Montevallo wins area tournament, set for regionals

Published 7:46 am Friday, October 14, 2022

By Alec Etheredge

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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

MONTEVALLO – The Montevallo Bulldogs finished off a perfect season of area play on Thursday, Oct. 13 in the Class 4A, Area 6 tournament on their home court.

Taking on Bibb County in the area tournament championship game, the Bulldogs put together a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-8) sweep of the Choctaws to finish area play undefeated and claim the area title ahead of regionals.

It followed a strong regular season that saw Montevallo win the regular-season area crown to earn home-court advantage in the tournament as well as a bye in the first round, which automatically sent them to regionals.

Still, the Bulldogs were determined to finish with an area tournament championship, and they made a statement in doing so with the sweep.

In the opening two sets, Bibb County fought hard after winning their opening match of the night to gain momentum and earn a spot in the area title match.

Montevallo, however, was rested and ready.

In a tight opening set, the Bulldogs were able to pull away late to create some separation for a 25-19 victory and 1-0 lead.

With the Choctaws now fighting to avoid a disheartening 2-0 deficit, they bounced back with another strong effort in the second set to try and prevent having to win three sets in a row to pick up the win.

It led to a thrilling second set that went down to the wire, but Montevallo was able to eventually earn set point at 24-22, and the Bulldogs capitalized a point later for the 25-22 win and a 2-0 advantage.

At that point, they had the momentum, while Bibb County had a huge uphill climb.

That showed in the third set, as the Bulldogs put together their easiest set of the night en route to a 25-8 victory that cemented the 3-0 win and area championship.

Hannah Locks led the way for Montevallo with 12 kills in the victory, while teammate Teasia Purnell finished just behind with 10 kills. Phoenix Dixon also had an impressive night at the net with five kills.

Camille Holmes was the leader at the service line in the win for the Bulldogs thanks to nine aces, while Locks, Paige Johnson, Kailey Boyd and Carter Lawley all had three. Johnson also finished as the team leader in assists with 22.

Montevallo will now head to Montgomery for regionals looking to put together a run to the state tournament next week.

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