(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
In November of 2022, a core of confident sophomores stepped into the Xtream Arena in Coralville to proclaim that the Ankeny Christian Academy Eagles were the team to beat in Class 1A volleyball.
But as that group of sophomores became juniors and now seniors, the message never changed over the course of those three seasons.
It etched ACA into the history books as a Class 1A volleyball dynasty as the Eagles returned to Coralville and captured their third consecutive state championship on Thursday.
“This is so special to us because coming in as freshmen, we didn’t know exactly what we were capable of,” said senior Carley Craighead, whose team finished with a 40-5 record. “Then coming in here sophomore year and doing it, then junior year, this was our final goal. We just wanted to finish strong. We’re like one big family out there.”
The Eagles joined an exclusive club of schools as only the ninth to record at least three consecutive state championships.
Ankeny Centennial, Clinton Mater Dei, Dike, Dike-New Hartford, Dubuque Wahlert, Janesville, Tripoli and Western Christian are the only other schools to have won at least three straight crowns.
ACA became the most recent to accomplish this achievement since Dubuque Wahlert won three consecutive Class 4A titles from 2016-18 and Janesville won four straight 1A crowns from 2015-18.
“This means so much,” said Katie Quick. “Coming here our sophomore year, that got us hungry for the taste of being at state. We were wanting to come back every year, so to finish (the senior season) out for three in a row is such an amazing feeling.”
There’s plenty that goes into being one of the best teams in the state, and the very first thing is the foundation of the squad.
As sophomores, Macey Nehring, Anna Weathers and Morgan Fincham combined with Craighead and Quick to record all 60 kills that led them to their first state title in a five-set victory over Gladbrook-Reinbeck.
That’s the core that’s powered a dominant Eagles team over the past three seasons.
Quick was named the captain of the Class 1A all-tournament team for the third year with Craighead joining her on the team for the third time. Nehring was selected to the team for the second straight time, and Weathers was also an all-tournament pick.
All five played a big role in overwhelming sixth-seeded BCLUW during Thursday’s championship game.
ACA knew it could focus defensively on BCLUW senior Grace Farnsworth and sophomore Olivia Peters as the Comets’ primary source of offense. But between the five ACA seniors, the Eagles had the upper hand with being able to produce with any of them from anywhere on the court.
Farnsworth finished with a team-high 12 kills, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep the Comets (33-11) in the match. Nehring racked up 17 kills, Quick and Craighead each had 10, Weathers chipped in eight, and Fincham added five as the Eagles swept to a 25-15, 25-13, 25-13 victory.
The ability to rely on so many different options means the Eagles have the chance to spark a run out of anywhere, which was a major benefit with the state title on the line.
Quick provided the early momentum in the first set with Craighead tallying a handful of kills midway through the set, and Nehring eventually closed it out.
“I think a huge thing for us was just ‘Why not?’” Nehring said. “Why not put in all the effort? Why not put in everything for each other and for all of our fans and for everyone who has worked for us to get here?”
Nehring and Weathers helped spark an early 12-4 run in the second set that kept the momentum in ACA’s favor. Fincham closed out a 9-2 run and clinched the second set with a kill to put the Eagles one set away from the title.
The trophy was destined to be in the hands of the Eagles after ACA started off the third set with a 4-1 run and used a 7-1 run to get a nine-point cushion over the Comets. They closed out the set with an 8-2 run to win the title.
Going into the match, the Eagles were already going to be a tough team to handle, regardless of who stood on the other side of the net.
ACA finished undefeated against Class 1A opponents. The five losses were against other state tournament teams, including a pair of champions in Pleasant Valley and Denver.
“I think showing up and being ready to work every day in practice was the biggest one,” Weathers said of the factors that went into ACA’s dominant run. “We knew we had a target on our back and every team was going to bring their best, so we had to practice our best.”
With the departure of the five seniors, the Eagles will find themselves in an interesting spot going into the 2025 season as the reigning three-time state champions.
Sophomore libero and defensive specialist Katelyn Weathers and freshman right side hitter Breeze Bentz will be ACA’s primary returners as regulars in the rotation. But there will be plenty of other new faces in the starting lineup.
Above all else, the current day Eagles have established a winning culture and getting some of the younger players behind them to witness it will be an investment that ACA is hoping will pay off in the coming seasons.
“It’s huge,” said ACA coach Michele Quick. “It’s huge to be part of (the winning culture), and to be here on this big stage with this environment. It was the purpose for me to invite some of the other girls along. To kind of feel it, to learn from (the seniors) and I know they have been doing that. We hope to see some of that start to come through next year.”
