Competitive Jags bring A-game in loss

MOUNTAIN BROOK – Once again, the Spain Park High School volleyball team got left at the altar in a brutal area battle as the Jags’ season came to a close Tuesday night with a loss in the opening round of the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament.

Oak Mountain got revenge on Spain Park at Mountain Brook High School, defeating the Jags, 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-18, 28-26), in a match filled with energy and entertainment. Spain Park beat the Eagles last week to force a three-way tie atop the area standings. Mountain Brook was the benefactor of the tiebreaker and earned the right to host the tournament.

Both teams were well-represented in the stands, and each point elicited elation from either side.

“I can’t say enough,” said Spain Park coach Kellye Bowen. “They sold out. That team [Oak Mountain] is a really, really good team. They brought their A-game, we brought ours, they were just better today."

Bowen said it took her team some time to settle into the match with the atmosphere being as intense as it was.

In the first set, the Eagles jumped out to a 12-5 lead, and although Spain Park cut the deficit to a single point, Oak Mountain never lost the lead and won 10 of the last 11 points to win 25-15.

The second set was much of the same, with the Eagles securing a 12-5 edge once again. This time, Marlee Johnson and Paris Morris got hot for Spain Park. The Jags stormed back and went ahead for good with five straight points to go up 22-18. Spain Park held on for the 26-24 win.

In the third, Oak Mountain got the same 12-5 advantage, but extended it instead of allowing Spain Park back in. Several kills from Torie Denkers in the set led the way for the 25-18 Oak Mountain set win.

The final set was a tight affair. Neither team led by more than three points at any stage of the set, and Spain Park staved off two match points before Kendall Scharbert settled things with a pair of kills to send her team to a 28-26 victory.

Spain Park finished the season with a 24-12 record, matching the most wins in Bowen’s four-year tenure. The Jags graduate setter Caroline Horton and Johnson, an outside hitter.

Bowen said, “I can’t say enough about them. They’re two great, unbelievable leaders. They kept the girls focused, they kept us in the ball game. When they’re out there on the floor, I have no worries. It’s a peace of mind. It’s something we’re going to miss.”

Oak Mountain defeated Mountain Brook, 3-1, in the area final.