By DREW GRANTHUM/Sports Editor

CALERA — The Calera High School volleyball team looked to send its seniors out with a huge win over county rival Shelby County on senior night Oct. 16, and succeeded, taking down the Wildcats in three sets, 3-0.

The first set was a close one, with the Eagles edging the ‘Cats, 26-24. In the second set, the Wildcats opened up with a 5-1 run on the service game of Jordan McKoy, eventually extending the lead to 9-5. From there, the Eagles rallied, cutting the lead to 12-11 before tying it at 13-13.

Shelby County held the Eagles at bay, extending its lead to 18-16 before Calera pulled even at 18-18. The Eagles then took the lead, 19-18, before the Wildcats made one last run at the win to take a 22-21 lead.

It was not meant to be, as Calera edged out another close win, this time 25-23.

In the third set, the Wildcats came out firing on all cylinders, as both McKoy and Heather Childers led the squad to an 11-3 opening run.

Down 12-3, the Eagles began to work their way back into the set, going on a 12-3 run to bring the score to 16-15. The Eagles tied and subsequently took the lead on a 3-0 run led by the service game of Courtney Pickett.

The Eagles never looked back, taking the 25-22 set win, as well as the match, 3-0.

“They just played their game,” Calera head coach Brittany Todd said. “They came together and played for each other. It really adds to our momentum for area.”

Shelby County head coach Jamie Creekmore said although the finish was not what the Wildcats hoped for, he was proud of the effort.

“(We) fought hard, played well,” he said. “Didn’t quite finish.”

For Shelby County, Green had five aces, six kills and five blocks, while Megan Stevens had four aces, six kills and three blocks. McKoy had two aces and 11 assists, while Heather Childers and Madison Douglas each had four aces. Sam Slaughter had eight assists.

Stats for Calera were unavailable at press time.
Both teams — at press time — were headed to their respective area tournaments. Check with Shelbycountyreporter.com for updates.