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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY – The road to the Super Regionals in Class 7A, Area 5 will run through Oak Mountain High School as the Eagles are officially the No. 1 team in the area.

Oak Mountain outlasted the Hoover Buccaneers 3-2 on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at Oak Mountain High School to finish area play with a perfect 4-0 area record, clinching area tournament hosting rights in the process.

To clinch the top seed in the area, the Eagles had to survive a five-set war of attrition with the Bucs in a match that went down to extra points in the fifth set.

After playing in tournament action in the Kentucky Challenge over the weekend, Oak Mountain had its back against the wall right out of the gate as Hoover came out strong in the opening frame.

The Bucs built out a double-digit lead and saw out the win in the first set, taking it 25-12 to claim early control of the area matchup.

However, Oak Mountain surged back in the following set to make the rest of the match a much tighter affair.

The Eagles took the fight to Hoover in the second set and kept the Bucs just out of striking distance. In the end, they claimed a 25-20 win to even up the match at one set win apiece.

With the match tied and hanging in the balance, the teams were even more tightly matched in the third set as they sought to take command.

Oak Mountain was in front in the final points of the third set, but only two points separated the hosts from Hoover when they sat on set point.

The Eagles finished the third set strong and sealed the 25-22 win, going up 2-1 in the match in the process.

That put all of the pressure to respond on the Bucs to extend the match and keep their hopes of securing the top seed in the area alive.

Hoover fought back and took the lead in the fourth set before winning the set 25-18, tying up the match at 2-2.

The Bucs victory in the fourth set forced a fifth and final set, ensuring that the match would come down to the wire.

However, neither team likely knew how true that would be as they were deadlocked down the stretch.

Oak Mountain and Hoover found themselves tied at 14-14 in the final moments of the fifth set, meaning the match would be decided in extra points.

From there, they engaged in a back-and-forth battle and split the next six points to keep the match alive.

With the pressure mounting, it was the Eagles who stepped up and landed the final blow. They won the next two points to take the fifth set and win the match 3-2, which kicked off the celebration with their fans and Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks.

Oak Mountain will now host the area tournament between Oct. 16 and 19 at Oak Mountain High School. There, the Eagles will face the winner of the No. 4 and No. 5 matchup in the semifinals with a spot in Super Regionals on the line.

Before the tournament starts though, Oak Mountain still has two more weeks of volleyball to play. The Eagles will be back at home on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. to host the Auburn High School Tigers before playing in the Blalock Tournament on Oct. 4 and 5.