Hoover downs Rebels in area match

VESTAVIA HILLS – The Hoover High School volleyball team notched a solid Class 7A, Area 5 win over Vestavia Hills on Tuesday night at Braasch-Hatchett Court.

The Bucs won the match in four sets (25-16, 25-16, 21-25, 25-18) to grab the win in their first area match. The Rebels are now 1-1 in area play, after a win against Tuscaloosa County last week.

“We played well, not great,” said Hoover head coach Chris Camper. “I thought (Vestavia) had more energy tonight.”

With the crowd on its side, Vestavia Hills did not make things easy on Hoover, including a particularly dominant start to the fourth set. But the Rebels were unable to match that level play for the duration.

“We can play with, if not beat, anybody,” said Vestavia coach Mandy Burgess. “It’s about us putting it together, eliminating unforced errors. Against a team like that, you really have to work to get them out of system.”

Hoover, the winner of Area 5 last fall, rolled through the first two sets. After playing to a 7-7 tie to begin the match, the Bucs ripped off six straight points to take control of the set, and won it 25-16 on Brayden Williams’ block.

The second set followed much of the same script, as Hoover jumped out to a 19-11 lead after a tight beginning to the set. Vestavia Hills tried to stem the tide by calling a timeout, but Hoover also won that set by an identical 25-16 line.

However, in the third set, the Rebels turned it on, blazing out to a 17-7 lead. Hoover tightened the score line and made it interesting at the end, but the Rebels still held on to win it 25-21, as Hannah Vines registered a kill from the middle of the court. Vines finished the evening with 15 kills. Grace Belcher was second on the team with seven kills.

Even though Burgess would have liked to see the Rebels be more assertive with the lead, she was pleased with the hot start in the third.

“We were just making it happen,” she said. “It’s contagious. Just like errors are contagious, the good is contagious.”

The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair early on, with Hoover taking an 11-9 edge, but the Bucs won 14 of the final 23 points to win the set, 25-18, and take the match.

“We know we can play with any team,” Burgess said. “Our girls have to put that into action. I don’t doubt that we believe it. I know we believe it, but we can’t be tense when we go out there.”

Mary Quinn Carter led the Rebels with 11 digs on the night, with Ainsley Schultz chipping in seven digs.

Camper pointed to instances within the last week where Hoover has played with great energy, and times that the energy level has not been at its peak. He hopes that level will become more consistent as the season wears on.

“To be in the Final Four, Elite Eight, any of our goals, to win a championship, you can’t ebb and flow with your energy,” Camper said.

For Hoover, Paige Shaw finished with 19 kills and 15 digs. Caroline Raybon had eight kills, and Savannah Gibbs wrapped up her evening with 27 digs.

Vestavia Hills will host a tri-match against Clay-Chalkville and Guntersville on Thursday. Burgess said that a key area match such as Tuesday night’s helps bring to light things that the team needs to adjust or work on, but she likes the willingness of her team to continue to work each day.

Burgess said, “I feel like we’re a cohesive group. They love being around each other. They love being at volleyball. They want practice to go longer. They eat, sleep and breathe it. They’re ready to work.”

The Bucs head to Thompson on Wednesday night, as the Bucs will look for a 2-0 start in area play.

Camper said, “I like where we are. I think we’ve gotten better every single day. Tomorrow night against Thompson, it’ll be a tough match. They’re a really good team. We’ve got to come out and play more consistently than we did tonight.”