Prestonwood Christian Academy volleyball traveled to Las Vegas this past weekend for one of the most competitive tournaments of the season, and the Lady Lions showed they belonged among the nation’s best.

Competing in the 2026 Durango Fall Classic on Sept. 18-19, PCA opened the tournament with three impressive victories in pool play before advancing to the Gold Bracket. The Lady Lions continued their strong run Saturday with a thrilling victory over Cathedral Catholic before finishing the tournament with hard fought matches against Orangewood Christian and ‘Iolani.

The Durango Fall Classic featured a 64-team field, including 13 programs ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25, giving PCA an opportunity to test itself against some of the top teams from across the country.

PCA opened Friday against Fatih Lutheran, earning 2-0 victory behind set scores of 25-15 and 25-19. The Lady Lions controlled the match from the start, finishing with 18 kills, eight blocks, 10 aces, and 19 digs. Gracie White led the way offensively with six kills while hitting .625, while Hayden Thoas added four total blocks.

The Lady Lions kept the momentum rolling against Centennial (Calif.), sweeping the Huskies 2-0. Taylor Johnson paced the PCA attack with 10 kills and added three aces, while Evann Beville recorded 13 assists. The victory pushed PCA’s winning streak to six matches at the time.

PCA closed pool play Friday evening with another 2-0 victory, this time over Poly Prep Country Day from Brooklyn, New York. Johnson again led the offense with eight kills, while Beville contributed 12 assists and three aces. The victory gave the Lady Lions their seventh consecutive win and sent them into Saturday’s championship bracket with plenty of momentum.

The Lady Lions opened Gold Bracket play against Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, a nationally ranked program that entered the tournament with a 12-2 record. PCA battled through a back-and-forth match to earn 2-1 victory, taking the opening set 25-22, dropping the second 25-23 and answering with a 25-21 win in the deciding set.

Johnson delivered another standout performance with 16 kills, while White recorded five total blocks. Nyla Livings added nine kills, 10 digs, and a solo block as PCA’s balanced attack and defensive effort carried the Lady Lions through the three-set battle. The team finished with 39 kills, seven blocks, three aces, and 42 digs.

The Lady Lions then faced Orangewood Christian, one of the tournament’s undefeated teams, in another tightly contested matchup. PCA took the opening set, but the Rams answered by winning the final two sets to secure a 2-1 victory.

Johnson once again powered the offense, finishing with 19 kills while hitting .419. Hayden Thomas added nine kills at a .444 hitting percentage, while White contributed four total blocks. PCA finished the match with 38 kills, seven blocks, six aces and 33 digs.

The Lady Lions closed the tournament against ‘Iolani of Hawaii in the Gold bracket fifth-place match. ‘Iolani entered the matchup after a strong tournament of its own, including wins over Foothill, Mercy Academy, Vista Murrieta and Harrisburg. They ultimately earned a 2-0 victory over PCA, 25-20, 25-21.

Across the weekend, PCA’s attack continued to be led by Johnson, while Livings, White, Thomas, and the rest of the Lady Lions contributed in every phase of the game. Despite the final two losses, the weekend provided PCA with exactly the high-level competition that can sharpen a team as the season progresses.

The Durango Fall Classic gave PCA another opportunity to compete on a national stage, and the Lady Lions made the most of it. After facing some of the country’s top programs in Las Vegas, PCA returns home with valuable experience and a 25-4 record as the regular season continues.

The Lady Lions will now turn their attention back to TAPPS district play, carrying the lessons and intensity from one of the country’s premier high school volleyball tournaments into the next stretch of the season.

UP NEXT
Prestonwood Christian Academy vs Bishop Lynch
Tuesday, September 22 | 6:00 p.m.
Field House | Prestonwood Christian Academy

Go Lions!