HOLLY POND, Ala. – The Class 3A, Area 11 tournament tipped off at Holly Pond High School on Thursday and the day got off to a wild and crazy start. Locust Fork started the day off by outlasting Hanceville in five sets and that was followed by Vinemont holding off J.B. Pennington in another five-set match. Holly Pond swept the Hornets in the next match and the night ended with the Eagles knocking off the Lady Broncos in a back-and-forth match 3-1 to take home this year’s area championship.
Vinemont 3 – Holly Pond 1 (25-21, 26-24, 14-25, 26-24) (Area Championship Game)
Holly Pond got out to an early 4-1 lead in the first set, but a big run by Vinemont saw them take a 10-5 lead. The Lady Broncos, though, went on a run of their own to make it a 13-12 game, and things stayed close after that. Vinemont held a slim 18-17 lead late in the set and ended up stretched their lead to 20-17. Holly Pond rallied to tie things up at 21, but it was all Lady Eagles after that, as they ended up scoring the final four points to take the first set 25-21.
The second set started out close, then four straight points by Vinemont helped them take a 6-3 lead. The Lady Broncos cut it to 7-6, but the Lady Eagles went on another big run, as that gave them a 12-7 lead. A 7-2 run by Holly Pond tied it up at 14, and later on in the set, they scored six straight points to take a 20-16 lead. Vinemont came back to tie things up once again at 21. Both teams went back-and-forth after that, but in the end, the Lady Eagles pulled away late, as they ended up winning the second set 26-24.
The third set was the first one that wasn’t close, as Holly Pond jumped out to a 14-7 lead. Vinemont cut it to 14-9, and later, to 17-11, but the Lady Broncos quickly pulled away from the Lady Eagles after that. At one point, they scored six in a row to extend their lead to 24-14, and they kept their hopes alive by defeating Vinemont 25-14.
The Lady Eagles quickly got out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth set and held a 6-3 lead. Holly Pond cut it to 7-6, and they would later tie it up at 10. It would be another classic back-and forth set between these two teams. Holly Pond held a slim 17-16 lead, but four straight points by Vinemont helped them take a 20-17 lead. The Lady Eagles held a 23-18 lead and were just two points from taking home the title. The Lady Broncos, though, went on another big run to get back in the game, as their 6-0 run gave them a 24-23 lead. Vinemont closed things out by scoring the final three points of the set, and they ended up defeating Holly Pond 26-24 to win the Class 3A, Area 11 championship.
Both teams will advance to play at the Regional tournament next week.
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