ROCKFORD, Illinois (WIFR) – Rockford Christian Volleyball is reaching new levels in the 2024 season. The Royal Lions won the Big North Conference for the first time, with only one conference loss all season. Two teens led the way throughout the historic campaign: Maddie Anspaugh and Julia Irvin.

“My goal in high school was to do something that had never been done before in our program,” Anspaugh said. “The important thing now is to move forward and push ourselves to achieve new goals.”

“We really wanted to do this this year,” Irvin said of the conference title. “At first it didn’t look like we could make it, but then we did.”

They have both achieved incredible milestones individually; Anspaugh surpassed 1,000 kills and Irvin surpassed 1,500 assists. The two became the first Royal Lions to achieve these records before they even reached their senior season. The two successes go hand in hand; Anspaugh and Irvin have been varsity players since their freshman year, and their chemistry continues to improve every time they step on the court.

“We are very close on and off the field,” Irvin said. “Our connection is much stronger. It’s also really easy to bring him on, if I give him a bad ball he’ll still get a score.”

“It’s just our friendship and our connection,” Anspaugh said. “He knows how to calm me down if I get stressed and always has a good joke when I get a little angry. But it’s exciting to be able to reach these milestones together.”

After high school, Anspaugh will take his talents to the ACC. The 6’1 junior transferred to Clemson one day after recruiting began over the summer.

“The biggest thing for me was the culture and the coaching staff,” Anspaugh said of his decision to commit to Clemson. “They said, ‘Who you were before you became a volleyball player is more important’, they care about you very much. The ACC is currently the best conference in college volleyball. So it was very important for me to play at the highest level I could.”

Before that, the Royal Lions will focus on the start of the postseason. Rockford Christian won the Regional Championship for the second year in a row but failed to advance past the Regional Semifinals. They’re looking to change that in this year’s postseason run, which begins Tuesday with a Regional Semifinal against Winnebago.

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