Judah Christian School had a historic 2023–2024 varsity volleyball season!
The Tribe started 24-0, which had never been done before in coach Caesar Talili’s career. During those 24 games, Judah won all but two sets and notched two tournament championships, one at the Blue Ridge Early Bird Invitational on August 26 and the other at the LeRoy Panther Invitational on September 9. The team won their sets during this historic stretch by an average of 12 points.
Senior middle hitter Ava Carder said this about the Blue Ridge tournament: “Last season, we beat Blue Ridge for the first time in a long time. But this year felt even better, because we won the whole tournament. We have been going to this tournament for so long, and we finally won it and just straight-up dominated.”
This season was the first time that Judah was invited to the LeRoy tournament. At LeRoy, Judah advanced to the final in three games before beating undefeated Cerro Gordo to win the championship. “We played very well against some really good teams, and we came out on top,” said senior setter Klementine Davis.
By the time the team reached 16-0, Judah varsity volleyball was ranked first in the News-Gazette out of all area high schools. Judah continued to be ranked first throughout its undefeated stretch. The Tribe’s biggest victories included Arthur Christian, who downed the Tribe in the first set and forced the team to make a thrilling comeback, Westville, who were 18-2 and ranked fourth in the News-Gazette when they played Judah, Cerro Gordo, who were undefeated when they played Judah, host LeRoy in the LeRoy tournament, and Villa Grove in the Blue Ridge tournament.
Unprecedented individual honors accompanied the team’s 24-0 start. On September 14, senior outside hitter Rachel Divan was named the WCIA Athlete of the Week for helping to lead the Tribe to victory after victory. WCIA’s viewing area ranges from the Illinois-Indiana border over to Springfield east to west and from Kankakee down to Effingham north to south. So having a Judah athlete be the WCIA Athlete of the Week is a pretty big deal. And the “athlete of the week” can come from any fall sport: volleyball, soccer, golf, cross country, or football. Judah’s Rachel Divan beat out all of those area athletes.
Rachel said, “It’s more important that the whole team got recognized. I love the environment that the game brings. It’s individual skill and team skill at the same time. You have to work well with your teammates to succeed.”
Team seniors said the fans were a big source of motivation as the victories piled up over the season. The fans became part of the team. Ava Carder said, “We’ve never had this much support. It felt like a true home-court advantage.” “The student section theme days were awesome,” said Klementine Davis, referring to those days when massive numbers of students came to the games with painted faces, inflatable suits, and coordinated colors to show their support for the team and the school. Outside hitter Hannah Jackson said, “It was exciting and motivating to look over and see the student section falling over after a great point. It kept the energy up in the building.” Defensive specialist Grace Maxwell added, “When our energy got a little low, it was reassuring to have the fans there.”
Unfortunately, on the team’s senior night, the Tribe faced their first loss, to Cornerstone Christian Academy. Snapping their flawless 24-0 record could have been disheartening, but for the Tribe, the loss only increased their drive and determination. The following weekend, the Tribe arrived at the conference tournament with the sole goal of beating Cornerstone on their way to becoming the conference champions. And the Tribe did just that. After defeating Greenview, Judah earned the championship title with a two-set statement win over Cornerstone, silencing any doubt about their strength and reclaiming their dominance.
The season’s crowning achievement came with the team’s historic victory in the regional championship. The Tribe played two strenuous regional games, beating Salt Fork first and Villa Grove next, in three close sets, to become the regional champs. It was the first regional title for the varsity volleyball team in Judah’s 40-year history. The team finished the year 28-2.
Judah Christian School couldn’t be more proud of its 2023–2024 high school volleyball team. From the team’s 24-0 start to its regional championship, the girls played for greatness. And it wasn’t just the Judah fanbase saying so. Many people outside of Judah saw the champion hearts of these athletes as well. After one of their first games of the year, players overheard a local referee say, “This may be one of the best Judah volleyball teams I’ve ever seen.”
—Caleb McCullough, class of ’24
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