'Perfect' ending: Jags sweep McGill, win state title
BIRMINGHAM – Audrey Rothman vowed to herself things would be different next time.
After falling to Hoover in the Class 7A final last fall, Rothman and her Spain Park High School teammates walked off the floor at Bill Harris Arena knowing they had lost to a great team, but disappointed in their own showing.
In the heartbreak of the moment, Rothman walked up to coach Kellye Bowen and delivered a succinct, yet powerful, statement.
“Hey, I’m winning this next year,” player told coach.
From that moment, the team worked toward getting back to that stage, on that floor, with a second chance.
The Jaguars got that opportunity on Thursday, and they earned redemption.
Spain Park put a bow on a dream season with a 3-0 win over McGill-Toolen in the state championship match, earning the program’s first state title and validating the belief of many that it was the best team in Alabama all season.
“They said it’s our year to win and they were determined from that moment on, from offseason to summer and in August and September. They had one vision and they played like it for four months. I couldn’t be more proud,” Bowen said following the match.
Over the last five years, Rothman put together a varsity career that will wrap up as one of the best in state history. She capped it off with 24 punishing kills and 12 digs in the final and was named the state tournament MVP.
While she may command much of the spotlight, far be it from the Florida State commit to handle herself as anything less than the ultimate teammate.
That was none more evident than late in the second set, with Spain Park backed up against the wall. With the set tied 22-22, Rothman chased down a ball headed for press row. Instead of conceding the point, Rothman lunged over the table and not only made contact, but saved the ball back into a position for Spain Park to ultimately win the point.
“It’s our standard,” Rothman said. “There’s nothing going through your mind other than it’s your responsibility to your team [to go after that ball].”
The Jags went on to a 25-23 win in that second set following a 26-24 victory in the first. McGill-Toolen led much of the third set, but that did not deter the Jags. They stormed back to win 25-23 and sweep the match.
“We’ve had some special groups and this group is really gritty and they played with a lot of guts,” Bowen said.
In the final, Lilly Johnson racked up 22 assists and 12 digs in a scrappy effort, while Bella Halyard had 10 assists and 7 digs. Libero Brooklyn Allison finished with 14 digs and 7 assists. Emily Breazeale, a strong offensive option, tallied 11 kills to go along with 7 digs.
Spain Park (47-4) lost just one set in the postseason and proved its mental toughness on Thursday by winning each set by just two points.
“We practice that every day,” Bowen said. “We practice being down, we practice facing adversity, how to overcome adversity. Practice prevailed today.”
The season was not without its challenges. An injury to Halyard early in the season forced a couple other players to step into bigger roles, but it forced the Jags to grow together as a team.
“Everyone knows their role and nobody has a problem with their role,” Allison said.
Following the match, Breazeale and Rothman laid out the three characteristics the Jags live by throughout the year: grit, dominance and relentless energy.
Breazeale added another word to that list as well.
“We really showed that we love each other,” she said.
Halyard, Paige Ingersoll, Rothman, Brooke Gober and Olivia Myers capped off their high school careers by helping bring the program its first title and the first in Bowen’s coaching career as well.
“I’m not shocked, but it’s this feeling of we did what we set out to do,” Bowen said. “I knew if they played their best, nobody could beat them.”
The Jags reached the final with a pair of wins Wednesday. They took care of business in its first match, knocking off Enterprise in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-21). They then left little doubt in the semifinals, cruising to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-19) win over Sparkman.
Spain Park notched many big wins throughout the season, including winning its own HeffStrong Tournament. The Jags won the Area 6 regular season and tournament titles, and came out on top last week in the North Regional.
At the regional, Spain Park beat Hoover 3-1 in the opening round. The following day, the Jags beat Grissom 3-0 and defeated Thompson 3-0 to earn the top seed from the North.
A special season could not have ended in a more fitting way. On championship point, Allison knew where she was going with the ball, setting a perfect ball to the outside of the court, where Rothman put the hammer down one last time in a Jags uniform.
She made good on her word.
“Perfect,” Bowen said.