Hall of Fame
Dolores (Watson) Hensley, a native of Texarkana, Texas, was a standout setter for the then-Riderette Volleyball team under program pioneer and SAU Sports Hall of Fame coach Dr. Ginger Hurst (C/O 2008). Watson’s career spanned from 1981-1984 and saw the end of SAU’s time in the Arkansas Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Association (AWISA) and the program’s transition into the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
In her sophomore season of 1982, the final year of AWISA play, Watson helped the Riderettes to the program’s first conference championship as well as the NAIA District 17 Championship behind a 21-5 record overall and an unblemished 14-0 mark in AWISA play. Referred to by some, including her legendary head coach, as the “quarterback” of those SAU attacks, Watson’s ’82 campaign saw her named both an All-AWISA and NAIA All-District 17 performer, while setting the stage for prolific junior and senior seasons.
In 1983 and 1984, Watson continued engineering SAU’s offensive attack which led the program to a combined 32 wins and back-to-back runner-up finishes in the AIC. For her efforts, Watson claimed All-AIC honors as both a junior and a senior and earned two more NAIA All-District 17 plaudits.
