Addison Sweeps Donoho To Take 1A Volleyball Title;
Joins Montgomery Academy, St. Paul’s, Jacksonville, Bob Jones, Bayside As Champs
Addison brought the 2013 AHSAA State Volleyball Championships to a close with a 3-0 sweep of defending champion Donoho in the Class 1A finals Thursday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Other state champions crowned were Montgomery Academy in 2A, St. Paul’s in 5A, Jacksonville in 4A, Bob Jones in 6A and Bayside Academy in 3A.
CLASS 1A
Addison 3, Donoho 0
Addison beat defending champion Donoho in straight sets 25-20, 25-14, 25-16 to capture the Class 1A state crown.
Coach Pam Wilkins’ Bulldogs (55-6) relied on a tenacious and balanced defense to seal the school’s sixth state championship since 2003.
Tourney MVP Summer Hinton had 12 kills and six digs to lead Addison. Jessy Taylor added 12 kills, five blocks and three digs, setter Holly Posey had 29 assists and Kayla Robinson added three kills and eight digs.
Donoho (40-11), coached by Janice Slay, were led by Corey Phillis and Camille Fink with seven kills each. Rylee Segrest added 25 assists and 13 digs, Jordan Ray had six kills and 2 digs, and Hannah Christian had four kills. Phillis also had three blocks and 10 digs for the Anniston school.
Class 1A All-Tournament Team
Summer Hinton, Addison MVP); Holly Posey, Addison; Jessy Taylor, Addison; Rylee Segrest, Donoho; Corey Phillis, Donoho; Morgan Hudson, Meek; Ashley Chapman, St. Luke’s Episcopal.
CLASS 2A
Montgomery Academy 3, Providence Christian 1
Montgomery Academy (49-4) beat two-time defending Class 2A state champion Providence Christian 25-12, 25-23, 20-25, 25-18.
Coach Julie Sinclair’s Lady Eagles started strong and finished strong to notch the school’s fourth state championship. It was the first in Class 2A, however. Montgomery Academy posted back-to-back Class 3A championships in 2004 and 2005 and won the Class 1A crown in 1986.
Outside hitter Jillian Tingle, the tourney MVP, had 14 kills, 10 digs and seven blocks to pace MA. Setter Rachel Lee also had 50 assists and two service aces, Sarah Paige Massey had 10 digs and seven kills and Lillian Roth had a game-high 14 blocks.
Coach Bill Oldfield’s Providence Christian Eagles from Dothan won the 2011 and 2012 Class 2A state championships and returned to this year’s finals with only one senior, outside hitter Mary Palm. Palm had 17 kills and 17 digs to pace Providence. Hannah Harris added 12 kills, 11 digs and three blocks, Kristy Odom had seven kills and setter Emma Cary had 34 assists and 10 digs.
Class 2A All-Tournament Team
Jillian Tinglin, Montgomery Academy MVP); Rachel Lee, Providence Christian; Emma Cary, Providence Christian; Hannah Harris, Providence Christian; Addie McGee, Lexington; Savannah Stults, Lexington; Morgan Cleveland, West End.
CLASS 5A
St. Paul’s Episcopal 3, Brewer 0
St. Paul’s Episcopal survived a tough 26-24 first game then swept Brewer 25-17, 25-21 to claim the Class 5A state crown.
Senior Shelley Spires, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter for Coach Kelli Hillier’s Lady Saints, had 29 kills and 10 digs to earn MVP honors. Setter Olivia Scarcliff had seven digs and 28 assists, Kittie Harless added 11 digs and Morgan Eiland had five kills.
Riley Northway led Brewer with 12 kills and four blocks. Savana Flack had eight kills and two blocks. Mallory Drinkard also had four service aces.
The state title was St. Paul’s 13th overall dating back to 1976 and their sixth in the last eight years. It was Brewer’s first trip to the finals.
Class 5A All-Tournament Team
Shelley Spires, St. Paul’s Episcopal MVP); Kourtney Wadkins, St. Paul’s Episcopal; Morgan Eiland, St. Paul’s Episcopal; Riley Northway, Brewer; Savana Flack, Brewer; Kelsi Hobbs, John Carroll Catholic; Ellie Poticny, John Carroll Catholic; Haley Jared, Hartselle.
CLASS 4A
Jacksonville 3, Guntersville 2
Jacksonville rose from two sets down and rallied for an incredible 34-32 fourth set win en route to a 3-2 victory over Guntersville in the Class 4A tournament finals.
Guntersville (46-21), coached by Jimmy Latta, went up 2-0 with 25-18, 25-14 set wins. Jacksonville (38-14) won game three of the match 25-18 before taking the grueling game four. Coach David Clark’s Golden Eagles (38-14) followed the 34-32 set with a 15-12 win in game five.
Jacksonville’s championship was its first since 2008.
Class 4A tournament MVP Katie Neisler finished with a tournament high 24 kills, five blocks and five digs for the Eagles. Blessing Dunn also had 11 kills, Tamana Mays had 10 with five blocks, and Halee Stallings chipped in nine kills and five blocks.
The Wildcats, who had captured five state titles over the last seven years, got an outstanding performance from Elizabeth Bridges, who had 15 kills and five blocks. Morgan Gaston added 14 kills and 12 digs and setter Alex Gamble had 44 assists.
Class 4A All-Tournament Team
Katie Neisler, Jacksonville (MVP); Blessing Dunn, Jacksonville; Elizabeth Bridges, Guntersville; Alex Gamble, Guntersville; Taylor Gallagher, Pope John Paul II; Riley Carter, Madison County; Laura Catherine Clark, St. James.
CLASS 6A
Bob Jones 3, Huntsville 0
Bob Jones (46-12) beat Huntsville 25-20, 25-12, 25-17 to claim the Class 6A state volleyball championship Thursday at the Birmingham CrossPlex and snapped the Panthers’ state-title streak at four.
Huntsville (42-19) came into the tournament with four 6A state crowns in a row and 11 state titles in the last 12 years.
Coach April Marsh’s Patriots dominated from the get-go as outside hitter Alexis Howell controlled the net with 15 kills. The senior hitter also had 15 digs and earned MVP honors. Jeneva Salter added 10 kills, Melania Hissam 10 digs and setter Erin Shockey 33 assists and three service aces.
The Panthers, coached by Melanie Donahoo, were led by setter Sarah Gwin Moore’s 20 assists. Briana Sandifer also had nine kills and four blocks and Jamesia Edmond eight kills.
Class 6A All-Tournament Team
Alexis Howell, Bob Jones (MVP); Jeneva Salter, Bob Jones; Erin Shockey, Bob Jones; Briana Sandifer, Huntsville; Sara Gwin Moore, Huntsville; Jessica McElderry, Hoover; Victoria Young, McGill-Toolen.
CLASS 3A
Bayside Academy 3, Madison Academy 1
Bayside Academy (57-8) downed Madison Academy 33-31, 25-9, 20-25, 25-9 to capture its 12th straight state volleyball championship. It was the Admirals' 22nd overall and both marks are AHSAA state records.
It wasn’t without some early match drama, however. The Mustangs (42-11) of Coach Wendy Rucker led 22-17 in the first game before Coach Ann Schilling called timeout. When play resumed, Bayside reeled off five straight points to tie the match. Madison Academy edged out to a 24-22 lead before the Admirals tied it again. The marathon match went to 31-all before Bayside got the final two points to win the game and the momentum.
Tournament MVP Sydney Chandler had 48 assists to lead Bayside. Chandler, the AHSAA state career assist leader, also broke the NFHS national career record as well. She added 11 digs, two blocks and two kills. Morgan Dulaney had 16 kills, Lauren Chastang 15 and Ariel Dulaney 11 for Bayside. Morgan Dulaney also had four blocks and 17 digs and Chastang had 12 digs. Jhalen Caffey led the defensive effort with 21 digs.
Taylor Gill and Cece Blanchard led Madison Academy with 11 kills each. Abby Brooks had a match-high six blocks, Kerri Whitaker contributed 17 digs and Laura Milar had 12 assists.
Class 3A All-Tournament Team
Sydney Chandler, Bayside Academy (MVP); Lauren Chastang, Bayside Academy; Morgan Dulaney, Bayside Academy; Cece Blanchard, Madison Academy; Taylor Gill, Madison Academy; Hannah Wentland, Cottage Hill Christian; Savanna Tidwell, Winston County.