Tawa’s HS Volleyball Dots: Wins Sweeping Down The Plain in OK

This is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly look at 10 things in high school volleyball, past or present, that interest me and hopefully will interest you. Look for Dots every Tuesday until the last high school state championship in November:

• It has begun.

State championship season is upon us. It started with a trickle last weekend, when the two smallest Oklahoma classes crowned champions; continues this week with the larger classes and all of Tennessee; and soon will turn into a torrent — at least a dozen states will determine champions the first week of November.

Before the month is up, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas and Maine will join Oklahoma and Tennessee in completing their fall campaigns.

So many teams have made winning titles in 2023 a primary goal. Will their hopes and aspirations be realized? Only a select few teams will be able to hang state championship banners when all is said and done.

• Let the official record reflect that Christian Heritage Academy and Community Christian are the first two state champions of this fall season.

CHA, of Del City, won the Oklahoma 3A title for the first time since winning four in a row from 2014-2017.

Community Christian, of Norman, won state for the third time in four seasons and fifth overall, but first as a 4A school.

Christian Heritage’s run to the title is particularly fascinating. The Crusaders were just 18-17 going into the playoffs before reeling off five straight wins to take the title. CHA, the fourth seed at state, took the championship by defeating top-seeded Southwest Covenant in a sweep. Southwest Covenant is coached by Heath Kufahl, who was the coach at Christian Heritage for its previous four titles. Kufahl’s daughter and two nieces played AGAINST him in the final. Reese Kufahl, his sophomore daughter who plays on the right for CHA, had 10 kills and two blocks in the match.

Hannah Joy Nuthman led the way in victory with 15 kills and 16 digs.