New Life Academy middle hitter Abby Thor played like a super hero Tuesday night.
The senior co-captain tallied 20 kills with her hammer-like spikes, propelling the Eagles to a 25-23, 25-17, 29-27 over Heritage Christian Academy at New Life Academy on Tuesday. The Eagles (21-6, 9-0), ranked No. 3 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, clinched the Minnesota Christian Athletic Association title with their victory over No. 4-1A Heritage Christian (22-8, 7-1).
New Life coach Wally Bomgren said he believes Thor is one of the best middle hitters in the state.
“When she gets on, she’s very tough to stop,” Bomgren said. “She lifts everyone up because she demands a lot out of herself, she is very highly trained.”
One person Thor encourages daily is senior setter Kara Stenerson, who had a team-high 47 assists against Heritage Christian. Stenerson is a team co-captain and has more than 3,000 career set assists but called Thor “the core” of the lineup.
“We wouldn’t be able to feed her if we didn’t have the pass and if I didn’t set her, but for the most part, I throw it up to her," Stenerson said. "(Thor) deserves a lot of credit. She leads the team."
This season, Thor eclipsed the 1,000 career-kill mark. She has committed to play at Minnesota-Duluth, the No.1-ranked volleyball team in Division II.
Thor said she’s transformed from a quiet, organized leader to a more vocal this season.
“I’ve kind of taken that upon myself, to keep the energy high, keep everyone engaged and everyone try together on the court,” Thor said.
However, she’s more quiet and reserved off the court, Stenerson said. The pair have a lot of the same classes, but Stenerson said Thor’s vocal presence isn’t as noticeable in school.
“It’s like a different person on the court, which is awesome,” Stenerson said.
Another great aspect of Thor is the engagement she has with the program's younger players. The Eagles pair varsity and junior varsity players as mentors with C team or junior high players.
Bomgren said he can tell Thor loves the experiences with the younger players, adding that she took her seventh-grade protege to a Concordia-St. Paul volleyball game.
Not only do the younger players look up to Thor, but so do all of her teammates.
Her height is listed at 6-foot-2 on the roster, which gives her the title of the tallest Eagle.
Thor said her size is “very important” and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I’m blessed to be tall," she said. "I wouldn’t want to be short. I love my height."
Her stature in the middle of the front line will be instrumental if New Life wants to accomplish three goals this season.
The Eagles knocked out the first on Tuesday, winning the conference title.
The second is to win the Section 4 championship, but it won't be easy with St. Paul Highland Park, No. 12 Hill-Murray and No. 3 Concordia Academy - which went to state last season - in the section.
This year marks the first in which the New Life Academy is competing in Class 2A.
Stenerson said the Eagles welcome opportunity to play up a class.
“I don’t think were intimidated at all, we’ve played a lot of these teams, we know what they’re like,” Stenerson said. “We’re really happy being up a level and playing better competition.”
The Eagles' third goal is win the Class 2A state championship.
Thor said the team’s mentality will play a huge role in New Life being crowned state champions.
“It depends on if we all believe we can do it," Thor said. "I believe we can beat anyone in the state if we put our minds to it. It’s just a matter if we show up and play that game."
