Darren Kinnard/River Radio Sports Central
NORMAL — When NCOE head coach Jaclyn Melton was asked at the State Volleyball Tournament about the community support for her program, she replied “volleyball is life here.”
And life is good.
The Fighting Cardinals brought home their fourth state trophy in the past nine postseasons, earning third place in 1A with a 25-23, 20-25, 25-17 win over Tremont Saturday. The win came a day after falling to Stockton 17-25, 25-23, 25-13 in the semifinals, NCOE’s first and only loss to a 1A school all season.
This marks the second third place finish in the past four years for NCOE, putting a nice bow on careers of the Cardinals six seniors: Izzy Dolden, Aubrey and Hayden Knight, Jaydee Melton, Sydnee Sauls, and Kate Vollman. During their fours, NCOE finished 154-12 with those two third place trophies to go with two elite eight (supersectional) appearances. This year’s team finished 39-3, tying the school record for wins in a season.
Cissna Park defeated Stockton 25-11, 25-14 in the 1A State Championship match.
