Valley Christian volleyball had a great start to the season by going 9-0 headed into the Epic Tournament. The 2023 Epic Tournament consisted of 112 schools from all over the valley and from all divisions. This tournament opens up a lot of fresh competition for all the teams involved. The Trojans competed against some tough schools including Chandler (6A), Desert Mountain (5A), and American Leadership Academy - Queen Creek (4A). The Trojans used the new competition as a way to grow, both as a team and as players. They started the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Williams Field (5A) and followed that game with another big 2-0 win over Chandler (6A). Coming into the game, Senior captain and Libero Avery Schmidt said, "being a small 3A school, it is very intimidating to play any 6A school. As we head into those types of games, we have to know that at the end of the day, they are only volleyball players just like us. They just come from a bigger school." This game was not easy for either Chandler or Valley Christian and the final score was 25-14, 25-22. Overall, the Trojans continued on a winning streak, taking down their next five opponents in two sets, clinching the title of this year's Epic Tournament Platinum Division Champions, going 14-0 in sets.
The Trojans last played in this tournament in 2021. During that season the team also took home the Epic Tournament Platinum Division Championship title without dropping a single set the entire weekend. Like this year, they were 14-0 in this tournament. This was a wonderful start to their season, which later resulted in their 2021 3A State Title.
Like the 2021 season, the 2023 Valley Christian volleyball team is hoping to do the same. They have already repeated the success of the Epic Tournament win, and are now hoping to repeat the same success in the state tournament, bringing home another state title.
After their victory in this year's Epic Tournament, Junior Captain and setter Madi Brown-McAlpine shared, "it felt great not only winning the tournament, but not dropping a set the entire time. We played some big schools like Chandler, ALA, and Mica Mountain, but we handled them well. Last time we were in this tournament, we also didn't drop a set and it was the same year we won state. We are hoping to do the same this year. It was a nice coincidence and a confidence booster going into the rest of the season."
The Trojans are heading into their first round of state this Saturday, November 4, 9 AM at Marcos De Niza. They are playing Pusch Ridge and hoping to come out with a victory. Let's go Trojans!