Elite Eight encore

By Staff
Lady Tigers advance to state tournament for 2nd straight year; Lady Hawks for 3rd straight
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
Winning has become contagious for the Hartselle and Danville volleyball programs. Each team advanced to the Elite Eight for at least the second straight season following sub-state victories Oct. 25.
Hartselle is making its second trip to Pelham while Danville has reached the state tournament in each of the last three seasons.
Hartselle defeats Gardendale 3-2
The Lady Tigers outlasted Gardendale in a best-of-five match at Bragg Middle School in Gardendale, with Hartselle becoming just one of two Class 5A Elite Eight participants to advance to the state tournament after winning a sub-state match on the road. Spanish Fort (which defeated John Carroll) is the other.
Hartselle, which was ranked No. 3 coming out of Region D, won the opening game against Gardendale, the No. 2 team from Region C, and the teams then alternated victories the rest of the way. The Lady Tigers eventually ended on top with a 25-23, 33-35, 25-20, 15-25, 15-10 victory.
"That was probably the best match my team has played all year," Hartselle coach Tanya Lybarger said. "They didn't get discouraged after the second game and they played together as a team all night long. It was just a tremendous match and both teams played their hearts out; it was a shame one team had to lose because Gardendale played really hard as well."
Chandler Orr led the team with 21 kills in the victory and added 11 digs, three blocks and one ace. Cerra Little finished with a match-high 44 assists and added seven digs and one ace. Shauna Clemons was the team leader with 24 digs and added an ace while Emily Roden led with two aces and added 12 digs.
Dana Lacey led the Lady Tigers with six blocks and added 18 kills and an ace. Corey Livingston had 16 kills and one block; Candice Light had 11 digs; Alex Holmes had 17 digs, eight kills and two blocks; Kaitlin Faulkner had eight kills and three digs; and Mallory Jones finished with two kills and two blocks.
Hartselle (43-23) opened the state tournament with a match against St. Paul's Oct. 31 at 9:30 a.m. The Class 5A championship match is today at 9 a.m.
Danville defeats
Geraldine 3-1
Hosting a sub-state match at Danville Middle School, the Lady Hawks drew a tough opponent in Geraldine, the No. 3 seed from Region C. Geraldine was an Elite Eight qualifier in 2006 and came into the match with a record of 53-13.
The Lady Hawks, the No. 2 team from Region D, eventually took the match by the score of 25-20, 25-21, 16-25, 25-23.
"(Geraldine) had a real strong team," Danville coach Holly Little said. "They had probably the best middle that we've seen all season and a really good setter. We were able to get some momentum in the first two games by playing big at the net – we blocked a lot of their shots early and that got us going in the right direction.
"We just played with incredible intensity the entire match."
Danville senior Alaina Fitzgerald led the team with 20 kills, 16 assists, five blocks and five aces. Lacey Evans was the leader with 37 digs.
Lindsay Simmons added 14 kills, four blocks and four aces. Kirby Wallace finished with four aces and Kimberly Lindsey had 16 assists to tie Fitzgerald for the team lead.
This return trip for Danville was especially sweet because the Lady Hawks entered the 2007 season with considerably less hype than in previous years. Following the loss of four seniors from the 2006 team, including Lauren Simmons and Bethany Evans who are currently freshman contributors on Wallace State's team, Danville was widely expected to take a step backwards this year.
But the Lady Hawks did not let outsiders' lower expectations prevent the 2007 team from making its own mark on the program.
"It's not hard to motivate these girls," Little said. "They've seen friends and older sisters who have made it in the past and it was their goal to do it this year as well. It's been an up-and-down season but they really pulled it together at the end. We've got some great senior leadership and the younger girls have really stepped up their game."
Danville opened Elite Eight play against Montevallo at 2 p.m. on Oct. 31. The Class 3A championship match is today at 4:30 p.m.