Academe Repeats as NFCAA Champions

St. Mary’s School For the Deaf played host to the Niagara Frontier Christian Athletic Association Girls Volleyball Championship Match on Friday night; a much anticipated rematch of last year’s contest between Lighthouse Baptist Homeschool Group and the Academe of Aurora.

With Academe and Lighthouse splitting their regular season matches, it was the Academe of Aurora that settled in first and was able to earn their 2nd consecutive league championship title by the scores of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-12.

The match started off as a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to gain any lasting momentum. “We knew we were going to have to chip away. The team on the other side of the net had to grind it out all season, just like us. It’s the league finals, it’s not going to be an easy match. I love how the girls stayed patient, kept chipping away and finally broke through,” said Academe Head Coach Pat Madia.

The match ended with all three Updike sisters on the court for Academe. Anna, the lone senior and co-captain, finished the match with 9 kills and an assist. She has been an outside hitter for the Academe for 5 years. This year marked her 3rd championship. Danielle, Academe’s sophomore libero, finished with an ace. Mary, the youngest Updike sister and the team’s 7th grade defensive specialist, finished with an assist.

The Kubiak sisters also chipped in with contributions to the win. Sophomore setter Abby Kubiak finished the match with 18 assists, 5 aces and 3 kills. 7th grade outside hitter Anna Kubiak had 8 kills, 6 aces and 3 assists.

Cecilia Bowen recorded her 15th solo block of the season, setting the single season solo blocking record for the program.

As a team, the Academe of Aurora finishes the year with a match record of 18-1, a set record of 61-5, 482 team kills and 469 team aces.