Hartselle wins area, advances to Super-Regional
Hartselle is two wins away from its ninth consecutive trip to the AHSAA Elite Eight in Birmingham after winning the Class 5A, Area 15 tournament, sweeping rivals Decatur and Austin Tuesday night at home.
The Lady Tigers (32-22) did it in dominating fashion. They were weren’t challenged in the 25-16, 25-7, 25-13 win over Decatur.
Austin, who along with Hartselle advanced to the Class 6A North Super Regional beginning Friday at the Von Braun Center, also couldn’t keep the match close, as Hartselle cruised to a 25-13, 25-20, 25-17 win.
Senior Jordan Barbrey was excited not only with advancing to the super regional, but also the way she and her teammates did it.
“It was great to win all three games against both Austin and Decatur today,” Barbrey said. “I think we really stepped up and played great. I think we are starting to play our best of the season. It’s a really good feeling.”
Barbrey was named to the all-tournament team along with teammates Kayla Key, Megan Zuck and Bailey Powell. Barbrey finished with 20 assists and 16 digs while Zuck had 10 kills, 12 digs, 3 blocks and 2 aces.
Powell racked up 15 digs, 6 kills, an assist, an ace and a block followed by Key who had 8 kills and 2 blocks. Gabrielle Bili also finished with 16 assists and 6 digs.
Libero Hannah Warren added 18 digs, an assist and a rare kill. Madelyn Cheatham and Katy Beth Bole added 5 kills each while Claire Forsythe and Jordan Finn had 2 kills each.
Against Decatur, Powell had 8 kills followed by Zuck with 7 kills and 4 aces, Bole with 5 kills, Cheatham and Key with 3 kills each and Forsythe with 2 kills. Bili added 14 assists and 6 aces while Barbrey had 12 assists. Warren led the team in digs with 7.
This year’s team featured many new faces in leadership roles, but Barbrey said they have come together and are expecting to make another run at the state championship.
“While we haven’t been playing together that long, we work really well with each other,” Barbrey said.