Shown in news picture (L to R): Nicole Olson, Ginny Nelson, Brittany Ashworth, Katie Kabbes, Sara Fox, Tara Capecci, Christina Lingley. Not Pictured: Megan Easy, Katie Flaherty, and Katie Slaughter
Team is first-ever NC team to qualify OPEN for USAV Jr. Nationals
The Triangle 18 Kaepa team from 2006 was officially inducted into the North Carolina Volleyball Hall of Fame Court of Honor at a ceremony and luncheon held at Triangle Volleyball Club. In 2006, Triangle 18 Kaepa was the first team ever in North Carolina to qualifiy Open for USAV Girls’ Junior Nationals by defeating the defending 17 Open USAV National Champions KiVA (2005) at The Big South Qualifier in Atlanta.
The match was a four-set thriller (at the time, older Open divisions played 3 out of 5 matches) that captured the attention of all Triangle Volleyball Club members and their families. Occuring before the official JVA/USAV split, this match would be among the few championship matches that would feature the strongest clubs in the country.
The Open qualification of 18 Kaepa changed the landscape of North Carolina volleyball and was clear demonstration that club volleyball in NC had reached a nationally competitive level. To be certain, the qualification history of the Carolina Region took off in 2006. Since that time a total of 32 North Carolina club teams have qualified Open with twenty-three (23) of those teams being teams from Triangle Volleyballl Club.
The members of Triangle 18 Kaepa are:
- Brittany (Horner) Ashworth ’06, Wingate University
- Tara (Enzweiler) Capecci, Notre Dame University
- Katie Flaherty ’07
- Sara (Uniacke) Fox ’06, Wake Forest University
- Megan (Hodge) Easy ’06, Penn State University, 2012 London Olympics Silver Medalist Team USA Womens’ Volleyball
- Katie Kabbes ’08, Penn State University
- Christina (Falcone) Lingley ’06, Duke University
- Ginny (Phillips) Nelson ’07, College of Charleston
- Nicole (Boyle) Olson, Tulsa and Cal State East Bay
- Katie (Camp) Slaughter ’08, UCLA
- Coaches: Co-Founders, Jason Curtis and Casey Caram
In honor of 18 Kaepa, a mural of their historic win and the club all together at Big South was placed in the front stairwell area of Triangle’s facility at the Wake Competition Center.
The members of Triangle 18 Kaepa in front of the mural…
The members of 18 Kaepa and their families at the celebration.
Triangle Co-Founder and Triangle 18 Kaepa Head Coach, Jason Curtis and Executive Director, Sherry Fadool accepting award…