HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Vinemont, Fairview and West Point were all in the field at the North Regional Tournament Thursday and the Lady Warriors earned themselves an opportunity to play in next week’s state tournament. West Point defeated Madison Academy 3-1 in the opening round of the North Regional Thursday, securing a spot in the 5A state tournament in Birmingham. Unfortunately for Eagles fans, Vinemont’s season came to a close Thursday morning after the Lady Eagles fell to Fyffe in the opening round. Fairview on the other hand, had the most exciting opening round of arguably anyone in the tournament. The Lady Aggies fell behind early in a tiebreaker set with Lawrence County only to storm all the way back and win it to clinch a spot in the 5A state tournament next week.
Fairview 3 – Lawrence County 2 (21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-12, 15-10)
Fairview and Lawrence County battled it out in the opening round and the Lady Red Devils struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Lady Aggies got in front 10-7 at one point but Lawrence County rallied to tie things up at 15 and then 19 before pulling away to win it 25-21.
Fairview was able to bounce back in the second set. Both teams were tied at 14 midway through the set until the Lady Aggies put together a scoring run to go ahead 17-14. Lawrence County trimmed the lead to 23-20 at one point but it was too little, too late and Fairview held on to win the second set 25-22.
The third set was even closer than the first two. The score was tied most of the way with neither able to create more than a 1 or 2-point lead until the Lady Red Devils managed to slide in front 22-19 late in the set. Fairview wasn’t able to respond this time and Lawrence County went on to take the second set 25-20
The fourth set was all Fairview right out of the gate. The Lady Aggies jumped out to an 8-3 lead early and began to put Lawrence County away. Fairview built a 13-3 lead that grew to 20-6 at one point and despite a late run from the Lady Red Devils, the Lady Aggies were victorious in the fourth set 25-12, forcing a pressure-packed tiebreaker set.
The fifth and final set was one Aggie fans will remember for a long time. Fairview fell behind 7-0 to Lawrence County but the Lady Aggies maintained their composure and began chipping away. Before long, Fairview had tied things up at 8 but the Lady Aggies weren’t finished. The huge wave of momentum continued and after falling behind 7-0, Fairview outscored the Lady Red Devils 15-3 the rest of the way to come from behind and secure a spot in next week’s state tournament.
West Point 3 – Madison Academy 1 (25-17, 25-17, 18-25, 25-12)
West Point got off to a slow start in its opening set against Madison Academy, but the Lady Warriors found their footing about midway through the set and began to create separation from the Lady Mustangs. After being tied at 6 early, West Point used a 6-0 run to pull ahead 12-6. The Lady Warriors stretched the lead to 19-11 later in the set and held off a late run from Madison Academy to take the first set 25-17.
West Point was dominant in the second set. The Lady Warriors built a 3-0 lead right out of the gate and continued to pile on until they were up 15-5. West Point maintained a 21-11 advantage late in the set and cruised the rest of the way to collect a 25-17 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Lady Mustangs bounced back in the third set. Madison Academy took a 6-2 lead early in the set and led the way 15-12 near the midway point. The Lady Warriors wouldn’t let the Lady Mustangs pull away, but they couldn’t overcome the early lead either and dropped the third set 25-18.
West Point didn’t mess around with a state tournament appearance on the line in the fourth set. The Lady Warriors got on top 9-3 over Madison Academy early and kept the Lady Mustangs at arm’s length throughout the set. West Point moved ahead 16-8 and pulled away to defeat Madison Academy 25-12, punching its ticket to next week’s state tournament in Birmingham.
Fyffe 3 – Vinemont 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-13)
The Lady Eagles had their hands full with Fyffe in the opening round Thursday morning.The Lady Red Devils took an early 8-3 lead and stretched it to 13-6 midway through the set. Fyffe continued to pull ahead 17-8 and Vinemont couldn’t catch up with the lady Red Devils, dropping the first set 25-11.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the second set, but it wouldn’t last as Fyffe began to climb back and eventually took a 15-13 lead midway through the set. The Lady RedDevils maintained an 18-14 advantage and moved in front 20-15 before pulling away to take the second set 25-19, putting Vinemont behind 2-0.
Fyffe put things away in the third set, quickly building a 10-2 lead that grew to 15-2. The Lady Eagles bounced back and chipped away at the lead to make it 18-10 but the early lead was too much to overcome and Vinemont fell 25-13, completing the sweep and eliminating the Lady Eagles from postseason contention.
Both Fairview and West Point will play again Thursday at the North Regional. Check back later for an update on the Lady Aggies and Lady Warriors.
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