Getting it done
- Updated: October 10, 2017
Weaver does what it takes to grab top seed for area tournament and spot in regional tournament; will be updated as information becomes available
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
WEAVER – The Weaver volleyball team did exactly what it needed to Monday, sweeping through Ohatchee to clinch the Class 3A Area 9 regular-season title, hosting rights to the area tournament and an automatic berth in the regionals for the second year in a row.
The Lady Bearcats beat the Lady Indians 25-17, 25-14, 25-12, which is exactly what they needed to claim the top spot in their three-team area. They got it by two points.
They actually finished tied with Wellborn for first place in the area, splitting with the Lady Panthers and sweeping Ohatchee. Since Weaver and Wellborn beat each other 3-1, the next tiebreaker is total points in their head-to-head meetings, which Weaver won 183-181 thanks to a 13-point win in the clinching game of their second match as logged into the AHSAA’s C2C queue.
“The girls did a good job of executing on the floor,” Weaver coach Casey Maples said. “I really didn’t have to do very much. The seniors really just took ownership of the court and they did a good job of managing themselves out there.
“They came back after they made mistakes and stayed positive the whole time. That shows they’re getting maturity on the floor.”
Mariah Thompson and Rayne Beck had nine and seven kills, respectively, for the Lady Bearcats. Abby Gaines had three kills.
As the top seed in a three-team area, they already have a spot in the regionals. But first they must play the Wellborn-Ohatchee winner for the area tournament title Oct. 24. It’s the same scenario they had last year without the tiebreaker.
The Area 9 runner-up plays the Area 14 winner in its North regional opener Oct. 27 at 11:30 a.m. The Area 9 winner plays the Area 14 runner-up at 12:45 p.m. Area 14 is North Sand Mountain, Pisgah, Plainview and Sylvania.
There wasn’t much drama in the match. The first set was close early, but the Lady Bearcats broke away from a 7-7 tie with six straight points and never led by fewer than three the rest of the set. They put it away with eight straight points and clinched it on a kill by Gaines.
The second set was never close, with the home team jumping out to leads of 9-2 and 15-5. They clinched it with Kylee Jordan’s ace.
But their hopes of the No. 1 would be dashed if they lost just one set and Ohatchee made them work early, but at 8-8 they went on a 9-1 run and closed it out with seven points in a row.
“I think you’re always concerned about close games,” Maples said. “I have a lot of confidence in this group. They know how important it is. They knew the weight of the situation and did a good job of getting it done even though it was a little closer at first.”
Weaver and Ohatchee were also playing Etowah and Spring Garden following this match.
Other scores
Glencoe 2, Wellborn 1 (19-25, 25-10, 15-9)
Jacksonville 2, Glencoe 1 (25-13, 25-9)
Sacred Heart 3, Aniston 0 (25-9, 25-9, 25-13)
No further information has been provided to East Alabama Sports Today
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