VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY: MA on track with 23rd Area tourney title

Montgomery Academy’s Morgan Springer scores with a kill shot during the Class 6A Area 4 tourney on Wednesday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

It’s something every Montgomery Academy volleyball player remembers, that sickening feeling that accompanied a regional loss to Spanish Fort that ended the Eagles’ 2024 volleyball season.

“It was heartbreaking,” Montgomery Academy junior libero Kaci Armistead recalled. “I remember going into the game, expecting our team to go all the way and it was just a heartbreaking end to the season. We went into that game knowing that whoever won was going to win state. In our minds, that was for the state championship, so we knew if we didn’t make it through, they were going to win state.”

The Toros did, in fact, win the Class 6A state championship last year while the Eagles went back to work, more determined than ever.

“We are really hungry for it,” Armistead said. “I think we’ve worked the hardest this summer that we’ve ever worked. We just want to go back and make it different. We’re playing Saraland (in a potential second-round matchup) and we’re kind of in the same circumstances as we were last year, so we want to come out with a win.”

Montgomery Academy took the first step toward the postseason, defeating Julian in the semifinals 20-5, 20-7 and 20-5, then Stanhope Elmore in the finals, 25-12, 25-12 and 25-8 to win the Class 6A Area 4 tournament championship for the 23rd consecutive year.

Armistead finished with 19 digs, giving her 1,465 career digs, which ties her with Addi Vinson (2021-24) for the most in school history.

“I think it’s a really big honor,” Armistead said. “I played with Addi Vinson and I know how great of a player she is. To be able to tie (the record) and eventually break it is really special, especially to me because I was a teammate of hers. The MA volleyball standard is so high, I just love to be a part of it and be a competitor in it.”

First-year coach Carly Falcione isn’t surprised the third-year starter set the school record, but she is a little surprised it came so quickly. 

“I knew when she hit 1,000 early in the season she’d get it eventually but I did not realize she would get it this quick,” Falcione said. “I figured she might get it at beginning of her senior year but she has just continued to elevate her game and get touches on balls. Obviously, it’s a well deserved honor for her. I’m proud of her and her work ethic.

“She is blessed athletically in certain ways but has earned every honor and every bit of recognition she’s getting now because she’s our extra-rep kid, the first in the gym and the last to leave, things you just can’t coach. She’s such an example to the rest of the girls.” 

Armistead also had an incredible 21 aces in the sweep of Julian and Stanhope Elmore, helping to earn most valuable player honors in the tournament on Wednesday. She was joined on the all-tournament team Morgan Springer and Rehmat Sidhu, along with Stanhope Elmore’s Hayden Bush and Nay Russell.

Springer had 18 kills, seven aces and a block, Bennett Britt had 16 kills, a block, three digs and three aces, E.G. Hines had 11 kills, two digs and three aces and Sidhu had 55 assists and four digs.

And while this Montgomery Academy team continues to maintain its standard -- the Eagles qualified for the South Super Regional for the 14th consecutive year since the format was established in 2012 -- it’s a different type of team that doesn’t have the star power of past teams.

“It’s definitely different this year because we don’t have a lot of seniors,” Armistead noted. “We have one, which is Lucy (Nelson), so the juniors have sort of stepped into the top dog role. We’re really scrappy because we don’t have the height so our big thing is defense and just trying to get all the balls that we can. We don’t have that one big hitter. We kind of disperse (the scoring), we all have a big role because everyone contributes. So it’s kind of cool because we don’t have that one big player we look to.”

The Eagles (39-6) had made seven consecutive trips to the state tournament before last year’s stunning loss to Spanish Fort in the second round of the regional. This year, Montgomery Academy will play the Area 6 runner-up next Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

The second-round winner will earn a trip to the state playoffs. Should Montgomery Academy and Saraland win first-round games next Thursday, they will meet at 5:15 p.m. The players already have the meeting circled, thinking back to last year’s untimely ending.  

“It’s a weekly occurrence,” Falcione said. “Obviously, I was not in their shoes so I don’t know the heartbreak they felt. But I do know the ones that were part of the team last year feel it and have definitely been fueled by it.”

AHSAA VOLLEYBALL AREA TOURNAMENT (River Region teams)
Wednesday’s Results
Area Championship Matches
CLASS 1A
Area 7 Finals
Billingsley (19-6) 3, Maplesville (15-13) 1 (25-19, 25-18, 23-25, 25-13)

CLASS 4A

Area 5 Finals
Prattville Christian (32-11) 3, LAMP (12-13) 0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-8)

CLASS 5A

Area 6 Finals
Montgomery Catholic (27-11) 3, Trinity Presbyterian (13-26) 1 (35-16, 22-25, 27-25, 25-16)

CLASS 6A

Area 3 Finals
Pike Road (30-13) 3, Rehobeth (34-11) 1 (25-20, 25-15, 17-25, 25-19)
Area 4 Finals
Montgomery Academy (39-6) 3, Stanhope Elmore (9-15) 0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-8)