Lady Tigers win fourth-straight volleyball area title

The Hartselle Lady Tigers won their fourth consecutive area tournament championship Thursday with wins over Decatur and Cullman. 

The win in the championship match was the 1,100th win for long-time head coach Tanya Lybarger-Childers. 

The Lady Tigers opened the area tournament with a 3-0 win (25-9, 25-13, 25-12) over Decatur. The win secured a trip to the North Regional tournament in Huntsville. 

In the championship match, Hartselle defeated Cullman 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 25-17). The win was the third over the Lady Bearcats this year. 

Jadyn Chesser had 34 kills and 22 digs to lead Hartselle. Grace Tapscott finished with 71 assists and 18 digs.  

Lydia Simmons had 16 kills and seven blocks, while Katie Gillott added 13 kills. KJ Jones had 37 digs and 11 kills.  

Meagan Lee had 40 digs, and Alie Wright added 11 kills. Ashley Holshouser had 23 digs. 

With the 71 assists, Tapscott moves into ninth place in the AHSAA record book with 4,333 career assists. She has an excellent chance to move into eighth during the regional tournament. 

Hartselle (34-24) opens the North Regional against Minor at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. The Lady Tigers need to win twice to punch their ticket to the state tournament in Birmingham. 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

The 2021 6A Area 14 All-Tournament Team (l to r)Lydia Simmons, Jadyn Chesser, Megan Lee, Alia Wright, Grace Tapscott, Kaina Thomas, Gracie Barksdale, Haley Shannon, Payton Smith. Enquirer Photo by Russell Frye

The 6A Area 14 All-Tournament team was announced following the championship match. Representing Hartselle were Tapscott, Chesser, Lee, Wright, and Simmons. In addition, Kaina Thomas, Gracie Barksdale, Haley Shannon, and Payton Smith were chosen from Cullman. Joining them were Muscle Shoals’ Maddilyn Willis, AG Hulsey, and Ma’Kiyah Horrison, along with Decatur’s Jayden Stover, Makenly Cowley, and Caroline Coulter.