County volleyball teams headed to state
Published 12:02 pm Tuesday, October 29, 2013
By DREW GRANTHUM/Sports Writer
The following is a report of all of the county volleyball squads that participated in the AHSAA super regional tournaments, held Oct. 25-26.
Vincent
The Yellow Jackets were able to punch their ticket to Huntsville by finishing runner-up to Altamont in the finals of the Area 10 tournament in Class 2A. The Yellow Jackets took on Sand Rock in the opening round. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, the Wildcats proved to be too much, taking the match in three sets. The loss eliminated Vincent from state championship contention.
Indian Springs
The Indian Springs School grabbed a spot in the Montgomery super regional by taking the Class 3A Area 8 tournament championship over Leeds. In the opener, ISS took down Dale County in three sets, 25-10, 25-10 and 25-12. A win over Montgomery-Catholic followed, propelling ISS to the semifinals, where it fell to Cottage Hill Christian in three sets. Despite the loss, Indian Springs secured a spot in the state tournament as the No. 4 seed from the south super regional. ISS will square off with Madison Academy in the first round Oct. 30.
Calera
The Calera Eagles attended the Montgomery super regional by virtue of capturing the Class 4A Area 7 championship with a sweep of Bibb County in the finals. In the opener, the Eagles dispatched powerhouse Alabama Christian in four sets. In the second round, Calera took on Dora, and again, took care of the Bulldogs in four sets. In the semifinals, the Eagles matched up against UMS-Wright, and defeated the Bulldogs in a sweep. In the super regional finals, Calera took on St. James, falling in three sets. Despite the loss, the Eagles will enter the state tournament as the No. 2 seed out of the south super regional, and will face Pope John Paul II in at the Birmingham Crossplex Oct. 30.
Briarwood Christian
The Lions made their way to Huntsville following a runner-up finish to John Carroll in the Class 5A Area 9 tournament. Unfortunately for the Lions, it was a short stay, as BCS fell to Brewer in the opening round, 25-18, 25-15 and 25-7.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s berth in the super regionals came courtesy of a runner up to Pelham in the finals of the Class 6A Area 8 tournament. In the opening round, the Hornets took on Robertsdale, where they dispatched the Golden Bears in five sets. In the second round, the Hornets faced county foe Thompson, where they fell in three sets. The Hornets’ season came to a close with the loss.
Pelham
In the opening round of the super regional tournament, held OCt. 25-26 in Montgomery, the Panthers squared off with the Fairhope Pirates. Pelham dismissed the Pirates in three sets, 25-18, 25-22 and 25-15. Sarah Sudd led the squad in aces with four, Hiett had 12 kills and Hayley Brisendine had 15 digs.
In the next round, the Panthers took on the Enterprise Wildcats. It was another sweep for Pelham, capturing each set 25-11, 25-18 and 25-23. Brisendine, Sudd and Bass each had four aces, Hiett had 13 kills and Emily Jackson had 25 assists.
Another sweep followed, this time against Baker. The Panthers held the Hornets to 25-17, 30-28 and 35-22. Sudd led with four aces, Caitland Smith had 11 digs and Brisendine had 28 digs. The win against Baker clinched a spot in the state championship tournament in Birmingham Oct. 30-31.
From there, Pelham took on McGill-Toolen in the semi-finals, falling in three sets. Smith had 10 kills, Brisendine had 22 digs and Jackson had 25 assists.
Despite the loss, the squad captured the No. 3 south seed in the state tournament, and will face Bob Jones on Oct. 30.
Thompson
The Warriors made it to Montgomery after capturing the Class 6A Area 7 championship by dismissing Prattville in three sets. In the opening round, the Warriors defeated Dothan in three sets, 25-10, 25-11 and 25-8. The next round saw Thompson take down county rival Chelsea, 3-0, to move to the semifinals against Baker. The Hornets proved to be no match for the Warriors, as Thompson finished off Baker in three sets to reach the finals against McGill-Toolen. The Warriors came up short against the Yellow Jackets, falling in three sets. Despite the loss, Thompson will carry the No. 2 south seed into the state championship Oct. 30. The Warriors will face Huntsville in the opening round.