HOLLY POND, Ala. – Holly Pond was the site of the Class 2A, Area 12 tournament this year and after Cold Springs fell just short in a five-set battle with Southeastern, the Lady Broncos swept Cleveland and Southeastern to take home this year’s area championship.
Southeastern 3 – Cold Springs 2 (Game One)
Cold Springs got off to a 5-2 lead in the first set, but a huge run by the Lady Mustangs gave them an 8-5 lead. They later made it 11-7, but points by Malaya Taylor and Ciara Calvert, and three straight aces from Ella Bruer helped the Lady Eagles get the lead right back at 13-12. Southeastern held an 18-15 lead late in the set, but a kill by Ellanora Slusser tied things up at 20. The Lady Mustangs held a slim 22-21 lead, but Cold Springs got the final four points of the set, including back-to-back aces from Bruer to end it, as they ended up taking it 25-22.
A point each by Mary Warden and Cheyenne Bishop, plus an ace from Warden, gave Cold Springs an early 5-4 lead in the second set. An ace from Kaley Barger helped the Lady Eagles push their lead to 10-7, but Southeastern came back to take a 12-10 lead. The Lady Mustangs later held a slim 17-14 lead. Another ace from Warden tied it up at 17, but Southeastern broke the tie with a 4-1 run as that gave them a 21-18 lead. A point by Taylor made it a 21-19 game, but Cold Springs wouldn’t get any closer after that, as they ended up dropping the second set 25-21.
The third set was close early on, but a little run by Southeastern gave them a 9-5 lead. A kill by Calvert cut it to 11-10, but another run by the Lady Mustangs helped push their lead to 17-11. They later held a 20-14 lead, but Cold Springs went on a run to get back in the game, as they cut it to 21-19. Later on, back-to-back aces from Bruer gave Cold Springs a 23-22 lead, but Southeastern scored the final three points to take the third set 25-23.
Cold Springs got off to a strong start in the fourth set, getting off to a 4-0 lead behind an ace from Calvert and a kill by Slusser. They later pushed their lead to 7-2, but Southeastern came back to tie it up at seven. The Lady Eagles scored the next eight points, including a pair of aces from Cloe Shelton, and a kill by Calvert, to take a 15-7 lead. They later widened their lead to 19-10 on an ace from Calvert. The Lady Mustangs, though, went on a late run to cut it to 23-20, but Calvert finished off the set with a kill to help Cold Springs win the fourth set 25-20.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth and deciding set behind a kill by Warden and a point by Bishop, and later held a 7-5 lead on a point by Calvert. Cold Springs pushed their lead to 10-6, but the Lady Mustangs went on a 5-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. Cold Springs took a 13-12 lead late in the set, but unfortunately, for them and the rest of the Cold Springs faithful, Southeastern scored the final three points to take the final set 15-13.
Holly Pond 3 – Cleveland 0 (Game Two)
Holly Pond got off to a fast start in their opening set against Cleveland, jumping out to a quick 5-1 lead. Cleveland cut it to 7-4, but a big run by the Lady Broncos quickly broke things wide open. A trio of aces in a row by Maycie Black widened Holly Pond’s lead to 11-4, and later on, Ellie Burks followed that up with four aces of her own; Ava Thomas and Blakely Baggett each chipped in with two points and a kill, respectively, as the Lady Broncos pushed their lead to 23-6. The Lady Panthers later trimmed it to 23-11, but Holly Pond collected the final point to take the first set 25-13.
A pair of points by Black and a kill by Gracie Armstrong helped Holly Pond jump out to a 6-2 lead. Cleveland quickly cut it to 6-5, but the Lady Broncos went on a 9-1 run, which included aces from Black and Burks, and points by Thomas and Baggett, to widen their lead to 14-6. Holly Pond made it 19-9 later on in the set, and later, made it 22-12 on another ace from Black. Thomas finished the set off for the Lady Broncos with a point, as the Lady Broncos ended up taking the second set 25-13.
Behind a kill by Thomas and back-to-back aces from Kamryn Tankersley, Holly Pond got off to a quick 7-2 lead. They later made it 11-5 on an ace from Burks, and later on, a kill by Emma Earl, followed by an ace from Thomas, made it 14-7. Cleveland cut it to 14-9, but back-to-back points by Tankersley, and an ace from Kaylee Rohrscheib, helped increase the Lady Bronco lead to 17-9. A point by Black made it 20-10, and later on, Baggett collected a kill to push their lead to 24-12. Black finished off the set and sweep of the Lady Panthers with an ace, as Holly Pond took the third set, 25-12, to move on to the championship game.
Holly Pond 3 – Southeastern 0 (Area Championship Game)
Holly Pond got off to another fast start, this time, against Southeastern, as aces from Rohrscheib and Earl, and a kill by Tankersley, gave them an early 7-1 lead. The Lady Broncos continued to add onto their lead, as back-to-back aces from Black, and a point by Burks, made it a 13-4 game. Southeastern, though, went on a little run to cut it to 14-9, but a pair of points, plus a kill, by Baggett, helped Holly Pond push their lead to 19-9. The Lady Mustangs trimmed it to 19-12, but Holly Pond finished the set really strong, as a kill by Black finished off the 25-13 win for the Lady Broncos.
An ace from Rohrscheib gave Holly Pond an early 3-1 lead in the second set, but Southeastern would go on a little run to take a 4-3 lead. The Lady Mustangs later pushed their lead to 10-7, but the Lady Broncos reeled off six straight points, which included a pair of aces from Burks, and kills by Thomas and Baggett, to take a 13-10 lead. An ace from Thomas pushed their lead to 15-11 and later held a 16-12 lead, but Southeastern came back to tie it up at 17. Kills by Tankersley, Baggett, and Thomas helped Holly Pond take a 22-19 lead. The Lady Mustangs tied it up at 23, but a kill by Earl and the set-winning point by Baggett gave Holly Pond the 25-23 win in the second set.
Holly Pond couldn’t have asked for a better start to the third set, as a trio of kills by Tankersley and three aces from Rohrscheib, gave them a 10-0 lead. An ace from Morgan Bartlett kept the lead at 10 for the Lady Broncos at 12-2, and later on, an ace from Black pushed their lead to 18-5. Back-to-back points by Baggett, plus a kill and a point by Thomas, gave Holly Pond a 22-6 lead. Back-to-back aces from Burks made it 24-6, and the game-winning kill by Earl helped the Lady Broncos win the third set, 25-6, as they won yet another area championship.
Emma Earl, Kamryn Tankersley, and Maycie Black won both All-Area in the team and tournament category for Holly Pond, while Mary Warden and Ella Bruer won All-Area in the team category, while Kaley Barger and Ciara Calvert took home All-Area in the tournament category for Cold Springs.
Holly Pond will play next Wednesday morning in Huntsville against the Area 10 runner-up, Donoho.
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