Jags reach 2nd straight final

BIRMINGHAM – The Jaguars are back in the final.

After making the first state championship appearance in program history last fall, the Spain Park High School volleyball team is headed there for the second straight season.

The Jags won two matches Wednesday in the Class 7A state tournament, blowing past Enterprise and Sparkman, to earn a bid to the final. 

The championship match will be at noon Thursday at Bill Harris Arena, adjacent to the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Jags will play McGill-Toolen in the final, as the Dirty Dozen outlasted Thompson in five sets in the semifinal round.

Last fall in the final, Spain Park fell to crosstown rival Hoover, which put together an historic season and won 50 matches in a row en route to its title.

Spain Park (46-4) took care of business in its first match Wednesday, knocking off Enterprise in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-21). Audrey Rothman led the offensive charge, registering 25 kills in a typical dominant performance.

Emily Breazeale added 8 kills and Bella Halyard tallied five. Lilly Johnson and Halyard directed the offense well, accumulating 18 and 14 assists, respectively. Defensively, Brooklyn Allison piled up 12 digs, with Rothman adding 9, Halyard finishing with 3 and Johnson and Breazeale each having 2. Breazeale also chipped in 4 aces.

Spain Park left little doubt in the semifinals, cruising to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-19) win over Sparkman. 

Rothman earned another 19 kills, with Breazeale adding 12 of her own. Johnson tallied 18 assists and Halyard finished with 13. Allison and Breazeale both racked up 12 digs, as Rothman added 5, Halyard notched 4 and Johnson tallied 3. Rothman and Halyard also put forth a pair of aces.