Wake Christian Varsity Volleyball Begins Campaign To Defend Their State Title

The Wake Christian Academy Varsity Volleyball program has been building toward this kind of season for years.

The Bulldogs made the Final Four in 2021, finished as state runner-up in both 2022 and 2023, and returned to the Final Four in 2024. Then, in 2025, everything came together as Wake Christian captured the NCISAA 3A State Championship.

Now the Bulldogs are back for another season. But this year, Head Coach Malcolm Deans and Assistant Coach Justin Scott want to be clear about what’s really driving the program: this isn’t just about defending a championship. It’s about building a culture.

A Championship Five Years in the Making

Wake Christian’s volleyball program has a long history of success dating back to 1982, with championship banners, runner-up finishes, and Final Four appearances throughout the years.

The past five seasons, however, have been especially successful:

• 2021 — Final Four
• 2022 — State Runner-Up
• 2023 — State Runner-Up
• 2024 — Final Four
• 2025 — NCISAA 3A State Champions

Last season, the Bulldogs finished 26-7 overall and went a perfect 10-0 in conference play, part of a stretch that has seen them go 18-0 in conference play over the last two seasons. They ended the year ranked 23rd in the state before making their run to the state championship.

It was the result of several years of consistently strong volleyball, and the Bulldogs finally got to finish the job.

A New Theme, A Bigger Vision

This season, Coach Deans and the Bulldogs are playing under a new team theme: We LOVE LOUD. We LEAD STRONG.

It’s more than a slogan. It’s the standard the coaching staff has set for how this team will grow and how this team will win — not just through talent and preparation, but through the way the players love each other, lead each other, and represent Wake Christian both on and off the court.

The championship banner matters. But for Coach Deans and Coach Scott, it’s a byproduct of something bigger: a program culture built to last well beyond any single season.

The 2026-27 Season Is Underway

The new season got started with a preseason clinic against High Point Christian Academy on August 3, followed by the annual Alumni Game on August 6. The Alumni Game gave the current Bulldogs a chance to share the court with some of the players who helped build Wake Christian’s volleyball tradition over the years.

Once the season officially got going, the Bulldogs wasted little time getting back into the win column:

• 8/11 — Swept Cary Christian, 3-0, in the conference opener
• 8/14 — Swept Durham Academy, 3-0
• 8/17 — Defeated Garner, 3-0
• 8/18 — Defeated Cary Academy, 3-1

Four matches in, and the Bulldogs are off to a strong start.

Defending the Crown, Building the Culture

There’s a different kind of pressure that comes with being the defending state champion. Teams know what you’re capable of, and everyone wants the chance to be the team that knocks off the defending champs.

That’s part of what makes this season so exciting. But for Coach Deans, Coach Scott, and the Bulldogs, the mission goes beyond the scoreboard.

The goal isn’t simply to repeat what happened in 2025. It’s to build something that lasts — a culture of loving loud and leading strong that will define this program for years to come.

We’ll be following the Bulldogs throughout the season as they look to grow, lead, and make another run at the state championship.

Go Bulldogs!