The 26-12 Girls Volleyball team is 3 wins away from bringing home their first state championship in school history. After finishing Runner-Up to Orange Beach in the Area 1 tournament, the Bulldogs knocked off Geneva in the opening round of the Super Regional in Montgomery last week. Their 2nd round matchup with the state's #2 ranked team, Trinity Presbyterian, was a rematch against the Wildcatst that beat them 3-1 in mid-September. This time around, with their season on the line, the Bulldogs won the final 2 sets of the 5 set match to punch their ticket to Birmingham. In the seeding rounds, the Bulldogs beat T. R. Miller 3-0 before falling to Montgomery Catholic in the Regional Final.
They will play at 9:00AM on Wednesday morning against Cherokee County, looking to advance to the semifinals at 3:00 PM against the winner of Madison County and T. R. Miller. All games will be broadcast on the NFHS network (subscription required).
Cherokee County is 27-17 this season and were the Area 11 regular season and tournament champions. In the North Regional, at Huntsville's Von Braun Center, the Warriors beat Cordova 3-0 in the opening round. Cherokee County then won 3-2 over Priceville in the second round before falling 3-0 to Madison County in the semifinals. They finished the Regional with a 3-2 win over Corner to earn the North's #3 seed in the state tournament.
Madison County is #5 in the state rankings and the North's #1 seed after a 4-0 Regional Tournament record. Along the way they knocked out Central-Florence and Jacksonville before defeating Cherokee County and Deshler in the semifinals and finals. Madison County, the Runner-Up to DAR from Area 16, did not lose a set at the North Regional Tournament.
Before leaving for Birmingham on Tuesday, Coach Houston had this to see about the opportunity in front of her team:
It's been a tough road to get here, but it's a great feeling that has definitely been earned. All of the girls have put in a timeless number of hours at practice all season and it has finally paid off. The team is well prepared for our upcoming competition and ready to dominate the court. We will compete in the Elite 8 against Cherokee County at 9:00am tomorrow. The next round will be played at 3:00 pm against the winner of T. R. Miller and Madison County. Then, on to the state finals Thursday at 10:00 am. These girls have worked hard all season… the sweat, the tears, the injuries, the wins, the losses… have built them to be better. Better players, better teammates, better people. I believe we will play the game with honor, have trust in our teammates, courage within ourselves, and achieve at our highest potential.
Check out the sendoff video from Heritage Hallway on Tuesday:
