Volleyball Roundup: James Clemens, Sparkman and Madison Academy

By Mike Easterling

MADISON – While crosstown rival Bob Jones has charged to a 27-3 record, a No. 1 ranking by Maxpreps and coming off a championship in the Tournament of Champions in Guntersville, James Clemens has been lurking around the .500 mark for most of Megan Aldridge’s first season as head coach.

Meanwhile, neighboring Sparkman is also under the direction of a new coach and retooling under veteran Rose Powell and is trying to find solid ground. Just across the city limits in Huntsville the sledding has also been tough for Madison Academy, which has just two seniors, while playing a schedule heavy on larger programs.

But the three latter four squads have something in common with Bob Jones – all have no losses in area competition. The Lady Patriots, the Class 7A state runner-up the past two seasons, obviously look to be the choice among the four to make a deep postseason run. The others, however, still have hope as area play cranks up.

Bob Jones, James Clemens, Sparkman, Austin and Florence are grouped in 7A, Area 7. Madison Academy is in 4A, Area 15 along with Randolph, St. John Paul II and West Limestone.

The Lady Patriots have defeated both Sparkman and James Clemens in previous matches by identical straight set wins of 2-0. Those victories, however, did not count toward the area standings.

Here’s a deeper look at the the Lady Jets, Lady Senators and Lady Mustangs:

• James Clemens (10-11 overall, 0-0 in 7A, Area 7)

The Lady Jets’ 2024 ride has been of the roller coaster variety under Aldridge, who joined the program from Danville. James Clemens lost three matches to start the season, eventually won four straight to improve to 7-6 and won its final match against Model (Georgia) to pull one game closer to reaching .500 again.

Among the players leading the attack for the Lady Jets have been seniors Maja Sullivan (outside hitter) and Kaitlin Cardinale (middle blocker), junior libero Emani Green and freshman Julia Celani (outside hitter).

This week’s schedule has James Clemens hosting Florence in an Area 7 meeting Tuesday (Sept. 10), and another area match at home against Sparkman in a tri-match that includes non-area opponent Cullman. Future Area 7 matches include at Austin (Sept. 17) and at home against Bob Jones (Sept. 24).

• Sparkman (6-11 overall, 0-0 7A, Area 7)

The Lady Senators turned to Powell, the former Olympic silver medalist (1984) as a player whose coaching stops include Lee High School, Martin Methodist and Alabama A&M and who also founded Rocket City Volleyball Club.

Sparkman’s season has taken an upturn recently after losing nine straight culminating in the loss to Bob Jones following a win over Madison Academy to start 2024. The Lady Senators then won four straight – a streak that included a victory over Grissom – and won its last outing over Athens.

This week’s schedule has Sparkman at Madison County on Tuesday (Sept. 10) before the Lady Senators jump into its area schedule Thursday (Sept. 12) at James Clemens in a tri-match that includes Cullman. The Lady Senators then take a break from area action until next month when they play at Florence (Oct. 1), at Bob Jones (Oct. 3) and at home against Austin (Oct. 8).

• Madison Academy (7-10 overall, 2-0 in 4A, Area 15)

The Lady Mustangs’ losses have come to 7A schools Oak Mountain, James Clemens and Sparkman (twice) and 6A members Hazel Green and Hartselle (twice). They’ve taken an early lead in the area race by defeating both St. John Paul II and West Limestone last week.

This week’s schedule has another area clash at home Tuesday (Sept. 10) against Randolph in a tri-match with non-league foe Brewer. Thursday (Sept. 12), the team travels to Brooks for a tri-match that includes West Morgan.

Future league matches for Madison Academy are at West Limestone (Sept. 24), at Randolph (Sept. 26) and at home against St. John Paul II (Oct. 8).

Stat leaders for the Lady Mustangs include senior Sydney Privett (84 kills, 184 digs, 280 receptions, 22 aces, 0.200 hitting percentage), freshman setter Sarah Bacon (204 assists), sophomore middle blocker Bekah Mouser (13 blocks) and junior outside hitter Isabelle Sutton (2.3 kills per set).