‘Ready for this moment’: Cannon volleyball players have calm enthusiasm heading into state final
C Jemal Horton
CONCORD – Cannon School has had a strong volleyball program over the years, having won conference titles the past two seasons and finishing as runner-up in the two before that.
Now, in a pandemic-shortened season, the Cougars are on the brink of taking the next monumental step: a state championship.
Cannon will face North Raleigh Christian Academy in the state’s capital city on Saturday for the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 4A championship. This is the Cougars’ first appearance in the state title match since 2006, when they finished as runners-up.
The Cougars boast a 10-1 record and are the No. 1 seed from the West Region, while North Raleigh Christian is 17-1 and sits as the East’s top seed.
The match begins at 5 p.m. in the North Raleigh Christian gymnasium.
This season, the Cougars claimed the NCISAA Charlotte Conference crown with a 7-1 league record, edging second-place Charlotte Country Day (7-2). Cannon handed Country Day both its losses this season (3-2 and 3-1).
The Cannon program is certainly familiar with making deep runs in the postseason, as the Cougars reached the Final Four in three of the previous five seasons.
Cannon is proud of its 2020 campaign, during which it was limited mostly to conference games because of COVID-19, as well as its rich history. But this group of Cougars is hungry for more and has a pre-match poise going into Saturday.
“As a competitor, you always talk about these big moments and what they mean to you, and usually what comes along with that are some nervous jitters,” Cougars coach Kim Jackson said. “What we’re seeing and feeling from the team this year is an awesome calmness going into this weekend, which is exactly what you want.”
So what’s been the difference this season? What’s keyed the breakthrough to the finals?
Jackson, who played collegiately at East Tennessee State University, explained that it hasn’t just been about the volleyball.
“One thing we’ve been working really hard on at Cannon over the last four or five years has been a mindset shift – a cultural change, if you will,” Jackson said. “We’ve been making sure that we own who we are as athletes, as women, as people.
“We’ve always had pretty mentally tough teams,” she continued. “But I think this year, more than anything else, we really believe that we are the super-talented team that we are. I think that has been what’s taken us the extra distance that we needed to get us in the finals.”
And, well, the Cougars also are one of the more talented teams around.
Several players have contributed mightily to the Cougars’ success this season, and the attack is led by a pair of top-flight outside hitters: 6-foot junior Meghan Schreck and 5-10 sophomore Courtney Nix.
Schreck tops the team with 150 kills and 36 aces while tying Nix with a squad-high 76 digs. Nix also has 132 kills and 26 aces.
“They’re just a powerhouse duo,” Jackson said of Schreck and Nix. “Both are six-rotation players, so they play the front row and the back row. They do so much for us.”
The roster includes two seniors who will play at the college level next season: 6-2 middle hitter Hannah Shiffert, a Washington & Lee commit, and 5-11 setter Taylor Geist, who’s headed to Western New England University. Shiffert has 29 aces, and Geist has registered a Cougars-best 320 assists with 40 digs and 31 aces.
Senior Bella Edmondson has posted 72 digs, and senior libero Hannah Rosa has been a leader all season.
“(Rosa) is just a little mini me out there, which I love,” Jackson said. “She just dominates the backcourt, she’s headstrong, and she owns everything.
“We have so much raw talent,” Jackson continued. “This is such a special group to coach because they genuinely respect each other, they like each other, and they push each other forward – all 12 of them -- to be better on the court. They have such a special relationship, which has obviously played such a huge part in getting us where we are. It’s been really cool to see.”
Cannon won the league title last year with a 10-0 mark. The team’s only loss in 2020 was an Oct. 15 matchup with Charlotte Providence Day in the regular-season finale, a 3-1 decision that ended the Cougars’ seven-game winning streak.
Since then, Cannon has continued to shine.
As the West’s No. 1 seed, the Cougars received a first-round bye for the state playoffs and then opened postseason play by shutting out Rabun Gap Nacoochee in three sets. After that, they also blanked Matthews Covenant Day in the second round.
On Tuesday, Cannon defeated Durham Academy, 3-1, in the semifinals to advance to Saturday’s state championship matchup with North Raleigh Christian.
The Knights, who play in the Triangle Independent Conference, have been equally dominant. North Raleigh Christian has not lost a set in the postseason while registering victories over High Point Wesleyan Christian Academy and Charlotte Country Day.
Jackson explained that while her team clearly knows what’s at stake Saturday, the players also realize they’ve already added to a strong tradition of success just by reaching the last private-school volleyball match to be played in North Carolina this season.
“This is kind of like icing on the cake,” Jackson said. “The girls worked really hard for it, so we’re ready. I’m excited. As a coach, it’s been really nice to be able to see that they are realizing, ‘Hey, we have worked so hard for this moment. There’s been blood, sweat and tears, there’s been temperature checks and everything else you could imagine.’”
Added Jackson: “Everything has kind of come down to this moment, and to see them embracing it and enjoying it is what’s so fun because it’s easy to let a big moment like this consume you. And they’re not; they’re recognizing that they’re excited, and they’re ready for this moment.”
C Jemal Horton
CONCORD – Cannon School has had a strong volleyball program over the years, having won conference titles the past two seasons and finishing as runner-up in the two before that.
Now, in a pandemic-shortened season, the Cougars are on the brink of taking the next monumental step: a state championship.
Cannon will face North Raleigh Christian Academy in the state’s capital city on Saturday for the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 4A championship. This is the Cougars’ first appearance in the state title match since 2006, when they finished as runners-up.
The Cougars boast a 10-1 record and are the No. 1 seed from the West Region, while North Raleigh Christian is 17-1 and sits as the East’s top seed.
The match begins at 5 p.m. in the North Raleigh Christian gymnasium.
This season, the Cougars claimed the NCISAA Charlotte Conference crown with a 7-1 league record, edging second-place Charlotte Country Day (7-2). Cannon handed Country Day both its losses this season (3-2 and 3-1).
The Cannon program is certainly familiar with making deep runs in the postseason, as the Cougars reached the Final Four in three of the previous five seasons.
Cannon is proud of its 2020 campaign, during which it was limited mostly to conference games because of COVID-19, as well as its rich history. But this group of Cougars is hungry for more and has a pre-match poise going into Saturday.
“As a competitor, you always talk about these big moments and what they mean to you, and usually what comes along with that are some nervous jitters,” Cougars coach Kim Jackson said. “What we’re seeing and feeling from the team this year is an awesome calmness going into this weekend, which is exactly what you want.”
So what’s been the difference this season? What’s keyed the breakthrough to the finals?
Jackson, who played collegiately at East Tennessee State University, explained that it hasn’t just been about the volleyball.
“One thing we’ve been working really hard on at Cannon over the last four or five years has been a mindset shift – a cultural change, if you will,” Jackson said. “We’ve been making sure that we own who we are as athletes, as women, as people.
“We’ve always had pretty mentally tough teams,” she continued. “But I think this year, more than anything else, we really believe that we are the super-talented team that we are. I think that has been what’s taken us the extra distance that we needed to get us in the finals.”
And, well, the Cougars also are one of the more talented teams around.
Several players have contributed mightily to the Cougars’ success this season, and the attack is led by a pair of top-flight outside hitters: 6-foot junior Meghan Schreck and 5-10 sophomore Courtney Nix.
Schreck tops the team with 150 kills and 36 aces while tying Nix with a squad-high 76 digs. Nix also has 132 kills and 26 aces.
“They’re just a powerhouse duo,” Jackson said of Schreck and Nix. “Both are six-rotation players, so they play the front row and the back row. They do so much for us.”
The roster includes two seniors who will play at the college level next season: 6-2 middle hitter Hannah Shiffert, a Washington & Lee commit, and 5-11 setter Taylor Geist, who’s headed to Western New England University. Shiffert has 29 aces, and Geist has registered a Cougars-best 320 assists with 40 digs and 31 aces.
Senior Bella Edmondson has posted 72 digs, and senior libero Hannah Rosa has been a leader all season.
“(Rosa) is just a little mini me out there, which I love,” Jackson said. “She just dominates the backcourt, she’s headstrong, and she owns everything.
“We have so much raw talent,” Jackson continued. “This is such a special group to coach because they genuinely respect each other, they like each other, and they push each other forward – all 12 of them -- to be better on the court. They have such a special relationship, which has obviously played such a huge part in getting us where we are. It’s been really cool to see.”
Cannon won the league title last year with a 10-0 mark. The team’s only loss in 2020 was an Oct. 15 matchup with Charlotte Providence Day in the regular-season finale, a 3-1 decision that ended the Cougars’ seven-game winning streak.
Since then, Cannon has continued to shine.
As the West’s No. 1 seed, the Cougars received a first-round bye for the state playoffs and then opened postseason play by shutting out Rabun Gap Nacoochee in three sets. After that, they also blanked Matthews Covenant Day in the second round.
On Tuesday, Cannon defeated Durham Academy, 3-1, in the semifinals to advance to Saturday’s state championship matchup with North Raleigh Christian.
The Knights, who play in the Triangle Independent Conference, have been equally dominant. North Raleigh Christian has not lost a set in the postseason while registering victories over High Point Wesleyan Christian Academy and Charlotte Country Day.
Jackson explained that while her team clearly knows what’s at stake Saturday, the players also realize they’ve already added to a strong tradition of success just by reaching the last private-school volleyball match to be played in North Carolina this season.
“This is kind of like icing on the cake,” Jackson said. “The girls worked really hard for it, so we’re ready. I’m excited. As a coach, it’s been really nice to be able to see that they are realizing, ‘Hey, we have worked so hard for this moment. There’s been blood, sweat and tears, there’s been temperature checks and everything else you could imagine.’”
Added Jackson: “Everything has kind of come down to this moment, and to see them embracing it and enjoying it is what’s so fun because it’s easy to let a big moment like this consume you. And they’re not; they’re recognizing that they’re excited, and they’re ready for this moment.”
