AHSAA VOLLEYBALL: Montgomery Academy falls in 4A finals
By TIM GAYLE
Westminster Christian scored the last three points in the fifth set, using a Meg Paparella kill for the final point to help the Huntsville private school capture its first state volleyball championship in a 3-2 win over Montgomery Academy in the 4A finals at Birmingham CrossPlex’s Harris Arena on Thursday.
“I’ve been dreaming about this since last year,” Paparella said. “We came out with a bunch of energy.”
Montgomery Academy (27-16), a veteran in the state volleyball tournament, had defeated the Wildcats in the 2020 quarterfinals on the way to the Eagles’ third consecutive state championship, but returned in 2021 with an entirely new squad.
Thursday’s match marked the fifth consecutive appearance in the state finals for MA. In 2017, the Eagles lost by an identical 15-13 score in the fifth set to Bayside Academy.
Westminster (41-8) captured the school’s first-ever volleyball title in its first trip to the volleyball finals. The Wildcats had made it as far as the semifinals in 1999 (as a 1A program) and in 2010 (as a 2A program).
“Our composure in the fifth set is really a testament to how much these girls wanted a state championship,” Westminster coach Holly Richards said. “They were not going to let anything stop them.”
Montgomery Academy led for most of the first set, with a Lily Anzalone kill giving the Eagles a 21-15 lead. Westminster responded with a 10-2 run to grab the first set 25-23.
The Eagles fought back to tie the second set, breaking a 21-21 tie with the final four points of the set.
The Wildcats led by as much as eight points (15-7) in the third set, holding on to take command of the match with a third-set victory.
Much like the second set, Montgomery Academy shifted gears late, breaking a 15-15 tie by scoring six of the next seven points on the way to a 25-18 win.
In the fifth set, the Eagles scored three consecutive points to tie the set at 10-10 and later took a 13-12 lead on an Isabella Johnson kill, only to watch the Wildcats score the final three points.
Senior Virginia Meacham had one of her best performances for Montgomery Academy, recording 16 kills, four blocks, an assist and three digs.
Most of the points came as a result of the younger players in their first year of varsity action. Johnson, a sophomore, had nine kills, four blocks and a dig; freshman Caroline McDaniel had 13 kills, a pair of aces and five digs; freshman Elle McBride had 18 kills, an assist, six digs and a block; and freshman Addi Vinson had 54 assists, a pair of kills, an ace, a pair of blocks and 11 digs.
“They never gave up,” Montgomery Academy coach Julie Gordon said of her players. “They came out and battled and won the fourth set and battled in the fifth. They never quit. They kept fighting. You can’t help but be proud of them.”
Paparella was a thorn in MA’s side, recording 22 kills, 18 digs and five blocked shots, while teammate Calli Tanielu had 14 kills, 16 digs and four blocked shots. Paparella was chosen as the most valuable player and was joined on the -all-tournament team by Tanielu and Brianna Tinsley of Westminster and Vinson, Meacham and McBride of Montgomery Academy.
For Montgomery Academy, Jenna Chandler had six digs, Anzalone had three kills and three blocks, Mattie Freeman had two assists, four aces and 11 digs, Riley Renfroe had four digs, Pierson Hartley had five kills, one dig and two blocks and Avery Arden Pemberton had 31 digs and two assists.
The two teams may reprise their roles next year, courtesy of the Competitive Balance Factor. The Wildcats, a Class 4A program, will be elevated to 5A in volleyball in 2022-23. Montgomery Academy, a Class 3A program, was elevated to 4A in 2020-21 and accumulated enough points with two trips to the finals to move up to 5A in 2022-23.