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Chelsea is heading to super regionals after a late momentum swing powered fourth and fifth-set wins and an area semifinal win over Pelham. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The last time the Chelsea Hornets and Pelham Panthers met in the Class 6A, Area 8 tournament, it was a five-set instant classic. While many of the main actors were recast, the sequel came close to the original.

Chelsea and Pelham traded blows before the Hornets flipped the momentum late in the third set and powered through for fourth and fifth-set victories. That gave Chelsea the 3-2 semifinal win on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Jag Arena and punched the Hornets’ ticket to the South Super Regionals.

The two teams could barely be separated in the opening points and were tied up at 8-8 in the first set. Chelsea then won back-to-back points to take a 10-8 lead, and it would only concede the lead for one point the rest of the set.

The Hornets pulled away for a 17-14 lead off an Alexis Rudolph kill, but Pelham tied it back up at 17-16 to kick off another back-and-forth stretch. Chelsea won three-straight points to take a 21-19 lead and force a Panthers timeout. However, Pelham tied it up at 21-21 and 22-22 to threaten for the win.

Rudolph grabbed another kill for the 23-22 lead, and this time, it was for good, as the Hornets won the first set 25-23.

Pelham roared out of the gate in the second set with back-to-back aces from Aubrie Smith. The Panthers took the lead to 6-2 with a Ryleigh Deaver kill before a Chelsea timeout.

Pelham kept Chelsea at an arm’s length for the next few points ahead of a Hornets run that made it 15-12. However, the Panthers responded emphatically with a 4-0 run to get back out to a 19-13 lead.

That lead wouldn’t last long as the Hornets made one final push with a 3-0 lead to get the score to 21-19. Chelsea stayed within either one or two points in the final stretch, but Pelham won back-to-back points capped by a Claire Robinson kill for the 25-22 wire-to-wire victory.

The back-and-forth nature continued into the start of the third set. After the teams were tied at 4-4, the Panthers took command of the momentum and grabbed an 8-5 lead. While the Hornets briefly broke the serve, Pelham then won eight-straight points for the commanding 15-6 lead.

That proved to be a positive as Chelsea would put a dent in the lead down the stretch, providing the start of a tidal wave of momentum.

After the Panthers led 21-9, a service error started a 5-1 run from the Hornets to make it 22-13. Pelham won the next three points to finish the 25-14 win with a Kaliyah Arrington kill, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

The two teams were once again closely matched in the opening points of the fourth set, especially once Chelsea tied the set at 6-6. The Hornets took a 9-7 lead, and they didn’t trail the rest of the set.

Layne Moller and Sienna Arceneaux kickstarted a 5-0 run that extended the lead to 14-8. That advantage grew to double-digits before Pelham made one final stand, using a Deaver kill and Lilia Couture ace to cut it to 21-14.

Rudolph secured two emphatic kills to regain the momentum, and Chelsea earned the 25-15 win shortly after.

The fifth set mirrored the fourth in many ways, from the 3-3 tie to begin to the 6-2 run that followed. Claire Casey, Chloe Owens and Rudolph helped the Hornets power to a 9-4 lead, and that effectively sealed the match.

Pelham won the next two points to get back within three, but the Hornets would only surrender two more points after that on the road to the win. A pair of failed blocks sealed the 15-8 fifth-set win for Chelsea and started the celebration for a super-regional spot.

While the Hornets went on to be swept by Spain Park in the finals, they will continue their season in the South Super Regionals on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery. Chelsea will face the defending state champions, the Spanish Fort Toros, in the first round with a scheduled start time of 12:15 p.m.

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