The Lady Braves huddle together during their NCHSAA 1A West Regional Championship game versus (#3) Polk Co. in Charles George Memorial Arena on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 31. FINAL SCORES 15-25, 15-25, 19-25. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photo)
By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) punch another historic season in the books, ending their 2024-25 season as the NCHSAA 1A West Regional Runner-Up.
The Lady Braves made history by advancing to the NCHSAA 1A West Regional Championship for the first time, ending with a 25-2 record, the best in school history, and entering the NCHSAA 1A playoff bracket as the no. 1 seed. They were also regular season and Smoky Mountain Conference (SMC) Tournament champions, and came away with several All Conference and All Region honors:
SMC Coach of the Year: Pam Price
SMC Player of the Year: Joscelyn Stamper
SMC Specialist of the Year: Dvdaya Swimmer
SMC All Conference: Alexis Davis, Daisee Fourkiller-Raby, Kyla Moore
SMC All Conference (honorable mention): Kieran Wolfe, Lilly Lossiah, Livia Crowe
All Region: Alexis Davis, Dvdaya Swimmer, Joscelyn Stamper
**Note: Statistics from the Oct. 31 Polk Co. loss are not yet available.
As of Oct. 29, Player of the Year So. Middle (#13) Joscelyn Stamper tallied 429 kills, 74 aces, 49 solo blocks, and 226 digs. She averaged 5.1 kills per set, a kill percentage of 49.5, and a serving percentage of 93.6.
Specialist of the Year Jr. Libero (#4) Dvdaya Swimmer tallied 327 digs, 29 aces, averaging 4.6 digs per set, and a serving percentage of 90.1. She also received 196 serves successfully and had only ten errors.
All Region Sr. Middle (#6) Alexis Davis tallied 270 kills, 56 aces, 22 solo blocks, and 163 digs. She averaged 3.2 kills per set, a kill percentage of 41.1, and a serving percentage 90.8. Davis is going to continue her volleyball career at Maryville College.
As a team, the Lady Braves tallied 984 kills, 266 aces, and 1,403 digs. They averaged a kill percentage of 38.5 and a serving percentage of 90.7.
The Cherokee Lady Braves volleyball team said it wasn’t the outcome they wanted, but they couldn’t be prouder to make school history. They also gave out a special award, Best Manager, to Evie Nations.
Congratulations to the Lady Braves on another historic season. As the Lady Braves said, a 2025-26 State Championship is in sight.
