ACA and Owen square off in Swannanoa Valley showdown
Lions outduel Warlassies, 3-1, in crosstown matchup
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 29, 2024
A pair of Swannanoa Valley schools faced off on the volleyball court, Aug. 28, as 5-0 Asheville Christian Academy hosted Owen in a rare meeting between the programs.
The Lions needed four sets to remain undefeated, while the Warlassies slipped to 2-3.
The match featured a pair of regional stars, in ACA Senior Haleigh Kamer and Owen sophomore Mia Roland. The Lions, led by 14-year head coach Torri Render, won the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) 3A State Championship in 2022 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs a season ago.
The Warlassies, under second-year head coach Nikki Roland, posted their best season in well over a decade in 2023. The program is boosted by a cast of young players, including Roland, co-captain and fellow sophomores Kenzie Robinson, Ava Grant, Adeline West and juniors Easton Whitson and Grady Farish.
ACA, which entered the match having dropped only one set in five matches, came into the contest led by Kamer and fellow senior and co-captain Jadyn Walters. A blend of experience, in juniors Layla Wright and Rachel Bass, and the athleticism of sophomores Reece, Caroline Peterson and freshman Olivia Johnson, has fueled the program’s strong start.
The home team remained true to form to start the contest, erasing an early 3-0 Owen advantage to take a 6-point advantage at the mid-point of the opening frame.
ACA held set point with a 24-19 advantage, before a Warlassies rally brought them to within 1. The Lions closed out the set, 25-23, but Owen carried that momentum into the next set.
The Warlassies built a 14-9 lead to prompt a Lions timeout, and the teams drew even at 20 points. Owen clinched the second set, 25-22.
ACA closed out strong, battling to a 25-21 victory in the third and cruising to a 25-9 win to close out the night. Kamer led the way with 13 kills and added 11 assists to the stat sheet, while Wright assisted on 24 points. Shuman and Waters each posted 11 digs in the contest.
The match was only the second meeting of the teams in Render’s tenure on the sidelines for ACA, but proved to be a test for her program.
“A lot of our girls are friends with the girls on the Owen team, so that always adds an extra layer,” she said. “But, it’s really hard to simulate these tight game situations in practice, so it’s good that we faced this one early on. It was great to see how they responded to that.”
A family connection caused the Owen head coach to schedule the contest.
“Honestly, my niece plays for ACA,” said Roland, mother of Mia and aunt of ACA junior setter Wright. “Since the cousins don’t play together, I wanted them to be able to play against each other.”
The Warlassies were aware they were facing a challenge in their Swannanoa-based opponent, according to the coach.
“They are a phenomenal team, and we have such a young roster that I knew if these girls could put on a strong showing against ACA, then we’ll be looking good as we head into conference play.”
Owen will open the Western Highlands Conference season, Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m. on the road against 5-2 Draughn.
Carrying the confidence they displayed against the Lions into WHC competition will be a key as the Warlassies look to improve on last season’s second place finish, according to Nikki.
“They played with a lot of passion and intensity tonight, and they did a great job communicating with each other out there,” she said. “I was impressed by how they responded against this team.”
The Lions will seek their seventh consecutive victory at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 29, when they host 3-3 Watauga.
“We have great leadership on the court, with Haleigh doing a little bit of everything for us, like passing, setting, playing defense,” Render said. “Jadyn has been playing really well for us and she has a great attitude. She’s one of our best defenders in the back and she also plays some middle and outside for us.”
Maintaining its early season course will require ACA players to continue their commitment to a winning formula.
“We need to make sure we don’t get in the way of ourselves, so make sure we’re all working to get better, being good teammates and encouraging each other,” Render said. “We spend a lot of time focusing on attributes that make good teammates, and some days that’s harder than others. But, this group of girls has nothing but potential, and we’re all excited for this season.”
Photos of the volleyball matchup between ACA and Owen can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.