The Liberty Christian girls volleyball team made program history on Saturday and did so in dominating fashion.
The Eagles completed an undefeated run in the Missouri Christian School Athletic …
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The Liberty Christian girls volleyball team made program history on Saturday and did so in dominating fashion.
The Eagles completed an undefeated run in the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association State Tournament with a two-set triumph (25-22, 26-24) over Christian Fellowship in the championship game.
In the six contests they played at state, they won each game in two sets and 11 of 12 sets. Their state title run included three wins in pool play over Maranatha (25-19, 25-17), Plaza Heights (25-12, 25-13) and Blue Ridge (25-27, 25-17). Despite splitting both sets against Blue Ridge, Liberty Christian earned the win based on the point differential.
In bracket play, the Eagles defeated Berean (25-7, 25-8), Plaza Heights (26-24, 24-7) and Christian Fellowship.
Head Coach Tory Vestal noted his squad played with a high level of confidence throughout the state tourney.
“They played with grit and confidence throughout, and in the end it showed,” he said. “You heard over and over again, ‘no ball hits the floor, cover your tips, cover our blockers, nothing hits the floor, nothing!’ ”
The performance was especially satisfying as Liberty Christian won the state title for the first time in school history and knocked off Christian Fellowship, which was the defending state champion. A year ago, the Eagles placed third.
“Honestly I felt like we were one of the two best teams in the entire tournament going in,” Vestal said. “As coaches we constantly reminded the girls, before each match, not to focus beyond the team we were facing at that moment. We didn’t even discuss the championship game, until we got there.”
Four of the team’s players received all-state recognition. Grace Foran and Kylee Ball were selected to the first team and Annabeth Colbert and Sarah Brumagin were second-team honorees.
“They were the driving force for our team all year,” Vestal said.
Vestal was quick to point out that the entire roster, including Alli Meyer, Ava Queen, Anna Meyer and Shayden Vestal, played a role in the team’s success this season.
“We needed every lady on this team to bring home our first-ever MAC (Metro Athletic Conference) championship and state championship.”
The Eagles ended the year with a 17-3 record. And a memory to last a lifetime.
“Simply put, we finished strong, we won and we did it as a team,” Vestal said.
