Sports Editor
West Side Christian’s Anna Williams is scheduled to sign a national letter-of-intent to play volleyball today with the University of Central Arkansas. The 6-foot-1 senior is believed to be the first athlete in school history to sign to compete at the Division I level in any sport.
“I am extremely honored to be the first person to sign at this level at West Side Christian School,” Williams said. “I want to give all the honor and glory to Jesus Christ, because without Him I would not even be here to pursue this dream of mine. I would also like to thank Glenn and Virginia Sparks for starting the volleyball program at West Side after it had been out of commission for a while. Without them, I would have absolutely no knowledge of the sport and would probably not even be playing right now. I am thankful for all of the coaches that have coached me over the years to make me become not only a better athlete but a better teammate and leader.”
Williams, a setter and right-side hitter, led the Lady Warriors with 136 kills to go along with 73 assists and 64 aces.
“Anna signing at Central Arkansas is certainly special for West Side,” said Coach Adam Willett. “Being the first D-I commit from our school is a big accomplishment and we are proud of her. Her signing is also a tribute to the many great coaches who helped Anna develop in skill and love for the game. From a young age, Anna had coaches Glenn and Virginia Sparks and Millie Krsmanovic, who all had collegiate experience and were able to use and focus her natural talent. Anna getting into a D-I program also sheds light on the strong sports programs that we have at West Side.”
Williams helped the Lady Warriors win a AACS South District Tournament title. They were runner-up in the AACS state tournament, where Williams was named co-Player of the Year.
Willett is hopeful Williams’ signing will open the door for other West Side athletes to do the same.
“Although Anna is the first volleyball player from our school to play in college, we have had several boys go on to play college basketball and we hope to send other volleyball and basketball players,” Willett said. “Anna is also proof that small schools like ours can build and develop athletes and we are proud of that. Union County is not known for developing volleyball players but Anna and the girls that follow are changing the sports landscape in this area.”
Williams committed to UCA in September, 2017. She had another offer from Troy University and drew interest from schools such as Northwestern State, Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, St. Francis University in Brooklyn and smaller schools such as SAU and UA-Fort Smith.
“I want to thank my parents for funding me to play on travel teams and driving me back and forth to practices and tournaments out of state,” Williams said. “I look forward to seeing where my collegiate volleyball experience takes me, and how God shapes my life through it all.”