Union Academy
Union Academy won the 2022 1A Volleyball state championship vs Perquimans, 3 at Reynolds Coliseum, NC State.
| Year | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Sport | Volleyball |
| Classification | 1A |
| Champion | Union Academy |
| Runner-Up | Perquimans |
| Score | 3 - 0 |
| Venue | Reynolds Coliseum, NC State, Raleigh |
Notes
Union Academy won their second consecutive 1A State Championship, closing out Perquimans in straight sets. The Cardinals mounted two furious comebacks in late set action, one in the first set and the other in the final set, to secure the victory. Cardinals setter Lauren Munday was critical in organizing and distributing to her attackers, dishing out nearly all her team’s assists in the match on her way to being selected as the Most Valuable Player for the 1A State Championship Match. She completed her high school career with more than 2000 assists. Union Academy trailed for most of the first set. The Cardinals got the first point of the set on a net violation by the Pirates, but Perquimans reeled off the next four points to stretch out to a three-point advantage. Perquimans eventually stretched the lead out to four when Eby Scaff slammed a ball straight down off a powerful right-handed swing to make it 12-8 ahead of a Cardinals timeout. Union Academy emerged from the timeout a bit more settled and chipped away at the Pirate lead until a Haley Holland ace knotted the score at 19. The two teams traded points, tied at 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 until Union Academy won two straight points as Gabriela Gama found the floor through the Pirate defense to give the Cardinals a hard-fought first set win, 25-23. The Cardinals continued their late first set momentum in the second set, racing out to a 10-5 lead, highlighted by an Anna Ungerer ace and another Gama kill. The Pirates were able to trim the lead down to two at 12-10, but the Cardinals scratched out three straight points to answer and get the lead back to five. Another Union Academy ace, this one by Ranon Suttle, pushed the Cardinal advantage to 23-14, forcing a Pirate timeout. The Cardinals cruised to 25-18 second set victory and a two-sets-to-none lead. Perquimans came out firing in the third set, blasting their way to a 12-4 lead in the early going as Victoria Williamson and Scaff both powered down a pair of kills in that rally. It looked like Perquimans would send the match to a fourth set as the Pirates cruised to a 23-18 advantage late in the set, but Union Academy mounted a furious comeback, and the Pirates were unable to put away the Cardinals. Union Academy ripped off the last seven points of the set to close the match 25-23 and win the State Championship in straight sets. Perquimans finished the season 26-2. The Pirates were 14-0 as the champions of the Four Rivers 1A Conference. Perquimans made the school’s third appearance in an NCHSAA Volleyball State Championship, winning the Eastern Regional Finals for the first time since 2000. Union Academy wrapped their season winning a second-consecutive State Championship with a record of 28-2. The Cardinals were 12-0 winning the Yadkin Valley 1A/2A. Coach Brooke Hill led the Cardinals to their second appearance in an NCHSAA State Championship Match.