Bitter loss to Oak Mountain ends Bob Jones season
Alana Cox (14) and Savannah Brown (8) go for the block in action against Oak Mountain (Photo Contributed/ Chris Shimek)
HUNTSVILLE- Bob Jones volleyball Coach April Marsh instincts were right; Oak Mountain was no typical opening round opponent at the North Regional. Her team came close to putting away the Eagles but Alana Cox was called for over the net on the Patriots one and only match point and from there Oak Mountain surged to claim the fourth set and dominated the fifth and deciding set.
“They were a really strong team we knew that coming in, their front line is big and it made it difficult for us,” Marsh said. “We did things uncharacteristic of our team like playing balls behind us, hitting balls out. I liked out chances at state if we could have got by this team. We were close in game 4 but it just didn’t fall our way.”
Oak Mountain jumped out early winning the first set 25-18 behind a tall front line that found openings with slams. Bob Jones tightened the defense, led most of the second set but was pushed to overtime and finally won 27-25. Bob Jones won the third set 25-23 as Patriot hitters led by Emma Jarrett and Cox found their marks as Oak Mountain wore down and lost several easy points with serves into the net.
Bob Jones led 22-20 in the fourth set as Lakyn Shepard served some winners and a Cox slam got the Patriots to 24-23 and set point. But Oak Mountain staved off elimination in a close game 27-25.
Oak Mountain seemed energized and jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth game on blocks. Bob Jones got as close as 12-9 but lost 15-11.
Oak Mountain twin towers of Torie Denkers (25 kills) and Jacoby Sims (22 kills) were too much to overcome.
The three hour match drew a large crowd of fans including student cheering sections from both schools. The action was fast and furious. The players were intense, pouring everything they had on the court.
“Its disappointing. Our kids are disappointed you can see it on their faces. I hate it for them. I’m proud of the kids they fought hard. When you go five games that intense its mentally tough and you have to be in shape and conditioned and our girls are. They will continue to improve and we will be back here I’m confident,” Marsh said.
Bob Jones loses only one senior Layken Shepherd so they should be a force in years to come.
Juanita Monerio-Pai
Freshman defender Juanita Monero-Pai played the entire match and showed why she has become a team leader.
