Faith Christian volleyball finds perfect fall break destination at regional
LAFAYETTE - Coach Josh Hill had a message for his volleyball team regarding fall break plans.
Don't make any fall break plans.
In reality, the Faith Christian Eagles wouldn't want to spend fall break anywhere else.
Thursday and Friday saw noon practices and Saturday will be spent in Michigantown where Faith's volleyball program will be competing in a regional for the first time after winning the Class A Rossville Sectional last Saturday.
"That is the balance is trying to figure out how much pressure do we put on them at the beginning of the year because these girls have big goals. It was our fall break is going to be spent this year at regional," Hill said. "We talked about that early on. We prayed about it and asked God to give us the strength to make those goals come to fruition. They put in the work, so a lot of credit to them.
"It is a lot of validation to all the hard work they put in to be here this week."
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The Eagles had talent.
Coming off a breakout season in 2021 and with the infusion of a strong freshman class, it felt like this was the year Faith Christian could make history.
They did it by relying on Philippians 2:3.
Loosely put, it reads celebrate the successes of others.
"Everyone has taken their role and put 100 percent into it," junior outside hitter Aesha Vogt said. "With another person's role, they might not be the star and they are OK with that. They want to cheer them on and support them.
"That is a huge thing. Everyone has taken their role and we've made it a big deal to support each other and be encouraging. No role is stronger or better than the other."
Faith Christian started the season 5-0 before a loss to Michigan's Unity Christian. Other highs followed, such as a win over Central Catholic en route to 26 victories so far and just six defeats.
But it was the way the regular season ended that set the stage for what would come last week.
The Eagles lost a five-set heartbreaker to Rossville on Oct. 4, then concluded the regular season getting swept by Benton Central.
"It was really good we played (Rossville) as one of our last games because we knew what we needed to practice and what to expect going into sectionals," junior setter Addi Kirby said. "We all assumed we'd probably be playing them in the final.
"There was a lot of pressure for us to win sectional this year, but it was good pressure. It wasn't negative in any way. It was good to push us to get to that goal."
Sure enough, that was the case.
Hill said the sectional championship, a four-set win over the Hornets, was the loosest his team looked all season.
Vogt had 27 kills in the title match, but eight different players had at least one, including eight from freshman Maya Layton and four each from sophomores Molly Miller and Anna Riley.
The Eagles served 17 aces in that match, including six by Kirby and four from freshman Caya Stillings.
"This year was a huge step into we can actually win together," Vogt said. "Last year was important with the importance of competitiveness and winning. We have what it takes to compete with other schools. Coming back this year, it was helpful that we knew how to play with each other to get it done."
The best part?
Faith Christian has zero seniors on the roster.
"Senior night was pretty easy this year. Only our manager was the senior on senior night," Hill said. "That is part of the joy of doing this is we get everybody back. That is more room for improvement. More room for stretching each other and growing together."
But the Eagles aren't ready for next season because they're embracing this one, however much longer it lasts.
"We've just got to play like us, just do our job," Vogt said. "Let's just do our job, glorify God and play as a team and leave the result in God's hands."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
Volleyball regionals
Saturday
CLASS 4A
At Noblesville
Fort Wayne Carroll (31-2) vs. Hamilton Southeastern (30-1), 10 a.m.
McCutcheon (32-1) vs. Homestead (27-6), noon
Championship, 6 p.m.
CLASS 3A
At Norwell
Benton Central (30-3) vs. Angola (31-0), 10 a.m.
Bellmont (27-6) vs. Delta (16-9), noon
Championship, 6 p.m.
CLASS 2A
At Cascade
Park Tudor (23-5) vs. Scecina (28-5), 10 a.m.
Southmont (15-14) vs. Northeastern (20-11), noon
Championship, 6 p.m.
At Elwood
South Adams (28-6) vs. Central Catholic (21-11), 10 a.m.
Madison-Grant (27-5) vs. Wapahani (28-5), noon
Championship, 6 p.m.
CLASS A
At Culver
Kouts (29-4) vs. Michigan City Marquette (23-9), 10:30 a.m.
South Newton (31-2) vs. Fort Wayne Blackhawk (30-4), 12:30 p.m.
Championship, 6 p.m.
At Clinton Central
Daleville (23-8) vs. Cambridge City (25-6), 10 a.m.
Faith Christian (26-6) vs. Southwood (29-3), noon
Championship, 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Faith Christian volleyball continues history-making season
