Sammy Confer, Jared Spears, Noah Galilee
HOOVER, Ala. – Four local volleyball teams punched their tickets to next week’s AHSAA Elite Eight on Thursday, combining for six victories during a busy day at the North Super Regional.
Top-ranked Meek and No. 2 Addison each swept two Class 1A opponents to advance to Friday’s North championship, guaranteeing the Tribune coverage area the region’s top two seeds.
No. 7 West Point survived a five-set Class 4A thriller against Sylacauga and No. 10 Cold Springs swept J.B. Pennington in Class 2A.
Vinemont and Holly Pond saw their seasons end with first-round losses in the Class 3A bracket.
All first-round regional winners advanced to the state tournament, scheduled Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 27-29, at the Birmingham CrossPlex and Bill Harris Arena. Friday’s remaining regional matches will determine seeding.
West Point 3, Sylacauga 2
West Point held off a Sylacauga rally and won a decisive fifth set 15-8 to secure its place in the Class 4A Elite Eight.
The Lady Warriors took the first two sets 25-19 and 25-13. A 13-2 run late in the second helped West Point build a two-set advantage, but Sylacauga answered by winning the third 25-23 and controlling the fourth 25-14.
West Point surged ahead 8-2 in the fifth. Sylacauga cut the margin to 13-8 before the Lady Warriors collected the final two points and closed the match.
West Point entered the regional with Kenadi Pagan leading the team at 3.2 kills per set. Kenlee Perry carried a team-best .232 hitting percentage, Laklin Shadix had recorded 69 blocks, Jordan Miller led the defense at 3.5 digs per set and had served 58 aces and Brayley Phillips had distributed 864 assists.
The Lady Warriors will meet top-ranked Guntersville in a North semifinal at 9 a.m. Friday. The winner will play for the regional championship at 1 p.m., while the loser will play for third place at the same time.
Meek sweeps Woodland and Marion County
Top-ranked Meek earned its state berth with a 25-14, 25-19, 25-9 sweep of Woodland, then swept No. 5 Marion County in the Class 1A semifinals.
The Lady Tigers steadily separated from Woodland before overwhelming the Lady Bobcats in the third set. Meek followed with another three-set victory against Marion County to claim a place in Friday’s regional championship.
Complete set scores and individual totals from the Marion County match were not included in the tournament results.
Meek will face Addison for the North championship at 11 a.m. Friday. The Lady Tigers swept Addison in the Class 1A Area 13 final last week after the Lady Bulldogs had beaten Meek in four sets at the Winston County Tournament three days earlier.
Addison sweeps Wadley and Spring Garden
No. 2 Addison surrendered only 35 points in a 25-8, 25-7, 25-20 opening-round sweep of Wadley, then defeated No. 4 Spring Garden 25-11, 25-13, 25-22 in the semifinals.
The two victories secured Addison’s state-tournament berth and created an all-local North championship against Meek.
Addison entered the regional with senior middle Ava Bartlett averaging 4.9 kills per set, hitting .376 and leading the Lady Bulldogs with 117 blocks.
Eighth-grade outside hitter AllieRuth Powell led the team at 3.0 digs per set, while junior setter AnnaBeth Powell had served a team-high 70 aces.
The Addison-Meek winner will carry the North’s No. 1 seed into the Elite Eight, while the runner-up will be seeded second.
Cold Springs 3, J.B. Pennington 0
No. 10 Cold Springs controlled its Class 2A opener from start to finish, sweeping J.B. Pennington 25-18, 25-9, 25-13.
The Lady Eagles allowed only 40 points across three sets and secured a place in the state tournament. The victory followed Cold Springs’ four-set subregional win at West End on Monday.
Cold Springs will face top-ranked Fyffe in a North semifinal at 9 a.m. Friday. Fyffe advanced with a 3-0 victory over No. 3 Pleasant Valley. Friday’s semifinal winners will meet for the regional championship at 1 p.m., while the losers will play for third place.
Wilson 3, Vinemont 0
No. 4 Wilson ended Vinemont’s season with a 25-11, 25-18, 25-14 sweep in the Class 3A opening round.
Vinemont entered the regional after winning the Class 3A Area 10 championship and sweeping Danville in Monday’s subregional match. The Lady Eagles could not extend that postseason run against one of the classification’s top five teams.
Central-Florence 3, Holly Pond 0
No. 5 Central-Florence eliminated Holly Pond 25-13, 25-23, 25-16 in another Class 3A first-round match.
The Lady Broncos’ best opportunity came in a tight second set, but Central-Florence held on before closing the sweep in the third.
Holly Pond reached Hoover after sweeping Hatton in Monday’s subregional round. The Lady Broncos’ season ended one victory short of the Elite Eight.
