Pair of sweeps lift Bucs to state final
The Hoover High School volleyball team has been here before, but this time, the Bucs are hoping for a different ending.
Hoover (39-14) steamrolled through two dominant sweeps on Wednesday in the Class 7A AHSAA State Volleyball Championships, downing Enterprise and Huntsville in straight sets.
The match against Huntsville was thought to be an evenly-matched contest, but Hoover made sure it ended quickly, playing one of its best matches of the season to win a 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 decision, and advance to the state final.
“It means an unbelievable amount. I can’t even put it into words,” said senior libero Olivia Portera. “This is such a special team and we knew – not only with our talent, but how close we are – we were so close. We knew we could do it.”
Right side player Kyra Hunter was phenomenal, displaying a sense of power that was unstoppable for much of the afternoon. She tied for a team high with 11 kills, and added six blocks and six digs.
“I just wanted to win. That’s it,” Hunter said.
Nora Webster showed great versatility, finishing with 11 kills as well and showing an ability to hit the ball from all points of the court with aggression. Setter Grace Harris continues to grow more comfortable with her role, after stepping in for an injured Spencer Downs two weeks ago.
“She’s done really well,” Hunter said of Harris. “She’s stepped into that setter role really fast and she’s adjusted really well. She had some big shoes to fill.”
Paige Shaw finished with nine kills and eight digs. Portera added a team-high 13 digs.
The Bucs last reached the state final in 2014, and will face the same opponent as on that day; Mountain Brook. The teams have faced off four times previously this seasons, with the Spartans taking three of them.
The state final is set to take place at 2 p.m. Thursday at Bill Harris Arena, adjacent to the CrossPlex.
Mountain Brook knocked off McGill-Toolen in four sets to set up the state championship matchups between local rivals.
Hoover took care of business in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A AHSAA State Volleyball Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Wednesday morning, downing Enterprise in a sweep; 25-15, 25-22, 25-6.
“The biggest thing is you’ve got to get past the environment,” said head coach Chris Camper. “You’ve got to be handle the crowd and with everybody watching. It took us about five or six points, but we got in a rhythm, and our best set was the third set.”
In the Enterprise match, Shaw led the way with 13 kills, followed by nine from Hunter and seven from Webster. Webster finished with seven digs, while Shaw had five. Hunter finished with three blocks.
Harris registered 32 assists in the match.
Camper said, “It’s the Final Four. There are no bad teams left. We’re going to have to play better. The girls know that. We just shook the rust off and now we got to go play.”