Tough finish, bright future for Bucs volleyball

The end of a season always marks the close of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. 

The 2017 chapter of the Hoover High School volleyball team featured highs and lows, like any other season, but in the end, the Bucs fought their way back to the state tournament once again.

They got there in large part due to seniors Paige Shaw, Jamie Gregg, Savannah Gibbs, Brayden Williams and Anna Marie Auchmuty. They helped make the state tournament a familiar setting for the Bucs.

“It’s just an incredibly accomplished group,” Hoover coach Chris Camper said of the seniors. “In those four years, we’ve been to the finals twice — the Elite Eight all four — and that’s an amazing accomplishment.”

While those stalwarts depart, Hoover was also able to get a glimpse of the future throughout the year with the emergence of several younger players.

“I started an eighth-grader in the middle. I mean, we’re young. Rya McKinnon is in eighth grade. We have put a lot of young people out here in a position where they can contribute for the next few years,” Camper said.

That mix of young and old put together a 17-match winning streak in the middle of the season that Camper said was the “greatest I’ve ever had.” The Bucs parlayed that momentum into a Class 7A, Area 5 tournament title and a fourth-place finish at the North Super Regional. 

The Bucs got a tough draw in the state tournament Nov. 1, but they put up a fight against McGill-Toolen in the Class 7A state quarterfinal.

Inside the Birmingham CrossPlex, the Bucs twice battled back from early deficits. But it wasn’t enough in the end. Hoover (31-10) saw its season come to a close with a 3-0 (22-25, 20-25, 20-25) loss to the state’s top-ranked team and eventual state champion.

“I’m incredibly proud of how they played all year, and I’m proud of how they played today,” Camper said. “This wasn’t an effort deal. We played hard; we hustled. They made more plays than we did.”

McGill-Toolen created leads of 7-3 and 15-6 in the opening set. Nevertheless, the Bucs dug in their heels. Thanks largely to Shaw’s powerful kills and Gregg’s accurate sets, Hoover went on a 14-5 run and tied it at 20-20. The Bucs couldn’t close it out, however, as McGill-Toolen took five of the final seven points.

The second set followed a nearly identical blueprint to the first, though Hoover started faster initially. The teams were tied at 5-5 before McGill-Toolen found its groove. Hoover trailed 18-10 midway through the set and couldn’t claw its way back.

The Bucs had a better chance in the third set after opening a 12-6 edge, but McGill-Toolen rallied and tied it at 17-17. The teams then traded points to push the score to 18-18 and 19-19.

McGill-Toolen closed the match on a 6-1 run. 

Shaw led the Bucs with 16 kills, while Gregg contributed 24 assists and 12 digs. Gibbs recorded a team-high 13 digs, and Williams had a team-high three blocks.