Saks taking new route

Lady Wildcats secure a spot in the unfamiliar South regional after beating Anniston and Handley for the Class 4A Area 8 title

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

With all the transition the Saks volleyball team has undergone between this year and last, coach Randy Law would consider it a successful season if the Lady Wildcats can make it back to Birmingham for the Elite Eight.

But for it to happen, it’s going to be on a different route than they took last year.

Thanks to the reclassification shuffle, the Lady Wildcats were placed in the South half of the state for tournament purposes. That means they’ll be facing a whole different set of teams and street signs as they try to climb their way back to the Birmingham Crossplex.

They took the first step Tuesday by beating Anniston 3-0 and Handley 3-1 to win the Class 4A Area 8 title. Now the fun begins: the Lady Wildcats (30-19) will play Area 3 runner-up Ashford in their regional opener in Montgomery Thursday at 9 a.m.

“It’s a whole new surrounding,” Law said between matches. “We had the same hotel we stayed at for several years. We knew where we were going to play; I didn’t even know where the Super Regionals were going to be played at in Montgomery.”

Before, the Lady Wildcats knew where the roadblocks were going to be on their way to the state tournament. They knew the where the tough teams in 4A were going to be, but now most of the teams they’ll encounter in post-season play for the next two years at least had been just names in the AHSAA directory.

“I’m not familiar with some of the programs we may be facing, but I’m excited about it,” Law said. “They don’t know us either.”

But before the Lady Wildcats could even think about the new challenges ahead, they had to take care of business here at home. While the possibility seemed unlikely, if the Lady Wildcats didn’t get past Anniston in their first-round match Tuesday, the point of playing in the South regional to reach Birmingham would be moot. They won handily, 25-4, 25-11, 25-9.

“We sure didn’t want to get beat right off the bat being the No. 1 seed knowing we’d already beaten them twice,” Law said.

There was no all-tournament team or MVP, but the Lady Wildcats would have had plenty of candidates. Ashlee Bryant had 12 aces in the Anniston match and scored points on 20 straight serves to end the first game.

The win over Handley didn’t come quite as handily. LaMonica Noel had 13 kills and nine digs in the 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17 win over Handley for the crown. Maiya Northard had nine kills in the match and Miracle Dennard had 41 of her 67 assists in it.

“We’re glad to be there, glad to be in the position we are,” Law said. “There are a lot of teams that would like to be in our position right now.”

Even if they need a roadmap to get there.

CLASS 4A AREA 8

FINALS: SAKS 3, HANDLEY 1
(19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17)
(Saks statistics)

KILLS – Amari Flemming 2, Maiya Northard 9, LaMonica Noel 13, Davonna Stone 8, Mischoreia Cole 7, Ashlee Bryant 1, Madison Tate 6, Miracle Dennard 1

ACES – Maiya Northard 1, LaMonica Noel 1, Ashlee Bryant 1, Miracle Dennard 2

ASSISTS – LaMonica Noel 1, Davonna Stone 1, Madison Tate 1, Miracle Dennard 41.

SOLO BLOCKS – Davonna Stone 1, Kylan Williams 5, Madison Tate 2.

DIGS – Amari Flemming 5, Maiya Northard 5, LaMonica Noel 9, Mischoreia Cole 1, Ashlee Bryant 5, Miracle Dennard 8, Madison Gable 4.

SAKS 3, ANNISTON 0
(25-4, 25-11, 25-9)
(Saks statistics)

KILLS – Maiya Northard 1, LaMonica Noel 2, Davonna Stone 6, Mischoreia Cole 7, Madison Tate 2, Miracle Dennard 2.

ACES – Amari Flemming 1, Maiya Northard 1, LaMonica Noel 1, Ashlee Bryant 12.

ASSISTS – Ashlee Bryant 1, Miracle Dennard 26.

SOLO BLOCKS – Davonna Stone 1, Mischoreia Cole 1.

DIGS – Amari Flemming 3, Maiya Northard 4, LaMoncia Noel 1, Davonna Stone 2, Ashlee Bryant 3.

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