CLASS 4A SUPER REGIONAL: LAMP, Catholic advance to regional semis
LAMP’s Kaylei Mixon and Jailon Dixon block the shot of Munford’s Kaylen Turner Henderson during action in the Class 4A South Super Regional at the Multiplex on Thursday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Mark Eubanks couldn’t hide the disappointment a year ago.
He had taken over as head volleyball coach of a LAMP program that seemed destined to return to the state tournament and then, just as the Golden Tigers reached the South Super Regional, a virus that ran through the players (and Eubanks) left the team sitting at home for the 2022 state tournament, the victim of a collapse in the second round of the super regional against Satsuma.
Eubanks wouldn’t have to remind his players this year. LAMP (27-13) defeated Jackson in an opening-round matchup and Munford on Thursday afternoon to earn the program its fourth state tournament berth in school history.
The Golden Tigers have two games remaining in the super regional, facing Catholic on Friday at 10 a.m. and advancing to either the consolation match or the championship match, both at 1 p.m., but both games are simply for seeding purposes in the state tournament.
LAMP earned the right to return to Birmingham with a win over Munford in four sets, 25-20, 25-23, 18-25 and 25-21.
“I’m speechless,” Eubanks said. “We got so close (last year) and had a lot of people that ended up getting sick. But the group of seniors made a commitment to themselves that they wanted to come back and make a run. As long as you’ve got a No. 12 (Jailyn Dixon), anything is possible.”
Dixon is one of seven seniors on LAMP’s team, along with Grace Liu, Maia McKinney, Lacey Rust, Kayden Callahan, Grayson Dickert and McKenna Speigner. They all joined the volleyball team at the Montgomery magnet school after former coach Dee Wilson built the Golden Tigers into a championship contender.
The super regional is now in its 12th year, but the Golden Tigers never made it out of area play in the first seven years. Wilson, hired to build a program, delivered with three consecutive trips to the state tournament, reaching the 4A semifinals each time before she left the school to take a job in Arkansas.
Eubanks, hired to continue Wilson’s work, paid homage to the coach after reaching the state tournament for the fourth time in the last five years.
“The taste left in the girls’ mouths a year ago pushed them to want to accomplish this goal, qualifying for state,” he said. “As a coach, you sit back and cherish these moments because they could have easily got to this point and given up or not wanted to try and run it back.
“The academics (at LAMP) are so demanding that they make so many sacrifices. And the seniors made sacrifices to try to make it to state and keep what Coach Wilson started here at LAMP going.”
The Golden Tigers jumped out to an early lead over Munford, largely on the performance of Dixon, easily one of the most talented outside hitters in the state. Eubanks called Dixon “the ultimate teammate. She’s always encouraging, always uplifting her teammates, reassures them. She’s a coach’s dream.”
But the dream faded a little after Munford captured the third set and took an early lead in the fourth set. Eubanks knew he needed his team to focus on their goal of returning to the state tournament and take care of the Lions.
“I called a timeout when the score was 10-6 and reiterated that that team was not going to lay down,” Eubanks said. “I also reminded them how momentum works in volleyball. You could be up two sets on a team and if that mojo shifts, you can be down before you know it. I told them we had to lock in and play LAMP volleyball.”
Catholic moves into Regional semis
After mowing down Orange Beach to qualify for the state tournament, Catholic’s volleyball team may be hitting its peak at the right time.
“The past couple of weeks, I think we’ve been jelling a lot more, clicking a lot more,” senior Mally Barranco said.
It’s been a season of transition for the Knights, who have gone from a state championship team to a quieter contender that features interchangeable hitters and a new head coach.
“It’s definitely been different,” Barranco said, “but our standards have been the same. We’re just continuing to work, keeping what we know works and continuing to win.”
Thursday’s 3-0 win over Orange Beach was a perfect example of a team that just quietly went about its business. The Knights won 25-17, 25-18 and 25-19, using 11 kills from senior Kathryn Reardon, eight kills and two aces from Zaria Rudolph, five kills and two blocks by Grace Levanda and six kills and two blocks from Harper Howell, along with 14 digs by Barranco and 34 assists by Maria Schwarz.
“We’re playing well,” Catholic coach Jenn Denham said. “The girls are executing what they’re supposed to really well. Unfortunately, us and Orange Beach and Trinity and UMS-Wright all got a tough draw. I’m proud of the girls the way they came out.”
The Knights return to the court on Friday with a semifinal matchup against LAMP at 10 a.m. and either a championship match or a consolation match at 1 p.m. The two matches on Friday are for seeding in next week’s state tournament at Birmingham’s CrossPlex.
“It’s definitely a good feeling,” Barranco said. “It’s a step closer to our goal. But we’re not done yet.”
And while the Knights were relaxed and confident in their super regional appearance this week, Thursday’s qualifying win had to be satisfying to Denham, who was hired to coach a state tournament-caliber team and met the expectations on Thursday.
“I definitely feel relief,” she said, “but more than anything, I’m proud of the girls. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point, so for them to be able to go back to state, that’s what matters.”