Chapel Hill High School claimed its third state volleyball championship in program history on Saturday in Fayetteville, as the Tigers defeated West Henderson 3-1 (26-28, 25-20, 25-23, 25-11) in the 3A State Championship match behind 20 kills from Kaya Merkler.

After barely dropping the first set, Chapel Hill rallied to take each of the next three sets to earn its first state title in the sport since winning the 4A crown back in 2003.

Merkler was named the 3A Most Valuable Player for her outstanding effort, which also included 15 solo blocks in addition to being the only Tiger to post more than eight kills.

Chapel Hill finishes the season with a 28-1 record overall and a 13-1 record in the Big 8 conference. West Henderson, meanwhile, ends the year at 30-7 with a 14-2 record in the Western Mountain conference.

 

 

 

 

Photo via NCHSAA.com

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