Vestavia Hills volleyball team tunes up for area tourney

The Vestavia Hills Lady Rebels volleyball team participated in the prestigious Margaret Blalock Memorial Volleyball Tournament at Homewood.

The Lady Rebels saw their run end in the tournament, losing 25-12, 25-12 to Grissom and 25-12, 25-6 to tournament champion Mountain Brook. They knocked off Pleasant Valley 2-0, Ramsay 2-1 and St. Paul’s 2-1.

Manon Burris, Katie Larson and Kendall Gause played well for Vestavia.

The 20-team Blalock field included top ranked 7A schools Mountain Brook, McGill-Toolen, Hoover, Grissom, Huntsville, top-ranked 6A school John Carroll, and 5A No. 4 Arab, which came into the tournament 31-0.

Mountain Brook stayed undefeated in the tournament and took the championship for the second year in a row by defeating Arab 2-0.

The tournament donates part of the gate proceeds to the Breast Cancer Foundation of Alabama, and participants and fans wear pink in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Lady Rebels were 14-15 overall as they prepared for the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament Oct. 19-20, which was after the Vestavia Voice press date. Mountain Brook faced Hewitt-Trussville and Vestavia Hills squared off with Spain Park. The winners were to meet for the area title, and both the champion and runner-up advance to Super Regional play in Huntsville on Oct. 22-24.

The state championship is at Birmingham’s CrossPlex Oct. 28-29.