44 JUNE 2024 By Rachael Bouley The Titans had a lot to celebrate after the success of the girls’ beach volleyball program this spring. The team won 11 straight games to start the season, only dropping one to Northwest Christian the week before playoffs. The Lady Titans went on to win their first two games in the Division II AIA Arizona State Championship Tournament, with a 5-0 win over Seton Catholic in the opening round and a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Valley Christian. Although they were defeated by Salpointe Catholic (who went on to win it all) in the semifinals, the ladies said they are proud of their efforts. “It is always tough to run into an experienced team like Salpointe Catholic, especially when they are on their way to their fourth consecutive state title, but getting to face a strong opponent helped our athletes grow and I believe that experience will pay huge dividends in the seasons to come,” Head Coach Adrian Chang said. Chang cited the community’s support – especially at the first two playoff games – in helping the team succeed. “It was unbelievable. It was great for the team to experience that feeling of a community rallying behind them,” he said. Finishing the season with a 13-2 record overall, the team came in ready to play. The roster featured nine sophomores, one junior and two seniors. Chang said it was sometimes challenging not to get too hung up on winning, but the team leaders worked hard to channel their competitive nature into calm confidence. “They were constantly pushing one another, and us as coaches, to keep growing and improving,” he said. “Seniors Avery Nadolski and Elle Marshall-Inman did a great job keeping us all grounded, and focused on the fact that beach volleyball is a beautiful game that is supposed to be fun.” In addition to the strong team performance, the Titans finished the season with junior Lane Sheedy and sophomore Alexa Helms winning the Girls Beach Volleyball Pairs State Championship. The #3 seed duo upset #2 seed Salpointe High and #1 seed Saguaro to clinch the victory, putting the finishing touches on a 17-2 season. “We are extremely proud of Lane and Alexa for winning the Pairs State Championship, the first volleyball state title for Arcadia,” Chang said. “Josie Fox and Isabella Scaramella also made it into the pairs event, marking the first time Arcadia ever had two pairs accepted. As sophomores, they made it to the quarterfinals against the top teams from other schools comprised of all juniors and seniors.” Josie and Isabella finished 14-3 as a pair, while fellow sophomores Tessa Dwyer- Kim and Kinsey Hunkins went 12-2 on the season, followed by Brenna Satran and Priya Jain at 11-2. Seniors Avery and Elle finished 11-4. “I think the growth on and off the court for our young athletes was an even bigger highlight for me,” Chang said. “With so much young talent returning next year and most of the year after that, we have our eyes set on finishing what we have started. We would love to bring home the big one to Arcadia High soon!” Lane and Alexa share the sentiment and look forward to returning next year. “I loved this season, and the most memorable part for sure was getting to play my favorite sport while being surrounded by friends,” Lane said. “I’ve been playing for two years and hope to be able to go pro one day.” Third-year player Alexa has similar aspirations as she aims to play Division I beach volleyball after high school. “My favorite part about being on the team is the girls. We are friends on and off the court, making the practices more fun and disciplined,” Alexa said. “Even though we didn’t win state as a team, we still had a great season and fought until the end.” Beach volleyball makes impressive State run Arcadia’s varsity lacrosse team finished the season with an overall record of 13-3 and were crowned Desert Conference Champions. PHOTO COURTESY OF DUSTIN KOWELL (front) Isabella Scaramella, Priya Jain, Tessa Dwyer-Kim (middle) Brenna Satran, Avery Nadolski, Elle Marshall-Inman, Alexa Helms (back) Coach Adrian Chang, Kinsey Hunkins, Lane Sheedy, Josie Fox, Coach Kelly Itano. PHOTO: AUDREA WALSHIRE By Mallory Gleich Arcadia has been part of the Arizona Lacrosse League (ALL) since 2013, the same year the program began. The ALL was created by the Loftin family, who had two sons who went to Arcadia and helped start the program. In 2016, the team was crowned Arizona Lacrosse League State Champions and they have been striving for that goal ever since. While they didn’t make it to State, Arcadia Lacrosse bounced back from a 4-10 season last year that included just two wins in the division. This year, they set the bar for everyone by going undefeated in the division, 8-0. “We are proud of our boys for delivering the conference championship this year and for our 13-3 record,” Chad Fuller, President of the Arcadia Lacrosse Club, said. The season lasted from mid-February until late April, with 16 games played in total. “We went 8-0 in our conference and were named champions,” Head Coach Dustin Kowell said. “No impact on a playoff run, but a great accomplishment, and it felt awesome being recognized in the league.” The team made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, going up against Brophy II and winning 10-4 in game one. The next match against Perry High saw the Titans defeated by one point, with a final score of 7-6, but the coaches were happy overall. “Our ultimate goal was to improve our culture, get everyone brought into the season, and truly change the brand of Arcadia Lacrosse,” Kowell said. “We did that, amongst other goals, such as winning our conference and first-round playoff game.” Kowell said that the team had many strengths – pushing transition and fast breaks more often, quicker ball movement on the offense, and bringing that “bruiser, physical defensive” mindset to the table. Conversely, the team needed to work on ground ball techniques: “These can win you games but also lose you games. We could always improve here,” Kowell said. Long stick midfielder Andrew Nickle has been playing lacrosse for six years and said he stayed motivated throughout the season thanks to his teammates. “I know that Arcadia has the potential to win it all, and I want to bring it out of my teammates and do something great with the program,” he said. “My goal was to make a statement and show the rest of the league that Arcadia is fundamental and has good sportsmanship and that we can compete at a high level.” “Together with our coaches, amazing parents and the Arcadia community, we built a culture of respect, hard work and fun. This team and program are bonded together like family and it’s a privilege to be a part of it,” Fuller said. “Arcadia High lacrosse is one of the best sports experiences in the Valley, and we hope more people will consider joining our club and being a part of what we are building.” arcadialax.com Arcadia Lacrosse wins conference title in banner year