The West Henderson women’s volleyball team has advanced to the North Carolina 3A volleyball state championship, and will face off against the Chapel Hill High School varsity volleyball team on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 12 p.m.

Chapel Hill is 26-1 overall on the season and 13-1 in their respective conference. Comparatively, West is 30-6 overall and 14-2 in conference play. 

Chapel Hill has finished the season with a 19-game winning streak. The Tigers were the champions in their respective conference, suffering only one loss in conference play. In the latest game of the state championship tournament, the Tigers took on the D.H. Conley Vikings in a match that resulted in a 3-2 win for the Tigers. The Vikings came out strong, winning the first two sets, but began to struggle later in the match and lost the last three consecutive sets. 

Comparatively, the West Henderson High School varsity volleyball team has finished the season with a 17-game winning streak. The Falcons won their conference championship against T.C. Roberson with a score of 3-0. In the latest game of the state championship tournament, the West Henderson Falcons took on the West Rowan Falcons, in a match that resulted in a 3-2 win for West Henderson. West Henderson started strong, winning the first two sets, but faltered and allowed West Rowan to win the next two sets. The West Falcons went on to take the 5th set by a score of 17-15 to win the game.

The Chapel Hill Tigers are led by senior duo Kaya Merkler and Julia Charney, who lead the team in total kills, 405 and 197 respectively. Merkler also shines in serving aces, with 51, and in blocking, with 60 total blocks on the season. The team as a whole has 1,131 kills and 207 blocks. 

On the other hand, the West Falcons are led by juniors Daija Jackson and America Anderson, and seniors Kinsley Morgan and Katrina Kordonowy. The team as a whole has 1,182 kills on the season, with an average of 11.8 kills per set. On the defensive side of the ball, the team has 195 total blocks and 1,454 digs for the season. 

Overall, the teams are evenly matched on both sides of the ball. Both teams have a history of shutting opponents out, which will most likely lead to a 5-set match. If the Falcons can get a jump on the Tigers in the first two sets, statistics show that the Falcons can maintain that lead all the way to the end.

By: Johnathan Austin, Feature Writer