By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SPRING GARDEN – These days, Spring Garden volleyball coach Ricky Austin is finding it hard to pinpoint things the Lady Panthers need to improve on. They’re simply playing at another level than their opponents, and that was once again the case in the Class 1A, Area 12 tournament on Tuesday.
The Lady Panthers swept Jacksonville Christian 25-4, 25-8, 25-8 to clinch a spot in the area championship match against Cedar Bluff. For the fourth time this season, Spring Garden defeated the Lady Tigers in three sets (25-13, 25-12, 25-11) to win another area title in the final home match for seniors Chloe Rule, Libby Brown, Allie Mobbs and Maggie Reedy.
Both Spring Garden (48-4) and Cedar Bluff (15-20) advance to the North Super Regional next week in Huntsville. They will face the Area 10 runner-up and winner respectively next Thursday. The Area 10 tournament at Sumiton Christian is scheduled to be played on Thursday.
“It was just kind of routine for us (Tuesday night),” Austin said. “We’ve played in some really good tournaments lately with some really strong competition. It just seemed like the game was slow today after what we played the past couple of weekends. I’m very proud of how we played. This team is spot-on right now. They are all doing their jobs.”
Cedar Bluff coach Deidra Cox said the Lady Panthers are “a well-oiled machine.”
“Every moving part is perfect. They work well together and play well together,” she said.
That’s not to say her own team didn’t have its moments on Tuesday. The Lady Tigers swept their tournament opener against Coosa Christian to earn their regional berth. Those scores were 25-17, 25-14 and 25-18.
“I thought there were moments where we didn’t play well in that one, but we rebounded and fought and won,” Cox said. “I was proud of how they played that match with the circumstances coming into it. I thought the girls really locked in and stayed focused. They played pretty well for the most part. That was huge. That was something we needed moving forward.”
Ace Austin led the Lady Panthers in the championship match against Cedar Bluff with 16 kills, three aces, two digs and a block. Olivia Law added seven kills, four aces, two blocks and a dig. Rule accumulated five kills, two blocks and a dig. Avery Steward added 30 assists, a kill and a dig.
Maggie Jarrett posted five digs, two kills, a block and an ace. Layla Ingram earned seven digs and an ace. Helena Ingram had four digs. Kirsten Lewis contributed two aces and a dig. Mobbs managed two blocks and a kill. Reedy contributed a dig and an ace. Brown finished with a block.
Kindal Grace led Cedar Bluff with five kills and a dig. Lacie Roer collected three kills and a dig. Janaya Higgins had three kills and two digs. Rylie Walker delivered seven assists and two kills.
Graceland Benton added a pair of kills. Caley Bruce contributed a kill and a block. Anslee Evans finished with a pair of digs.
In Spring Garden’s win over Jacksonville Christian, Ace Austin delivered 17 kills and three aces. Rule came away with seven kills and two blocks. Law collected six aces and four kills. Jarrett contributed two digs, a kill and an ace. Steward collected 28 assists and a kill.
Lewis managed five aces and three digs. Reedy had an ace and a dig. Helena Ingram posted two digs. Layla Ingram earned a dig and Brown finished with a kill.
In Cedar Bluff’s win over Coosa Christian, Grace posted 11 kills, a dig and an ace. Roer added nine kills and two aces. Benton came away with four kills and an ace. Bruce delivered three kills and an ace.
Higgins had three kills. Walker finished with 24 assists and seven aces.
In the tournament’s opening match, Jacksonville Christian outlasted Gaylesville in five sets, 14-25, 30-28, 20-25, 25-23 and 15-6.
