VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY RECAP: MA, STJ, Catholic cruise to area titles
Action from Thursday’s AHSAA Area Volleyball Tournaments featuring Catholic and St. James. (Eddie Olszewski)
COMPILED by TIM GAYLE and DYLAN HURST
Last year, Virginia Meacham and Lily Anzalone were surrounded by talented seniors who led the Montgomery Academy volleyball team to its third straight state championship.
This year, the Eagles look a little different when they take the floor.
“Throughout this whole season, we’ve had to figure out what works for us,” Meacham said. “It was hard coming in here and looking around like, ‘Where are the seniors? Oh wait, that’s us.’ Then you look at the freshmen and none of us think of them as freshmen. It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in, if you can play volleyball, you can play volleyball.
These freshmen aren’t ordinary players, however. Caroline McDaniel, Addi Vinson and Elle McBride are among the most talented players on either side of the court.
“Once we started playing, you could tell they could do it,” Meacham said. “Once they’re seniors, they’ll be better than any of us.”
“We had to completely ignore titles,” Anzalone added. “We had to learn to just be happy for each other. We’ve both grown really good relationships with the freshmen. We made sure we grew those relationships so they wouldn’t feel intimidated by us and would feel more confident to play with us.”
The more things change, the more they stay the same. A different Montgomery Academy team followed the same script, winning an area tournament for the 37th consecutive year as the Eagles swept a talented LAMP team in impressive fashion, 25-20, 25-13 and 25-16 at Joe Mooty Court on Thursday.
“It’s rewarding, no matter what,” Meacham said. “Any time you win, it always feels good. Especially this year. We knew it was going to be tougher.”
Vinson was the tournament’s most valuable player. Joining her on the all-tournament team were McBride and Avery Arden Pemberton, LAMP’s Olivia Hughes and Grace Hoffman and Alabama Christian’s Claire Forrester.
“This team is just amazing,” Montgomery Academy coach Julie Gordon said. “Everybody’s bought in. It’s a new commitment and it showed. LAMP is a great team. They have a lot of talent. We’ll see them again, probably in the regional finals. They’re all great players, but I feel like we’re playing well right now.”
It didn’t start out that way. Like any tradition-rich program, talented players were waiting in line to fill the roles of 2020 seniors, only to have three freshmen steal the spotlight.
“I’ve gone through so many lineups,” Gordon said. “People that I never expected got better. I’ve told them from day one I was going to put the best people on the floor. Some people aren’t happy but I’ve put the best product on the floor. It’s hard to make everybody happy. I hate it, it hurts my heart, too.”
As she put deserving players on the bench in an effort to find the right chemistry, the Eagles became a target for teams that have been on the losing end of matches over the years.
“Having that target on our back was a little scary at first,” Anzalone said. “But we started playing and you realize it’s good to have that target on your back. People want to beat you and that’ll make us play even harder to show what we really have.”
The schedule never changed, even though Gordon knew this year’s team would be a rebuilding effort.
“If we had all returners, it would’ve been tough for them,” Gordon said. “That’s why we’ve gotten so good in these last two weeks, for the tournaments we’ve been going to. The losses have made us better and we’ve grown closer as a team and started winning some of those games.”
As Gordon pointed out, the lineups have changed throughout the season, but even those that aren’t starting see the floor for valuable minutes in each game.
“The lineup we have now, people weren’t in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season,” Anzalone said. “People want to be on the court and they show that in practice and they show that if they’re on the bench, they cheer really loud, they do the best they can just to be a part of the team.”
Over the last three weeks, the Eagles played in the Heffstrong Tournament at Spain Park and in a tournament at Homewood, facing some of the state’s best volleyball programs. There’s a match where MA lost to Spain Park 35-33 in the second set and came back in the next match and defeated Mountain Brook. There’s another where they defeated one of the state’s top 5A teams, Alexandria.
“They just needed to see the inner strength they had,” Gordon said. “It made them play with more confidence.”
Montgomery Academy (22-15) is playing its best volleyball at the right time of the year, but is that enough? The previous three years, it was.
“I play soccer and it’s the same thing, ‘there’s no way you’re going to win this year, too,’” Meacham said. “But each year is a different year. You never know what you’re going to get, what team you’re going to play. You never know what team you’re going to be.”
The Eagles play Indian Springs in the opening round of the South Super Regional on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. If they win that match and defeat the Jackson-Munford winner in a second-round match at 3:30 p.m., they’ll be back in the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year.
“We have the same skill set as everyone else,” Meacham said. “Underestimate us all you want, but we’re still going to be able to do what we can do.”
CATHOLIC WINS 3A AREA 6 TOURNEY
The Montgomery Catholic Knights defeated the Trinity Wildcats 3-1 in the 3A Area 6 volleyball tournament at Catholic on Thursday and the home court was an advantage in the intense rivalry, Catholic freshman Harper Howell said.
“We were very, very grateful to be able to play at home,” she said. “Our fans helped us a lot, and that’s one thing about Catholic, we’re all family.”
This family atmosphere was on full display as family members and other Catholic student athletes filled the gym to cheer on the Knights to a four-set victory as the cheers from the Catholic side were deafening.
Both teams advanced to play in next week’s South Super Regional at the Multiplex on Wednesday, with Catholic (34-6) playing Flomaton in an opening round match at 12:45 p.m., with the winner playing the Mobile Christian-Thomasville winner at 6:30 p.m. for a berth in the state tournament.
“It definitely gives us good placing, and we just have to win our next two games on Wednesday to progress to state,” said Howell.
The Knights took the first set easily, 25-18, but the Wildcats answered quickly and tied the match after a strong 25-16 showing. The Knights then regained a 2-1 lead in the match after a dominant third set, winning 25-15. In a close fourth set, the Knights pulled away late to win 25-20.
Trinity head coach Sarah Dubberley wasn’t thrilled to play in a hostile environment, but knew that it would help her team get exposed early to a big-game crowd.
“It’s not exactly what we wanted, but I think it’s good for the girls to see,” she said. “From here on out, all of our games will be on the big stage.”
The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak by the Wildcats (40-7), who fell to 1-3 against Catholic this season and could face the Knights again in both the regionals and the state tournament.
“Our focus will be the same as it’s been all year, a focus on mental toughness,” said Dubberley.
The 34 Area 6 Super Regionals will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 12:45 p.m.
St. James WINS 6A AREA TOURNEY
There are still moments, St. James coach Karen Lee admits, when her nine-man volleyball squad seems a bit overwhelmed at the 6A level.
“Honestly, with just nine, we’ve had to stay healthy,” Lee said. “Thankfully, we’ve been injury-free for the most part. The team is getting a lot of opportunity to play, which helps you in the long run when you’re not having to substitute a lot and you have players that need court time. It’s been good in the fact that everybody has gotten a lot of court time.”
The Trojans (20-15) ran through the 6A Area 3 tournament much the same way they ran through the Area 3 competition during the season. St. James was 10-15 against the rest of the competition but 10-0 against Area 3, going 8-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in tournament play to advance to the South Super Regional next week at the Multiplex as one of the eight area champions.
G.W. Carver defeated Park Crossing in an opening round match at St. James on Thursday, sweeping the Thunderbirds 25-12, 25-23 and 25-7 to earn the right to face St. James. Sidney Lanier defeated Robert E. Lee 25-19, 22-25, 25-20 and 25-23 to reach the finals, while St. James defeated Carver 25-14, 25-6 and 15-19 to reach the finals.
In the championship round, St. James defeated the Poets 25-7, 23-25, 25-9 and 25-3.
“I’m very pleased with the way we played,” Lee said. “I don’t like it when we ‘dip’ a little bit, but I am very pleased with the girls, once you refocus them, how they get the job done. So I am pleased with how we played and how we came out No. 1 in our area so that we have a better path at Super Regionals.”
As the area runner-up, Sidney Lanier will face John Carroll in an opening round match and, should the Poets make it to Thursday afternoon, the St. Paul’s Episcopal-Spanish Fort winner. St. James, meanwhile, will face Hueytown in an opening round match and, should the Trojans make it to Thursday afternoon, a quartet that includes Saraland and Pelham.
“It’s very favorable,” Lee noted.
St. James, elevated to 5A in 2018 and to 6A in 2020 by the Competitive Balance Factor, can drop back down to 5A in 2022 if the Trojans are eliminated before reaching the state tournament. To qualify for the state tournament (and a return to 6A in 2022), St. James defeat Hueytown in a first-round regional and the Opelika-Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa) winner in a second-round matchup.
Lee likes the way her team is playing as it prepares for a return to the South Super Regional, where the Trojans were upset by Wetumpka in a first-round match last year.
“We’ve been able to get into system and offense more and run more plays in the postseason and that has come through a lot of bumps in the road,” she said, “but I think they finally realize we can run regular things, which a lot of people do, but when we run the plays that we’ve been working on a lot this season, that has helped us ‘up’ our play.”
Pike Road SWEEPS 5A AREA TOURNEY
Pike Road swept the 5A Area 5 tournament at Brewbaker Tech on Thursday to advance to the South Super Regional and avoid facing perennial champion Bayside Academy in a first-round match next week.
The Patriots reached the area tournament finals by sweeping third-seeded Tallassee 25-9, 25-11 and 25-11 while Brew Tech was sweeping Beauregard. In the finals, Pike Road swept the Rams 25-14, 25-15 and 25-15 to repeat as area tournament champions.
Last year, Pike Road’s title didn’t help as Rehobeth upset the Patriots in the first round at Garrett Coliseum while Brew Tech lost to Providence Christian. This year, Pike Road will face Elberta (which reached the state tournament in 2020) while Brew Tech faces Bayside Academy next Wednesday in an opening round match at the Multiplex.
For the Patriots, Gracie Branham had 24 kills, 13 digs and three aces, Kirsten Hill had 32 digs and four aces, Allie Lovrich had 16 kills, 18 digs and four aces, Kendall Rice had 12 kills and seven digs and Rylie Fureigh had 39 assists, 12 digs and six aces.
SOUTH SUPER REGIONAL PAIRINGS (MULTIPLEX AT CRAMTON BOWL)
CLASS 3A
Wednesday’s First-Round Games
Beulah vs. Opp, 11:30 a.m.
Hale County vs. Wicksburg, 11:30 a.m.
St. Luke’s vs. Excel, 12:45 p.m.
T.R. Miller vs. Trinity, 12:45 p.m.
Catholic vs. Flomaton, 12:45 p.m.
Thomasville vs. Mobile Christian, 12:45 p.m.
Houston Academy vs. Greensboro, 12:45 p.m.
Goshen vs. Dadeville, 12:45 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Thursday’s First-Round Games
Cleburne County vs. Sumter Central, 9 a.m.
Dora vs. LAMP, 9 a.m.
Area 1 winner vs. Montevallo, 9 a.m.
Straughn vs. American Christian, 9 a.m.
Northside vs. Ashford, 9 a.m.
Bibb County vs. Area 1 runner-up, 9 a.m.
Montgomery Academy vs. Indian Springs, 10:15 a.m.
Jackson vs. Munford, 10:15 a.m.
CLASS 5A
Wednesday’s First-Round Games
Demopolis vs. Charles Henderson, 2 p.m.
Sylacauga vs. Rehobeth, 2 p.m.
Bayside Academy vs. Brewbaker Tech, 2 p.m.
UMS-Wright vs. Jemison, 2 p.m.
Elmore County vs. Satsuma, 2 p.m.
Pike Road vs. Elberta, 2 p.m.
Providence Christian vs. Shelby County, 3:30 p.m.
Andalusia vs. Sipsey Valley, 3:30 p.m.
CLASS 6A
Wednesday’s First-Round Games
Northridge vs. Eufaula, 9 a.m.
John Carroll vs. Sidney Lanier, 9 a.m.
St. Paul’s Episcopal vs. Stanhope Elmore, 9 a.m.
Spanish Fort vs. Helena, 9 a.m.
Pelham vs. Gulf Shores, 9 a.m.
Wetumpka vs. Saraland, 9 a.m.
St. James vs. Hueytown, 10:15 a.m.
Opelika vs. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, 10:15 a.m.