BREMEN, Ala. – It took three matches to settle things between Fairview and West Point Tuesday night but after three back and forth, thrilling showdowns, the Lady Warriors fought off the Lady Aggies to capture back to back Cullman County Tournament championships. Neither team would allow the either to create much separation in any of the seven sets they played, and they were each forced to answer the bell repeatedly until West Point was finally able to outlast Fairview.
Lady Warriors Head Coach Regina Jones was proud of the way her team battled through the night against the Lady Aggies and continued to respond to adversity.
“I’m proud of them. It’s just a battle every time we play Fairview,” Jones said. “We’re evenly matched teams and I was really proud of them for not giving up after we dropped that first set but we knew we had one more and we weren’t going to give up that easy. I’m just really proud of how they kept battling throughout the whole thing.”
West Point 2 – Fairview 0 (semifinals)
The Lady Warriors were able to take their first matchup against Fairview with a sweep in the semifinal round, but the hard-fought match was a sign of things to come. The score was knotted at 19 late in their first set of the evening but West Point pulled ahead to take a 21-20 lead. The teams tied back up at 23 as the set went on and eventually took extra time to settle with the score tied at 25. That was when the Lady Warriors managed to create just a little separation and score back to back points to take the opening set 27-25.
The Lady Aggies took an early 8-4 lead in the next set, but West Point rallied to tie things up at 12. The momentum continued for the Lady Warriors as they built a 16-13 lead and after Fairview trimmed the deficit to 18-16, West Point began to pull away and took the second set 25-18 to advance through the winner’s bracket.
Fairview 2 – Good Hope 0 (loser’s bracket finals)
The Lady Raiders defeated Vinemont in the previous round to advance to their match with Fairview and they gave the Lady Aggies all they could handle. Fairview led the way just 5-4 early in the first set but used a scoring run to pull ahead 10-5. Good Hope trimmed the lead to 11-9 at one point but the Lady Aggies responded and moved in front 20-9 before going on to take the first set 25-13.
Good Hope bounced back in the second set and led Fairview for the entirety of the period. The Lady Raiders led things 15-6 midway through the set and added to their lead, going on top 22-9. The Lady Aggies put together a big scoring run, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early lead and Good Hope held on to take the second set 25-17, forcing a tiebreaker.
Fairview rallied in the third set, jumping out to an early 6-1 lead that eventually grew to 10-4. The Lady Raiders didn’t lay down, but they couldn’t outpace the Lady Aggies and Fairview took the third set 15-7 to advance to the tournament finals, setting up a rematch with West Point.
Fairview 2 – West Point 1 (finals round one)
The first set of West Point and Fairview’s next match was just as tight as the last. Fairview held a slim, 10-9 lead early in the set and opened it up to 17-14 as the set went on. The Lady Aggies led things 22-17 at one point but West Point rallied to cut the lead to 24-23. Fairview pulled ahead 25-24 and managed to snag the last point to take a heated first set 26-24.
It was hard for either team to break the tie in the second set. The score was locked at 5 early and the set was later tied at 8 and 12 points apiece. The Lady Warriors moved ahead 16-14 midway through the set and stretched their lead to 21-17 before pulling away to even up the match with a 25-20 win in the second set and force a third set.
Not surprisingly, the tiebreaker was extremely tight. The score was tied at 2, 4, 6 and 8 points before the Lady Aggies were able to create some separation and win the third set 15-11 to force another finals match with the Lady Warriors.
West Point 2 – Fairview 0 (finals round two)
The first set of the third match of the night between these two teams was going to be critical and it was just as competitive as the sets that came before. West Point took an 8-4 lead early, but the score would be locked at 10, 15 and 18 as the set progressed. The Lady Warriors finally began to create some distance when they pulled ahead 21-19 and they used a timely scoring run to take the first set 25-22.
The Lady Aggies had to take the next set to stay alive and trailed West Point just 7-5 early but the Lady Warriors were able to keep Fairview at arm’s length as the set went on. West Point led the way 13-7 midway through the set and after extending the lead to 18-12, The Lady Warriors pulled away to win the set 25-17 and knock off the Lady Aggies to capture back to back county crowns.
2020 Cullman All-County Team
Kalyey Khaler – Hanceville
Makenna Folds – Holly Pond
Liv Johnson – Vinemont
Abby Young – Vinemont
Anna Kate Voce – Cold Springs
Abi Orton – Good Hope
Ivey Maddox – Good Hope
Daisy Manasco – Fairview
Micah Means – Fairview
Maddie Yeager – Fairview
Lexi Shadix – West Point
Braelee Quinn – West Point
Ryleigh Jones – West Point
2020 Cullman County All-Tournament Team
Lexi Shadix – West Point (Tournament MVP)
Braelee Quinn – West Point
Ryleigh Jones – West Point
Kayla Kilpatrick – West Point
Micah Means – Fairview
Daisy Manasco – Fairview
Maddie Yeager – Fairview
Anna Kate Voce – Cold Springs
Abi Orton – Good Hope
Ivey Maddox – Good Hope
Morgan Hammock – Good Hope
Abby Young – Vinemont
2020 Samantha Perdue Award Winner
Anna Kate Voce – Cold Springs
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