REGIONAL VOLLEYBALL: MA tops LAMP for title; both head to state
Montgomery Academy celebrates the fourth straight regional title after beating LAMP on Friday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
After falling behind in the first two sets against area rival Montgomery Academy, LAMP took charge in the third set, jumping out to a quick eight-point lead and holding it for much of the remaining set in winning 25-15.
It was a taste of what LAMP was capable of, but it was also the last gasp of an exhausted team.
“I knew they were tired,” Gordon said. “When (a LAMP player) fell down, she couldn’t hardly get up. They had a hard match with St. Michael. That was some good volleyball that those two teams played, but we just put the pressure on them. We stayed in system and they could not get in system enough to swing at us.”
The Eagles jumped out to an 11-1 lead in the fourth set and poured it on, winning 25-5 and claiming the South Super Regional 4A championship at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Friday afternoon.
“I think we always knew we had it in us and we had that mindset that we were going to be here,” Montgomery Academy senior Virginia Meacham said. “But we did go through a week or two where we were kind of in a dry spell and couldn’t get ourselves out of it. Then something clicked and everything changed. We had to take a step back from it and talk as a team about what was important to us and how we could fix it.”
The Eagles won the regional championship for the fourth consecutive year, but this year’s team had a different journey as it shuffled lineups through a rebuilding process.
“We definitely had to reconnect,” Montgomery Academy senior Lily Anzalone said, “and we connected so well today. We were having so much fun. It was like a whole new team.”
While Montgomery Academy was sweeping a three-set semifinal match from Northside, LAMP was fighting for survival in a five-set battle with St. Michael. The Golden Tigers emerged victorious but didn’t have the stamina to do it again with Montgomery Academy in the finals.
“They were so tired,” LAMP coach Tanielu Mose said. “It was a tough first match, going five (sets) with St. Michael’s and they put all they had in the third set (with Montgomery Academy). Going into the fourth, after the first few errors, they were mentally and physically out of it.”
Montgomery Academy had won the first two sets 25-16 and 25-18 before the Golden Tigers put on an impressive display in the third set. The Eagles responded to the threat with a powerful start to the fourth set that finished off any thoughts of an upset.
“In the fourth set we were going to pretend that (third set) never happened,” Anzalone said. “We kind of found ourselves in that fourth set and it definitely showed.
“It’s textbook that when you win a set, you feel like you don’t have to work as hard in the next one. I feel like that’s what happened to us in the third (set). They won that set. Maybe they just laid off a little in the fourth set and they couldn’t afford to do that.”
For the Golden Tigers, Olivia Hughes had 10 kills, a pair of blocks and a pair of aces, Jailyn Dixon had six kills, Grace Hoffman had four kills, 19 assists and an ace, Kolbi Bates had 15 digs and Annabel Baker had 10 digs and an ace.
For the Eagles, Meacham had 12 kills, four blocks and five digs, Caroline McDaniel had 13 kills, three blocks and six digs, Elle McBride had eight kills and six digs and Addi Vinson had two blocks, seven digs and 34 assists.
Gordon said her team learned some hard lessons early in the championship match and made some adjustments that paid off later.
“We had 14 unforced errors and that’s unusual for us,” she said. “That’s what I told the players, it’s not what they’re doing, it’s what we’re doing to ourselves. So we cleaned ourselves up.”
With the win, Montgomery Academy (25-15) earned its 36th trip to the state tournament, where it has advanced to the finals in each of the past four years and 15 times overall. If the three-time defending state champions return to the finals, it’s quite possible they may see their area rival again.
“That’s our fourth time playing them and it never gets boring,” Meacham said. “I love it. They’re a really good team. They have a chance to fight their way through, just as we do.”
The Eagles didn’t appear to be a championship team a month ago, but they’re certainly playing their best volleyball at the right time of the year.
“The schedule that I created might have been a little too hard this season,” Gordon said, “but it’s brought us to this point.”
4A STATE TOURNAMENT
Bill Harris Arena, Birmingham CrossPlex
Wednesday
Game 1 -- Montgomery Academy (25-15) vs. Good Hope (29-13), noon
Game 2 -- Madison County (38-15) vs. St. Michael (32-11), noon
Game 3 -- Westminster Christian (38-8) vs. Northside (20-8), noon
Game 4 -- LAMP (21-21) vs. West Morgan (42-12), noon
Game 5 -- winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 6 -- winner of Game 3 vs. winner of Game 4, 5 p.m.
Thursday
Game 7 -- Championship, 2 p.m.