our motto is, ‘Hillbilly Pride Runs Deep,’ and I feel like that truly is Ozark,” she said. “There’s so much passion and heart behind it. Before you leave the town of Ozark, you’ll see someone wearing an ‘I bleed purple’ shirt, because that is who we are. I think it means doing what you can, the best you can.”

With plans to pursue a career in nursing, Herriage will begin at NEOAM in a pre-health sciences program. She said she is also excited to share the experience of being a college athlete with her older brother, Dylan, who plays baseball at UA-Fort Smith.

“My brother plays college baseball, and we also always have a joke about who’s the better Herriage athlete,” she said. “He always says that he is, but I’m obviously more athletic than him. It wasn’t that I wanted to go play because he’s playing in college, but I think honestly, him doing it kind of inspired me to do it.”

Herriage also shares a special bond with her twin brother, Ryder.

“Ryder and I, I’d say we’re the same in some ways, but we’re mostly opposite,” she said. “So Dylan worked really hard at baseball. Ryder was born naturally gifted at baseball, but hunting and fishing is his thing. He played school ball for a few years, but he just wants to hunt and fish all the time.”

Following graduation, Ryder is working for Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative, and his twin said she will miss him when she moves to Oklahoma in the fall.

“It is going to be weird,” she said. “I’ve always had him with me. When we were in first grade, when we first moved here, we were in the same class to make sure everything was good. It’s like always having your friend with you. I’m excited for him and proud of him, but this will be my first experience at a school without him.”

Her high school volleyball coach, Jazzlyn Richard, said she is confident Herriage will succeed as she embarks on her college career.

“I have no doubts in my mind that Sydnie will do exceptional at the next level, not only because of her talents and skill on the volleyball court, but because of her work ethic, her dedication to her teammates, and her commitment towards getting better each and every day,” Richard said. “Sydnie accepts new challenges with a smile on her face and a positive attitude that changes the atmosphere of any gym for the better. It has been an honor and privilege to be her coach. I am looking forward to seeing all the great things that she accomplishes over her collegiate career.”

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This story appears in the July 8, 2026, edition of The Graphic, available online and at businesses throughout Johnson and Franklin counties.

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