By Joe Medley, East Alabama Sports Today
BIRMINGHAM — Sand Rock achieved a first reaching the state volleyball finals and left Birmingham with an appetite to come back and finish the job.
The Wildcats threatened to take the second set, but Pleasant Valley rallied and went on to sweep them 13-25, 24-26, 18-25 in Wednesday’s Class 2A final in Bill Harris Arena.
Sand Rock finished off a memorable season with a 49-18 record and “red map” trophy from the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
“I just want to say, I’m proud of my girls,” Sand Rock coach Lisa Bates said. “I thought that we had a great run here at the end. I’m proud of the time that they’ve put in and the effort, the energy.
“I have seven seniors that put a lot of heart and soul into volleyball, and I’m very proud of them for doing something that we haven’t done at Sand Rock yet, and that’s get to the state-championship game. We’ve been to the Final Four, but we had not been to this step, so I’m very proud of them got making history for Sand Rock.”
Pleasant Valley (40-12), motivated to give retiring head coach Dana Bryant her first state title, ran its winning streak to 20 while winning its sixth state title and first since 1997.
The Lady Raiders controlled the first set, but Sand Rock answered with a 6-0 start to the second. The Lady Wildcats led 20-14, but Pleasant Valley rallied.
Bates called timeout with the score tied 22-22, and Sand Rock scored the next two to move within set point.
Pleasant Valley rallied again, to tie. Ella Parris’ block point and Allie Bryant’s kill gave the Raiders the 26-24 set win.
“The first set, we looked so uptight and nervous, and that got to us a little in the first set,” Bates said. “The second set, we started to loosen up and play a little bit. I thought we had just a few moments where we let them come back in it and have some three- and four-point runs that pushed them over the edge.
“I would’ve liked to have seen, if we could’ve gotten that second set, if we could’ve brought the energy and really battled and make it closer of a game.”
Katelyn St. Clair led the Wildcats with 18 kills, and cousin Rylin St. Clair had 20 assists. Both made the all-tournament team, along with Pleasant Valley’s Bryant, Maddie Schwabe, Madi Hay and Most Valuable Player Lily Henry.
The St. Clairs are two of seven seniors, including Bethany Davis, Zoey Handy, Amber Day, Chloe Stephens and Allie Stansell.
“I’ve always grown up in Sand Rock, and I started playing volleyball in sixth grade,” Katelyn St. Clair said. “I’ve always wanted to win a state championship, but getting here, I mean, it’s meant the world to me, and these players and team, I just couldn’t trade them for anything.”
Bates said it means something that the Lady Wildcats didn’t go home empty handed.
“We’re never satisfied,” Bates said. “We wanted to compete and try to bring home the blue, but we’re excited to take home a trophy and put it in the trophy case, and for these girls to get the experience of going this far.”