By Staff
Danville, Hartselle win region titles, will host sub-state; Brewer places 4th in region, will travel
Clif Knight and Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
FORT PAYNE — Hartselle’s Lady Tigers grabbed top honors at the Class 5A Region D Volleyball Tournament on Saturday by eliminating Arab and Muscle Shoals in preliminary rounds and defeating Scottsboro three games to one in the championship round.
By winning the region the Lady Tigers earned the right to host a sub-state playoff game on Thursday (today) at 5 p.m. at the J. C. Pettey Center. Their opponent will be Pleasant Grove, fourth place winner in Region C.
In the tourney final, Area 13 winner Hartselle defeated Area 15 winner Scottsboro three games to one. The Lady Tigers won the first two games, 25-20 and 25-11, Scottsboro prevailed 25-21 in the third game and Hartselle bounced back to win the match with a 25-14 decision in the fourth game.
The Lady Tigers easily defeated Area 16 winner Muscle Shoals in a semifinal match three games to none. The scores were 25-7, 27-25 and 25-16. The win took on special significance since the Lady Tigers were knocked out of the playoffs by Muscle Shoals in regional competition last year.
In the opening round, Hartselle knocked out Area 14 runner-up Arab three games to none. The scores were 25-20, 25-12 and 25-11.
Hartselle’s three seniors played major roles in the championship run. Lauren Drake had 45 kills, 25 digs, 8 blocks and an ace; Mary Virginia Reeves was credited with 33 kills, 10 blocks, 8 digs and 6 aces; and Kayla Orr recorded 88 assists, 24 digs, 4 kills and a block.
Sophomore Chandler Orr had 21 kills, 13 digs, 2 blocks 2 assists and 2 aces. Sophomore Cerra Little recorded 12 digs, 11 kills, 4 blocks, 8 assists and an ace. Junior Dana Lacey was credited with 10 kills, 7 blocks, 4 digs and 2 assists. Juniors Emily Roden and Shauna Clemons each had 41 and 22 digs, respectively.
Named to the district all-tournament team were Hartselle’s Lauren Drake, Mary Virginia Reeves, Kayla Orr and Emily Roden.
Brewer also advances
Brewer High School’s Lady Patriots finished the tournament in fourth place and advanced to the sub-state round of the playoffs. They will play Gardendale on the road in a 5 p.m. match on Thursday (today).
The Lady Patriots won their first round match against Fort Payne three games to none. The scores were 25-16, 25-16 and 25-22. They lost to Scottsboro in the second round in a five-game match. The scores were 25-19 and 25-11 for Brewer and 25-22, 25-22 and 15-12 for Scottsboro. They also fell to Muscle Shoals in a consolation match, three games to one.
Danville finishes with region title for 2nd straight year
The No. 2 Lady Hawks breezed through their competition at the Region D tournament Saturday, defeating both Cordova and Lexington in straight sets then knocking off Colbert Heights three games to one in the final (25-13, 25-16, 13-25, 31-29).
Bethany Evans led the team with 110 assists and added 17 digs. Lauren Simmons finished with a team-high 90 kills and added 13 blocks and 20 digs. Alaina Fitzgerald had 44 kills and Kirby Wallace added 10 digs and eight aces. Evans, Simmons, Fitzgerald and Wallace were named to the all-tournament team.
Danville hosts West End-Walnut Grove in a sub-state game today at 6 p.m.
Hartselle defeats Brewer to take Area 13 title
No. 6 Hartselle defeated Brewer in a hotly contested match at the finals of the Area 13 tournament Oct. 17 at the Pettey Center.
The championship match went four games and every game was a two-point win. Hartselle finally took the match by the score of 33-31, 27-25, 24-26, 30-28, winning its second straight area championship.
Brewer defeated the Lady Tigers the last time the two teams met, at the semifinals of the Morgan County Tournament Oct. 5. Although the Lady Patriots fell this time to their county rival, they made it an entertaining match and would not go quietly.
In Game 3, Hartselle had a 23-16 lead when Brewer coach Ron Smith called a timeout. The Lady Patriots responded with a 5-0 rally on the way to a 26-24 comeback win that kept their hopes alive.
In the crucial Game 4, Hartselle went ahead at the 9-8 mark and never trailed again until the score was 27-26 in favor of Brewer. But the Lady Tigers would not let Brewer get the critical game point and eventually took the match.
In the first round, Hartselle knocked off West Point 25-18, 25-14, 25-9 and Brewer defeated Cullman 21-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-15.
On the night, Lauren Drake led the Lady Tigers with 37 kills and also led with 47 digs. Mary Virginia Reeves had 32 kills and 15 digs. Cerra Little had four aces and added 22 digs and Emily Roden added 31 digs. Kayla Orr led with 97 assists and added three aces. Chandler Orr had 14 kills and Dana Lacey finished with 11.
Brewer’s Andrea Crawford, Kayla Amerine and Michelle Tillman and Hartselle’s Reeves, Drake, Kayla Orr and Roden were among those named to the All-Area Tournament team. Drake was the tournament’s most valuable player.