MAYOR'S CUP VOLLEYBALL: Annual tourney set this weekend with smaller field
Coach Jada Coleman and the Montgomery Academy volleyball team open the annual Mayor’s Cup tourney against Marbury on Friday at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
The annual Mayor’s Cup returns to Montgomery this weekend, but it will be a smaller volleyball tournament due to scheduling conflicts and the new landscape of high school sports separating private schools and public schools.
“I think the Mayor’s Cup is a great opportunity,” said Montgomery Academy coach Jada Coleman, whose team is the host for the event. “We still have some good teams coming and we’ll get to face some good competition. Everyone will be in a bracket that’s competitive for them. It’s a great weekend to get a lot of touches, see a lot of teams and just work on our craft.”
The tournament has been an annual fixture in early September but city officials neglected to hold the annual date open for the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl, so the tournament was forced to change to a date later in the month, creating a scheduling conflict for some Birmingham-area volleyball teams.
In addition, many of the state’s top public school programs would participate in the Mayor’s Cup for an opportunity to play against some of the state’s top private schools, but the new classification format introduced by the Alabama High School Athletic Association in January -- which separates private schools and public schools in postseason competition -- has led public schools to seek other scheduling opportunities.
“It’s just that they don’t want to come any more,” Coleman said, “(saying that) we’re not going to have to see any of these teams in the postseason. A lot of schools used it as an opportunity to look at other teams they may see in the postseason. Now that that’s not going to happen, teams are like they’ll skip it.”
When the original date for the tournament wasn’t available, then-Montgomery Academy coach Carly Falcione looked at playing in other venues, but eventually settled on the next available weekend date in the Multiplex. She resigned from her position in May, leaving Coleman to find the teams to fill the brackets.
“Carly had already said it would just be on a different weekend, so all I had to do is get the teams and see who wanted to come,” Coleman said. “With the split between the private schools and the public schools, it’s been more challenging. We still have some good teams, but a lot of the Birmingham schools are going to a tournament that’s up there.
“It’s made it a little more challenging, but I’ve been telling the girls, we’re going to do well with whoever we play. The Mayor’s Cup will be a little smaller than it has in the past, but each game is an opportunity -- no matter how many teams there are -- to work on your craft and correct things we need to correct. So I’m just grateful the Mayor’s Cup is still a tournament and we get to host it.”
Most of the 13 participating teams are local, with none of the participants from either the Mobile or Birmingham areas. In addition, two local teams that generally participate are missing as both Catholic and Alabama Christian had scheduling conflicts.
Next year, Coleman hopes to put the tournament back on the schedule in early September.
With fewer teams participating, there are fewer teams eliminated before bracket play, giving more teams an opportunity to advance to gold bracket play that includes the top six teams in pool play or silver bracket play, which includes teams seven through 12.
Despite the smaller field, it remains one of the top tournaments in central Alabama.
“I’m really excited about that tournament because it’s always a fun one,” said Montgomery Academy senior Bennett Britt. “Of course, since we’re not competing with more of the public schools this year, it’s a little different makeup but it’s always fun to get to play in Montgomery and get to host good competition there. It always ends up being competitive.”
MAYOR’S CUP VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Friday-Saturday. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl
FRIDAY
Montgomery Academy vs. Marbury, 4 p.m.
Pike Road vs. Prattville, 4 p.m.
Prattville Christian vs. Stanhope Elmore, 4 p.m.
Marbury vs. Brew Tech, 5 p.m.
Houston Academy vs. St. James, 5 p.m.
Prattville Christian vs. Booker T. Washington, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Marbury vs. Chilton County, 8:30 a.m.
St. James vs. Pike Road, 8:30 a.m.
Booker T. Washington vs. Northside, 8:30 a.m.
Brew Tech vs. Montgomery Academy, 9:30 a.m.
Prattville vs. Houston Academy, 9:30 a.m.
Stanhope Elmore vs. Booker T. Washington, 9:30 a.m.
Montgomery Academy vs. Chilton County, 10:30 a.m.
Pike Road vs. Houston Academy, 10:30 a.m.
Northside vs. Prattville Christian, 10:30 a.m.
Chilton County vs. Brew Tech, 11:30 a.m.
St. James vs. Prattville, 11:30 a.m.
The two two teams in each pool advance to Gold Bracket play
GOLD BRACKET
Quarterfinals, 1 p.m.
Semifinals, 3 p.m.
Finals, 4 p.m.
The third and fourth-place teams advance to Silver Bracket play
SILVER BRACKET
Quarterfinals, 1 p.m.
Semifinals, 3 p.m.
Finals, 4 p.m.