BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Four local teams will take four distinct championship paths into the AHSAA Elite Eight next week at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Class 1A North champion Addison and North runner-up Meek will open state play at noon Tuesday, Oct. 27.
West Point will begin the Class 4A bracket at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, followed by Cold Springs in the Class 2A quarterfinals at 1:30 p.m.
Addison is the defending Class 1A champion and will make its 26th consecutive state appearance. Meek returns after finishing as the 2025 state runner-up.
West Point carries a battle-tested roster back to Birmingham, while Cold Springs ends a 37-year absence from the state tournament.
All times are Central.
Class 1A quarterfinal | Addison vs. Washington County
Tuesday, Oct. 27, at noon on Court 1
Addison enters the Elite Eight as the North’s No. 1 seed after sweeping Wadley and Spring Garden, then defeating county rival Meek in five sets for the regional championship.
The Lady Bulldogs finished No. 2 in the final regular-season Class 1A rankings and arrive in Birmingham as the defending state champions. Addison defeated Meek 25-14, 25-15, 28-26 in last year’s title match, securing the program’s 15th state championship.
Senior middle Ava Bartlett, the 2025 state-tournament MVP, leads Addison’s attack. The latest submitted season totals list Bartlett with 509 kills, 117 total blocks, 4.9 kills per set and a .377 hitting percentage. Junior setter AnnaBeth Powell has served 73 aces, while eighth-grade outside hitter Allie Ruth Powell averages 3.0 digs per set.
Addison has won 15 state titles during the past 25 seasons. The Lady Bulldogs made 15 consecutive trips to the championship match before semifinal exits in 2023 and 2024, then returned to win the title in 2025.
“We expect to be here. We expect to do our job,” Addison coach Sadie Hall said after the Lady Bulldogs secured their state berth.
Washington County earned the South’s No. 4 seed. The Lady Bulldogs defeated McKenzie 3-2 in the regional opening round, then fell to Kinston and Millry in straight sets.
The Addison-Washington County winner will return at 6 p.m. Tuesday to face Maplesville or Spring Garden in the semifinals. The Class 1A championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Bill Harris Arena.
Class 1A quarterfinal | Meek vs. Millry
Tuesday, Oct. 27, at noon on Court 9
Meek enters as the North’s No. 2 seed after sweeping Woodland and Marion County before falling to Addison in a five-set regional final.
The Lady Tigers held the No. 1 spot in the final regular-season Class 1A rankings. They also bring recent state experience after reaching last year’s championship match.
Junior outside hitter Addie Cate Henderson and eighth-grader Zarah Harden return after earning Class 1A all-tournament honors in 2025. Molli Sandlin has provided an experienced presence in the back row for a Meek team seeking its first state championship since 2015.
Millry, No. 9 in the final regular-season rankings, will arrive as the South’s No. 3 seed. The Lady Wildcats swept Red Level in the opening round, lost 3-1 to Maplesville in the semifinals and swept Washington County in the third-place match.
The winner will meet South champion Kinston or North No. 4 seed Marion County at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Meek and Addison occupy opposite halves of the bracket and cannot meet again before Wednesday’s championship match.
Class 4A quarterfinal | Satsuma vs. West Point
Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 10:30 a.m. on Court 3
West Point will take the North’s No. 3 seed into a quarterfinal against South runner-up Satsuma.
The No. 7 Lady Warriors survived a pair of five-set matches at the North Super Regional. They defeated Sylacauga 3-2 to clinch a state berth, fell to top-ranked Guntersville in the semifinals and edged Moody 3-2 for third place.
Sophomore outside hitter Kenlee Perry leads West Point at 3.4 kills per set and carries a .253 hitting percentage. Senior Laklin Shadix has recorded 93 total blocks, junior libero Jordan Miller averages 3.6 digs per set and has served 62 aces and junior setter Brayley Phillips has distributed 1,047 assists.
Satsuma was listed among the honorable-mention teams in the final regular-season Class 4A rankings. The Lady Gators beat Beauregard 3-2 and swept Headland to reach the South final, where No. 3 Orange Beach won 3-1.
West Point’s most recent state championship-match appearance came in 2020, when the Lady Warriors finished as the Class 5A runner-up.
The quarterfinal winner will face North champion Guntersville or South No. 4 seed Headland at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Class 4A state championship is scheduled for noon Thursday, Oct. 29, at Bill Harris Arena.
Class 2A quarterfinal | Ariton vs. Cold Springs
Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 1:30 p.m. on Court 3
Cold Springs will step onto the state stage for the first time since 1989 when the North No. 3 seed meets South runner-up Ariton.
The No. 10 Lady Eagles swept J.B. Pennington in the regional opening round to end the program’s 37-year state-tournament drought. They fell to top-ranked Fyffe in the semifinals, then outlasted Pisgah 3-2 and won the deciding set 16-14 to secure third place.
Hagen Ellis has supplied much of the offense and service pressure. School-posted season totals list Ellis with 446 kills, 100 aces and 305 digs. She and Kelsy Wilson earned all-county recognition, and Wilson gives Cold Springs a 6-foot presence at the net.
“It’s exciting because it means we’ve been building that culture back,” Cold Springs coach Kate Peek said after the Lady Eagles qualified.
No. 5 Ariton swept Vincent and Isabella to reach the South championship match before falling 3-0 to No. 2 G.W. Long.
The Cold Springs-Ariton winner will advance to a 6 p.m. Wednesday semifinal against North champion Carbon Hill or the South’s No. 4 seed. The Class 2A state championship is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at Bill Harris Arena.
Tournament information
The AHSAA Elite Eight is a single-elimination tournament with best-of-five matches. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at the Birmingham CrossPlex, 2340 CrossPlex Blvd. Championship matches will move to Bill Harris Arena.
Daily admission is $14, including fees, through GoFan or with exact cash at the gate. Parking is $10 per day.
