By Marin Murray, News Editor
From a directed study to a passion project and from standing on the outside to being a part of the team, Front Row has done all of that for junior Madeleine Koelzer and more. Koelzer’s documentary-style video series, Front Row, has followed the volleyball team’s dominant 2025 season, allowing her to use her love for sports media to capture the behind-the-scenes of the team and their success.
“What sparked the idea was wanting to do a documentary,” Koelzer said. “But also, I wanted to showcase what it’s like as an athlete in school while working toward the Great American Conference (GAC) championships.” Taking inspiration from the Arkansas Razorbacks’ The Follow, a series that documents their football program’s season and progress, Koelzer chose to create a series of episodes that highlight the volleyball team as part of her directed study for the Carl Goodson Honors Program. However, she has learned far more than she ever expected, and not just about documentary making.
“Oh my goodness, I’ve learned so much,” Koelzer said. “I think I’ve learned all of what goes into being a student-athlete. I’ve traveled with the team for most of their away games, and the biggest challenge has been adjusting my schedule to travel.” In addition to fulfilling her responsibilities as a student and attending almost all of the team’s games and practices, Koelzer has taken on the task of putting together this project, which requires several hours a week to create. “I am editing, producing, directing, and shooting this entire thing on my own,” Koelzer said. “Chris Babb has been a huge help with giving me ideas, but truly, it’s just been learning how to balance it all.”
Even though most of her work is done either behind the scenes or on the sidelines, the part of this project that Koelzer cherishes most is how the team has taken her in. “My favorite part has been how much the team has included me in things,” Koelzer said. “Media in general is very isolating because you’re just doing your thing. You don’t interact with a lot of people; you just do your job and go. But the team is genuinely making me feel like a part of the team.”
When Koelzer travels to away games and tournaments, the girls include her in their team dinners and activities. She has even been integrated into their practice and gameday traditions, demonstrating just how much the team has embraced her. “The further we have gone along, the more she has become a part of the team,” volleyball head coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer said. “It’s kind of fun that the girls see her as a teammate. It’s been really cool to see her dive into the project and fully appreciate volleyball.”
Not only has Koelzer become part of the team, but this project has also allowed her to fully immerse herself in the world of volleyball. “It’s been fun to see her talk about how much she’s learned about the team and the sport,” Koelzer’s directed study advisor and director of sports media, Chris Babb, said. “She has broadcast volleyball games in the past as a part of our broadcast crew, but I think anytime you are traveling with and going to watch the team and interviewing players and coaches, you get to know the sport and the team on a different level than just a regular fan. Those experiences help tell the story of the team and the season. So, it’s been fun for me to see her grow, and the team also appreciates what she’s doing.”
Throughout this experience, Koelzer has been able to draw on her experiences as a student director for the Ouachita Sports Digital Network, using her digital media skills to lead her to newfound appreciation and understanding of the sport. “I remember going into this project, I would watch a lot of our volleyball broadcasts and listen to the play-by-play from Isaac Bourne,” Koelzer said. “It helped me a lot when it came to understanding the game, because going into this project, I knew very little about volleyball.”
As she has continued to learn more about volleyball and how to film it, Koelzer has been able to combine her perspectives of working on this project with her time on OSDN to make the most of this opportunity, all of which are related to the career she hopes to pursue. “My main goal right now is to go into sports broadcasting,” Koelzer said. “I would love to be on the creative media side, working with social media, photography or videography.”
While the season continues on and the team works toward another GAC championship title, Koelzer will keep releasing episodes, shining a light on the volleyball team, their success and their culture. “Something that stands out is how special the team is,” Koelzer said. “These girls genuinely love each other. At every practice I’ve been to and every game, even when they are down a set, they never criticize and are never negative. And it’s just so fun seeing how positive they are, which makes them such a joy to be around.”
The team, which is fresh off a GAC championship title and off to an 11-0 start in conference play this year, only lost one senior last year and is on the hunt for another trophy, a journey that Koelzer gets to document. “I think that the team has really bought into her and her project,” Frizzell-Kizer said. “They appreciate her shining a light on volleyball. I think it’s been good to highlight the volleyball program, because they’ve earned it.”
All episodes of Front Row are available to view on the Ouachita Sports Digital Network. Behind-the-scenes footage, photos and much of Koelzer’s other work can be viewed on her Instagram account, @makay_media.
