Bucs drop 5-set semifinal match
BIRMINGHAM – The Bucs came up a few points short on Wednesday.
In a back-and-forth five-set affair inside the Birmingham CrossPlex, the Hoover High School volleyball team was outlasted by Bob Jones, 25-21, 11-25, 16-25, 25-17, 10-15, in the Class 7A semifinals.
The loss came in the evening — after the Bucs got past Auburn in four sets (25-15, 18-25, 25-13, 25-8) on Wednesday morning — and denied Hoover a chance to get back to the final for the first time since 2016.
“We were too inconsistent,” Hoover head coach Chris Camper said of the team’s performance on the day. “We had great sets, terrible sets, in-betweens.”
But it was the way Hoover (39-11) responded to a pair of those rough sets that left Camper encouraged with the effort his team showed in the semifinals.
“If you watched us play that third set, you couldn’t have thought they were going to win the fourth game,” he said. “But they flushed it. That right there shows growth.”
Growth has been a point of emphasis all season long for the Bucs, which boasted a mix of experienced upperclassmen and budding talents in the freshman and sophomore ranks. A senior class that has won at a high rate for several years attempted to lead the way for the likes of sophomore Gabrielle Essix, freshman Rya McKinnon and others.
“Our seniors, Caroline Raybon, Bayley Thornton, Amiyah King and Mackenzie Martin, were rock solid all night. They played amazing,” Camper said.
Camper is hopeful that the experienced gained by the younger players will begin to translate on the floor next fall.
“It should be everything,” he said. “It should be something they learn from. They come back here next year and when it gets emotional and the fans are going and everybody’s cheering, they’re like, ‘Come on, bring it.’”
Despite coming up a little short of the ultimate goal, Camper lauded his team for being such an enjoyable group to coach.
He said, “We had a great year and I love that team. What an amazing group of kids that loved each other, loved their coaches and loved to play volleyball. I’m very proud of them.”
Against Bob Jones, both teams went back-and-forth in the first set, before the Bucs pulled away by scoring four of the last six points. The second and third sets belonged to Bob Jones, as the Patriots controlled play and surrendered 27 total points over the two sets. But Hoover rallied and won the fourth set before the decisive fifth.
McKinnon led the team with 22 kills, followed by 8 from Essix and 6 each from Raybon and Thornton. King had 44 assists and 11 digs, while Martin registered 22 digs.
In the Auburn match, Hoover dominated the first, third and fourth sets in the victory. King registered 41 assists, 6 digs and 3 blocks, while McKinnon led the way on offense with 17 kills. She also contributed 5 aces and 4 blocks. Essix tallied 12 kills and 4 blocks.
Click here to view and purchase photos from the Hoover volleyball season.