Bob Jones headed to state tournament, James Clemens and Sparkman eliminated
Erin Shockey (5) and Emily Hatcher (13) block a shot against Hoover in the North Super Regional Saturady
(PHOTO CONTRIBUTED/DENNIS VICTORY)
HUNTSVILLE- The cross-town rivalry turned into a rout Saturday afternoon as Bob Jones swept James Clemens in a match to advance to the state volleyball tournament in Birmingham next week.
The scores were 25-10, 25-15, and 25-20.
In the same round, Sparkman was eliminated by Mountain Brook 3-1. Also advancing was Huntsville and Hoover.
Bob Jones dominated at the net led by Jeneva Salter who got the Patriots off to a fast start with 5 kills in the first game. For the match she had 11 kills. Close behind was Alexis Howell with nine kills, four aces and 11 digs. Erin Shockey had 30 assists and two blocks.
Bob Jones played with a deadly efficiency keeping rallies short and setting up the hitters. Coach April Marsh kept the pressure on by keeping her front line fresh with hitters. Isabelle Barnes returned to action and made an immediate impact. When James Clemens briefly rallied in the third game Salter went to work and finished with a spike.
Howell, the only senior, said the team wanted to start and finish strong.
“I wasn’t surprised because we had our minds set that we were going to play our hardest and get back to state. We wanted to build a big lead and not leave any possibility of them coming back.”
Howell remembers the disappointment of losing to McGill-Toolen in the Elite Eight at the championships last year.
“It feels good to get back but we want to accomplish something bigger this time.”
Bob Jones had a size advantage and coach April Marsh said her game plan was to cover James Clemens outside hitters. The blockers kept the Jets hitters on the second line and limited their kills.
“Offensively we moved the ball quickly and our hitters swung really well. Jeneva was swinging really well and when she does that the whole team rallies behind her. Alexis was swinging really well also,” Marsh said.
Meanwhile, Hoover and Grissom battled it out in an elimination match. Hoover took the match in five games as both teams had match points to win.
Bob Jones later played Hoover for seeding at the state tournament.
The Patriots prevailed but not before being forced to five games. Bob Jones led 2-1 and had two set points in the fourth game but Hoover fought back. Alexis Howell got the final point on a kill after Rachel Shockey saved the ball with a dig.
With their seeding in the top two Marsh said that the Patriots are well positioned for a run at the title.
“We have a lot of the same kids back from last year and now they have a lot more experience. Our kids are confident going down to state and they always step up at crunch time. I think we will be there in the end,” Marsh said.
Bob Jones last won a volleyball title in 2008. Since then Huntsville has won four in a row.
