On Wednesday, October 19, 2016, the CAYA varsity volleyball team, their coach Arenice Fowler, and team manager and CA Senior Seth Graham, stepped foot on the campus of Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The twelve girls had just won the SCAA championship after an undefeated season and were ready to take on the 2016 Union College Invitational Tournament.

Twelve teams from across the U.S. traveled to Union to compete in the tournament, each of them eager for a chance at first place. Pool play began on Thursday, and the CAYA Eagles beat their competition in each of the three games they played.

Friday’s games were played for higher stakes and determined ranking in the tournament. The girls fought hard through their second day of three games and remained undefeated. Next they just had to wait for the Saturday night championship.

At ten o’clock on Saturday night, the CAYA Eagles faced the Mile High Mustangs from Denver, Colorado. Mile High’s soccer team filled the gym with noise and people, nearly drowning out the handful of parents accompanying the Eagles.

Despite the overwhelming sea of blue in the stands and rotation errors in the first set, the CAYA girls triumphed. The Mile High girls rose up in the second set and tied the game. Next came the dreaded third set to fifteen points.

The gym shook with screams as the Eagles pulled ahead and came to the game point. The score was 14-10 as Junior Hannah Falcon served. The ball sailed over the net and was received by Mile High, then expertly tipped to the floor by Senior Alexa Birch. The team members on the bench flooded the court with cheers as the championship trophy was presented to the CAYA Eagles.

“There were many great things that happened in our volleyball season this year: we were undefeated in our league and won two championships, but best of all we took time to pray for a team member at the beginning of each practice, and the players displayed great discipline and dedication,” Coach Arenice Fowler said.

And, as always, team member Jordyn McLean’s words of wisdom: “The work was hard, but the pay was great.”