Is Tuesday the 13th a thing?

By Michael Ashcraft --

It wasn't Friday the 13th. It was Tuesday the 13th.

And LCA's sophomore Clara Czer was striking fear into the hearts of her opponents.

"I've played with Clara since the fifth grade, and Clara has always, always, always been a competitive person. Everyone ever has been scared of her. Everyone," says junior Roxy Photenhauer. "Every coach, every player. Because she's so fierce."

Happy Halloween.

Clara lashed five straight aces in the final set to ice off Westmark School. Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica shut down the Lions 25-11, 25-13, 25-11 on Tuesday -- Sept. 13 -- at the Chatsworth's 1st Place Sports Complex.

"I'd be scared to pass her serves," admits teammate Dahlia Gonzalez, a sophomore. "She's a light on our team, but darkness for the other side."

Clara comes from a family of brains; her father did calculus problems for fun to while away the time on the plane on a mission trip to Africa.

But with the brains there's also brawn. She cracks that ball with such a force and downward torque that opponents gulp with fear and physics teachers check their formulas to try to understand how they are possible according to the laws of science.

Of course Clara is not Atlas. She's not just carrying the entire weight of the team on her shoulders.

Other highlights include Dahlia's deadly darts, spikes that fall like asteroids. There was Allie Scribner's aces, sets and backrow spikes; the sophomore prays every day at her Christian school to grow four more inches to have a good shot at college volleyball. She grew one inch over the summer.

In all, six of the girls on the Saints team play or have played club volleyball.

Who needs to go to a horror flick when all you need is to face off with LCA.

"Clara looks like an angel, but her hits fall like demons," surmises senior Ireland Daniel. "If I were on the other team, I'd be afraid."

Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica.