By james art Ohatchee fell to powerhouse Mobile Christian in the 3A title match, but soaked in the experience of the Indians’ first appearance in a state volleyball final.
Pairing
STATE TOURNAMENT
CLASS 4A
Tuesday, Oct. 29
Birmingham CrossPlex
Alexandria def. Strawn, 3-0
Orange Beach beat Central-Florence, 3-0
Prattville Christian defeated Cherokee County, 3-0
Madison County beat St. Michael’s, 3-0
Semifinals
Alexandria def. Orange Beach, 3-0
Prattville Christian 3, Madison County 2
Wednesday, Oct. 30
championship
Bill Harris Arena
Prattville Christian defeated Alexandria, 3-1
CLASS 3A
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Birmingham CrossPlex
Ohatchee def. TR Miller, 3-1
St. Luke’s beat Lauderdale County, 3-1
Mobile Christian def. Geraldine, 3-0
Donoho def. Alabama Christian, 3-0
Semifinals
Ohatchee def. St. Luke’s, 3-2
Mobile Christian def. Donohoe, 3-0
Thursday, October 31
championship
Bill Harris Arena
Mobile Christian def. Ohachi, 3-0
CLASS 2A
Tuesday, Oct. 29
Birmingham CrossPlex
Pleasant Valley def. Horseshoe Bend, 3-0
Mars Hill Bible def. Tuscaloosa Academy, 3-0
Winston County beat GW Long, 3-1
Lindsey Lane defeated Washington County, 3–0
Semifinals
Pleasant Valley def. Mars Hill Bible, 3-2
Lindsay Lane defeated Winston County, 3-1
Wednesday, Oct. 30
championship
Bill Harris Arena
Pleasant Valley def. Lindsay Lane, 3-1
CLASS 1A
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Birmingham CrossPlex
Spring Garden beat Millry, 3-0
Ider def. Kinston, 3-0
University Charter def. Faith Christian, 3-0
Addison defeated Brantley, 3-0
Semifinals
Spring Garden beat Ider, 3-0
University Charter def. Addison, 3-0
Thursday, October 31
championship
Bill Harris Arena
Spring Garden beat University Charter, 3-0
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
BIRMINGHAM — Rebecca Hughes coached Ohatchee to the Elite Eight twice, to the state final once and to competitiveness in Calhoun County’s stacked high school volleyball scene.
She played in a state championship game as a catcher for Sachs softball in 2012.
Watching her last Ohatchee team play in its first state final Thursday, she saw what made her last team special.
“I’ve never been part of a team that had so much love for each other and so much commitment to each other,” she said. “It made a huge difference throughout the season.
“They had each other’s backs, on and off the court. When you have that, sometimes you’re almost unstoppable.
The Indians fought back and led for most of the third set, but fell to powerhouse Mobile Christian in Thursday’s Class 3A final at Bill Harris Arena, 19-25, 17-25 and 18-25.
The loss marked the end of a historic season that saw Ohatchee (41-10) advance to the state title game.
Attacker Rebecca Henderson finished with a team-high 11 hits and joined libero Savannah Reeves on the all-tournament team. Reaves had 19 digs.
The Indians reached the title game by defeating TR Miller and St. Luke’s in Wednesday’s quarterfinal and semifinal games. They rallied from a 1-2 hole to force a five-set thriller against St. Luke’s.
Ohatchee made an impression on Mobile Christian coach Mallory Boyington, who saw part of the St. Luke.
“They’re a great team,” she said. “They didn’t back down. …
“Yesterday we had to sit and watch the later part of the match St. Luke’s-Ohatchee and they fought hard. We knew going into this game that they weren’t going to just roll over. They were going to make us work for it and that they were going to be able to put the ball away. They did that, especially in that third set.
As expected, Mobile Christian picked up the win.
Ohatchee got the experience of playing in Bill Harris Arena, where the finals are played. The quarterfinals and semifinals are played across the building, at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
They lined up on their side of the net for a pregame introduction.
After the game, Hughes accepted the runner-up red trophy and the Indians posed for a team photo with him against the AHSAA backdrop.
Hughes, Henderson and Reaves experienced an official post-match press conference, a step up from the normal post-match interviews held on the field after previous games.
“This is brand new for our program to get this far,” Henderson said. “We already made history, just making it to the state championship.”
Reeves called it “a really big thing for us and the community.”
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
