Bob Jones advances to state; falls to Mountain Brook

Jeneva Salter and Emily Hatcher go for a block against Thompson (Record Photo/Lindsay Vaught)

HUNTSVILLE- Bob Jones accomplished task one today at the North Super Regional AHSAA State Volleyball Championships. They defeated Thompson to punch their ticket to the state tournament next week in Birmingham where they will try to repeat last year’s championship.

Task two did not go as planned as the Patriots fell in four games to Mountain Brook. They later defeated Grissom and will enter the state tournament as a #3 seed.

Thompson had a big front line with three six-footers but Bob Jones used ball movement and a variety of strikers to score in bunches. The game finals were 25-9, 25-19, and 25-17.

Bob Jones Coach April Marsh knew the games would be competitive.

“Our kids came in and did a really good job executing everything we have been working on played well and were intense through out the entire match,” Marsh said.

In other first round action Hoover eliminated Huntsville, Mountain Brook eliminated Hazel Green, and Grissom eliminated Vestavia Hills.

“Our scoring was balanced,” Marsh said. “We moved the ball around and we were setting up our middle hitters and not just our outside hitters.”

Haley Hop led with 12 kills and Alex King had 7. Isabelle Barnes and Jeneva Salter had 5 each. Haley Hop added 7 digs and Erin Shockey had 31 assists. Emily Hatcher also scored with several pooch shots and blocks.

Bob Jones next faced a Mountain Brook team that had beaten them last weekend at the Boddie Tournament. Mountain Brook has been ranked right behind Bob Jones all season.

Playing for seeding, Bob Jones took the first game but Mountain Brook took three close games 25-21, 25-19, and 25-21.

“We are not a big team,” Mountain Brook coach Haven O’Quinn said. “Hoover has the biggest team here. We win on ball control and first contact. We can go head to head with Bob Jones at the net but we win our games in the back court.”

The surprise Mountain Brook win shows that any of the four teams in the North bracket can win the state title.