​Cherokee volleyball won its first state title in program history on Oct. 31.The Braves swept Manteo 26-24, 25-20, 25-20 to win the NCHSAA 2A state championship at Gilbert Craig Gore Arena at Campbell University.Outside hitter Joscelyn Stamper led Cherokee with 14 kills and was named the Most Valuable Player.The volleyball championship adds another accomplishment to an already remarkable athletic career for Stamper. She has won four individual state championships in shot put and discus, along with three basketball state championships. She is committed to UNC for track and field.The Braves already have established themselves as one of North Carolina’s premier girls basketball programs, winning three consecutive state championships. But Stamper said in a postgame news conference that they wanted to win a state title in volleyball as well. “Volleyball was different,” she said. “People, when we did get beat, just say, ‘Oh well, you got it in basketball.’  We never did have that mindset. It’s personal, we want one in volleyball. When volleyball rolled around, we were always focused, and it’s been the goal for five years now.”The Braves finish the 2026 season with a 30-7 record; four of those seven losses were to out-of-state teams.The championship capped a remarkable turnaround for the program. The Braves endured four winless seasons during the stretch from 2015 through the 2020-21 season. This year’s senior class leaves Cherokee with a 106-22 record.With the victory, Cherokee becomes the first WNC volleyball program to win a state championship since West Henderson and Polk County captured titles in 2024.The region came up short of another championship on Oct. 31, as Robbinsville fell 3-0 to Falls Lake Academy in the NCHSAA 1A state title match.Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Cherokee volleyball wins first NCHSAA state championship in program history