BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Good Hope Lady Raiders were back on the court at the Birmingham Crossplex Wednesday to continue their postseason at this year’s 4A State Tournament. It was Good Hope’s first appearance at the State Volleyball Tournament since 2009 and its first match came against the top-ranked Lady Eagles of Montgomery Academy. The Lady Raiders battled hard, but Montgomery Academy was too much to overcome and Good Hope’s playoff run came to an end in the elite eight.
Montgomery Academy 25 – Good Hope 20 (1st Set)
Both teams started the opening set neck and neck, tied at 6 early in the period. The Lady Eagles were to pull ahead 10-8 and stretched the lead to 14-8 to get some breathing room midway through the set. Montgomery Academy led 19-12 at one point but Good Hope was able to put together a nice scoring run and cut the lead all the way down to 23-20 late in the set. However, the Lady Eagles responded and picked up the final two points to take the first set over the Lady Raiders 25-20.
Montgomery Academy 25 – Good Hope 15 (2nd Set)
Like the first set, the second set was tight early on. Montgomery Academy led 6-4 early but Good Hope was able to come back and tie things up at 7. Unfortunately, the Lady Eagles put together an 11-3 run at the point to pull ahead 18-10 midway through the set. The Lady Raiders managed to trim the lead to 22-13 at one point but Montgomery Academy held on to win the second set 25-15 and take a 2-0 lead over Good Hope in the match.
Montgomery Academy 25 – Good Hope 18 (3rd Set)
The Lady Eagles continued to play well in third set, building an early, 4-1 lead over the Lady Raiders but Good Hope was able to cut the deficit to 9-6 as the set went on. Montgomery Academy maintained a 13-8 advantage midway through the set and stretched its lead to 17-10 as the match continued. The Lady Raiders rallied and trimmed the lead to 22-18 at one point but the Lady Eagles score the last three points to pull away and take the third set 25-18 and advance to the next round of the 4A State Tournament.
Along with their first state tournament appearance in 12 years, the Lady Raiders collected a county championship and an area championship during their stellar 2021 campaign.
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