23 and whoa!

ACA stays perfect to advance to state championship

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 25, 2022

The wins keep coming in Swannanoa, where the Asheville Christian Academy volleyball team improved to 23-0, Oct. 25, with a 3-0 victory over reigning state champion Coastal Christian.

The Lions will need one last victory, at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, when they host number 3 seed Wake Christian Academy in the NCISAA 3A State Championship.

The last loss for the ACA program came at the hands of Coastal Christian in the state championship a season ago. The Lions avenged that loss with a 2-0 victory over the Centurions in a tournament to start the 2022 campaign. It was one of 21 straight regular season wins for ACA, which opened the postseason with a 3-0 victory, Oct. 22, against St. David’s High School.

Coastal Christian made the trip from Wilmington in an effort to end the Lions’ season by handing them their first loss. The ACA squad, led by sophomore Haleigh Kamer and senior Katie Alexander, had other plans.

The Lions pounced on the Centurions early, as Kamer attacked the net on the offensive and defensive sides. The outside hitter scored multiple points early in the set with a series of acrobatic kills while denying the Centurions at the net to give her team establish an 8-point lead. ACA was ahead through the majority of the opening frame before sealing the advantage with a 25-18 victory.

The home team picked up where it left off to open the second set, scoring the opening point and never trailing in the 25-14 win.

ACA fell behind briefly in the final set, taking the lead for good after pulling ahead, 12-11. Kamer, who led the the Lions with 16 kills, clinched the 25-18 win with a powerful shot at the net to take the match.

Alexander, the Carolina Athletic Association Player of the Year, led ACA with 31 assists and 17 digs. Peyton Hightower, one of five all-conference selections for the Lions, recorded eight kills in the match. Defensive specialist Kaylee Hutzler added 7 digs to the tally.

Photos of the Lions’ semifinal victory over Coastal Christian can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.