Faith Christian honors 8th-graders to cap first co-ed volleyball season

Faith Christian Academy capped its first co-ed volleyball season on Thursday when the Falcons defeated the parents in a parent-players match and then honored the new program's initial eighth-grade class in a special ceremony.

Faith's coaches paid special tribute to team captains Jessica Smith, Anna Verhage and Nicki Smith and teammate Rachel Wiedman for their contributions to the program's exciting inaugural season, thanking them for their commitment to the team and their play on the court. Teammates then signed volleyballs given to each eighth-grader as a memento of their participation in the new program, and each eighth-grader received a special handmade gift from Coach Smith's wife, Kelly. FCA was blessed with four outstanding eighth-grade players and are grateful for their play and example this season.

Earlier in the week, Coach Smith and Coach Weeks announced that next year's co-ed volleyball team captains will be Mackenzie VanDerSnick, Osten Lockner, Paige Petty, Ben Riner and Grace Hansen. The coaches selected the players based on their dedication to this year's team, leadership potential, enthusiasm for the sport and program and skill level. Congratulations to Mack, Osten, Paige, Ben and Grace on this important new responsibility!

Thank you to everyone for an exciting and successful first season! The team did a great job of playing competitive volleyball against a challenging schedule of 7th- and 8th-grade boys volleyball teams. Each player grew exponentially in their skills and understanding of the game, and the players came together to play as a unit in "2 for 1" fashion for our Lord. Coach Smith and Coach Weeks are thrilled about the program's future as we play a second co-ed season in 2015 followed by the first boys volleyball season in 2016.