A perfect end to a perfect season
Lions celebrate seniors with unbeaten 2022 campaign
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 15, 2022
There was a moment on the court in Asheville Christian Academy, Oct. 15, where the 12 players on the Lions roster loudly sang the chorus to “Sweet Caroline,” the Neil Diamond classic that has evolved into a sports victory anthem, as they celebrated their 3-0 win over Rabun Gap-Nacoochee.
As the Lions smiled, hugged and high-fived in the minutes after six seniors played their final regular season home game for the team, they were momentarily basking in the perfect end to a perfect 2022 campaign.
As the Swannanoa school hosted alumni for its homecoming weekend, the volleyball team won its 21st straight game in front of an exuberant crowd. The victory capped a regular season in which the Lions have dropped only four sets on their way to the program’s first unblemished record since 2017, when the team won the NCISAA 3A State Championship.
The Lions last won the state title in 2020, when Peyton Hightower, Katie Alexander, Kaylee Hutzler, Emma Drake, Elizabeth Harrington and Grace Field were sophomores on the squad. Finishing 21-0 made this season “really special,” senior outside hitter Hightower said after Saturday’s match.
“We’ve all been playing together for so long, so having a perfect record in our last season means so much to all of us,” said Hightower, who led the Lions with 11 kills in the contest. “We’ve worked hard for so many years to get this far, and we want to go out on top.”
Alexander, who leads the Lions with 600 assists, attributes ACA’s success on the volleyball court to the team’s chemistry.
“We’re all really close with each other, and there’s never any drama, which makes it easy to play together” said Alexander, who led ACA with 27 assists in the win over the Eagles. “We get each other hyped up before the games, and we’re always supportive of each other. It’s a great team to be a part of.”
That close-knit team atmosphere was apparent on the court against Carolina Conference opponent, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, in the Lions’ regular season finale. ACA was ahead throughout most of the match, overpowering the Eagles, 25-16, 25-12 and 25-15.
The victory comes as the Lions, who fell to Coastal Christian in the state championship a season ago, look to bring the 2022 championship home to Swannanoa this year.
“It felt great to finish the regular season without a loss, especially after losing the state championship last year,” said senior defensive specialist Hutzler. “We knew we were going to have to work hard to come out and win this year, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
ACA will need to maintain that work ethic in the postseason to finish in the top spot, she added.
“We’re not going to give up,” Hutzler said. “We’ll keep working hard in the playoffs.”
Photos of the Lions’ victory over Rabun Gap-Nacoochee can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.