State volleyball
- Updated: October 27, 2026
Spring Garden advances, but reclassification continues to bite area teams hard in postseason as Faith Christian, Donoho fall.
By East Alabama Sports Today
BIRMINGHAM — Reclassification has bitten area volleyball teams hard in postseason.
Private Class A Faith Christian fell to 2025 Class 3A state champion Mobile Christian 4-1 in Tuesday’s state tournament action at Birmingham CrossPlex, and Private A Donoho fell 3-0 to Montgomery Academy, which competed in Class 3A a year ago.
Last week, Class 4A Alexandria lost to 2025 Class 5A state champion Guntersville in their North Super Regional opener. Class 3A Glencoe lost to Plainview, which moved down from 4A, and three-time defending 2A state champion Pleasant Valley fell to top-ranked Fyffe, which moved down from 3A starting with the current school year.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced an historic reclassification in January, separating private and public schools for championship play and eliminating Class 7A. More than 200 schools statewide moved down in classification.
On a happier note, Class 1A Spring Garden opened state-tourney play with a 3-1 victory over Maplesville and will play defending state champion Addison in a 6 p.m. semifinal.
Spring Garden won 25-14, 16-25, 25-16, 25-23. Aubrey Kelley led the Panthers (30-19) with 14 kills and 17 digs, Addie Word had 13 kills, three blocks and three digs, Kylie Bates had seven kills and Gracie Simpson had nine digs and three aces.
This story will be updated.
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