HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Several local squads will be in Huntsville this week competing in this year’s North Regional at the Von Braun Center and a few of them were in action on Wednesday. Good Hope, Meek, Addison and Arab all got their North Regional runs started and nearly all of them advanced past the first round with wins. The defending state champion Addison Lady Bulldogs dominated Ragland 3-0, Arab swept Pleasant Grove 3-0 to advance and Meek edged Sumiton Christian in a five-set thriller to stay alive. The Good Hope Lady Raiders dropped their first match of the day to New Hope 3-0, ending their postseason run at the North Regional.
Arab went on to sweep Alexandria (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) later in the afternoon to punch its ticket to the North Regional semifinals and the State Tournament next week in Birmingham. Addison earned a spot in the North Regional semifinals and the State Tournament as well after sweeping Woodville (25-10, 25-7, 25-7). Meek took on Athens Bible in its final match of the day and had to win another thriller in five sets to advance to Thursday’s North Regional semifinal and the State Tournament in Birmingham next week.
Addison 3 – Ragland 0 (25-4, 25-4, 25-14)
The Lady Bulldogs didn’t have much trouble with Ragland in their first match of the day. Addison led the way 6-1 early in the first set and extended that lead to 15-3 as the set went on. The Lady Bulldogs led 19-3 at one point before wrapping a 25-4 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was eerily similar to the first. Addison took a 6-1 lead right out of the gate and stretched its lead to 19-4 late in the set before pulling away to win it 25-4 and claiming a 2-0 lead.
The third set was the tightest between Addison and Ragland, but it was nothing the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t handle. They led 13-5 midway through the set and Ragland was able to cut the lead to 18-11 at one point but the Lady Purple Devils couldn’t get any closer than that and Addison completed the sweep with a 25-14 win in the third set.
Meek 3 – Sumiton Christian 2 (25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-10)
Wednesday’s match between Meek and Sumiton Christian was one of the best of this year’s North Regional so far. Leads were tough to hold on to, but the Lady Tigers finished the fifth and final set strong to secure a 3-2 win over the Lady Eagles.
The first set was knotted at 5 early on but Meek was able to pull ahead and take a 10-7 lead. Sumiton Christian moved back in front 19-18 later in the set but the Lady Tigers put together a 7-1 run to pull away and take the first set from the Lady Eagles 25-20.
Meek led the second set 17-13 at one point but a rally from Sumiton Christian put the Lady Eagles ahead 24-20 late in the set and they held on to take the second set 25-21 and tie that match at 1 apiece.
The Lady Tigers bounced back in the third set. After trailing Sumiton Christian for nearly the entire set, Meek tied things up at 21 late before pulling ahead to win the third set over the Lady Eagles 25-21 and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
With its back against the wall, Sumiton Christian responded in the fourth set, collecting a 25-20 win over the Lady Tigers to force a fifth set. With no room for error in the final set, Meek rose to the occasion. The Lady Tigers took an early, 4-1 lead that later grew to 9-3. The Lady Eagles put some pressure on Meek, trimming the lead to 14-10 at one point but the Lady Tigers were able to get the final point on the board, defeating Sumiton Christian 15-10 and advancing the next round with a 3-2 victory.
New Hope 3 – Good Hope 0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-10)
The Lady Indians jumped out to an early, 8-4 lead over Good Hope in the opening set and they stretched that lead out to 14-3 as the set went on. New Hope maintained a 17-8 advantage midway through the set and led 22-11 at one point before pulling away to take the first set over the Lady Raiders 25-12.
The second set was much tighter for both teams. The score was tied at 3 early on and Good Hope was able to move in front 6-3. New Hope came back to tie it up at 10 but the Lady Raiders regained a 15-13 lead midway through the set. A 6-1 run put the Lady Indians ahead 19-16 at one point and Good Hope answered with a run of its own to tie the set at 21. Unfortunately, the Lady Raiders weren’t able to get any more points on the board and New Hope held on to take the second 25-21.
The Lady Indians built an early, 5-2 advantage in the third set and continued adding to their lead to make it 10-5. New Hope moved ahead 15-6 as the set went on and led Good Hope 18-8 at one point before pulling away to defeat the Lady Raiders 25-10 and completing the sweep.
Arab will take on Alexandria at 3:30, Addison will be back in action against either Woodville or Marion County at 5 and Meek will face Athens Bible at 6:30.
Check back tonight for updates on the rest of Wednesday’s matches.
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