Morgan varsity, JV victorious against Tuscaloosa Academy
Published 10:01 pm Thursday, August 13, 2015
By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal
Two days after an uninspiring scrimmage performance against county rival Meadowview Christian, Morgan Academy opened volleyball season Thursday with a dominant win over Tuscaloosa Academy.
The Senators soared past the Knights 25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 25-12 to bounce back from the loss to Meadowview, which head coach Caroline Averitt said temporarily affected team morale.
“I wanted them to enjoy it, so I kind of had to get them almost broken from this mold that they were in and what they expected so that we could build something new. I just didn’t expect to do it in two days,” Averitt said while holding back tears.
Averitt tells her players to celebrate even the smallest points so that they can move on from mistakes quickly and stay positive the entire match.
“We stay at the top of our game,” Averitt said. “We keep that heart rate in game-ready mode. We don’t ever let it come down. We stay up from the first serve to the last.”
Morgan needed a comeback to take the opening set. The Senators were down early before team captain Jeni Redd tied the score at eight points apiece with a powerful serve. Morgan faced a 16-12 deficit, but five straight serves from Regan Hewitt gave the Senators a 17-16 lead. Still, the Senators were down 22-21 late and needed some points to take back the lead.
Tindall Albritton, an eighth-grader, gave Morgan’s varsity girls the points they needed at the most important time. Albritton won three straight points off her serve and iced the first set.
The second set went in Tuscaloosa’s favor, although Morgan managed to erase another mid-set deficit. Morgan was down 17-11 and took seven straight points to take a one-point lead. The Senators let go of a late lead in the second set, however, and allowed the Knights to even the match at one set each.
The rest of the match was never really in question. The third set started out close, but Morgan quickly pulled away to a 17-11 lead. Morgan won the third set by seven.
Morgan put an end to the fourth set before it even began. It started out 7-1 in the Senators’ favor and Morgan didn’t look back.
The dominant opening performance was in major part due to the changes players made following Tuesday’s scrimmage.
“We told each other we are going to play as a team from now on and we’re going to beat everybody we play as long as we play together and that’s what we came out here and did today,” Redd said.
Morgan JV Girls Pull Out Thrilling Comeback Win In Third Set
Morgan’s junior varsity girls’ volleyball team sprinted off the court on Thursday, screaming in elation. The Senators are only one match into the season, but they have already proven they can overcome adversity.
The junior varsity Senators (1-0) defeated Tuscaloosa Academy (0-1) in three sets 25-11, 23-25, 17-15. While the first set was a breeze for Morgan Academy, the final two sets weren’t as simple to get through.
Morgan faced a 14-11 deficit in the third and final set with team captain and lone returner Laney Holladay sidelined with a twisted ankle suffered in the second set. Head coach Caroline Averitt gave her team a sideline speech to motivate her team.
“She said to stay humble and to keep fighting until the very last point,” Holladay said.
Down 14-12, Morgan Academy’s Hannah Averitt dove for a ball to keep the Senators alive. They didn’t look back, as they earned their first victory a few points later.
“I was really proud of our girls,” Averitt said. “They stuck together. They made really good passes. Their serves were on. Their sets were up. Their hits were down.”
The first set rolled by smoothly as Morgan’s strong serving overcame Tuscaloosa’s early struggles to serve the ball in play.
However, Morgan was unable to keep the momentum rolling in the second set.
“Our passes were off. Serves were a little off,” Holladay said.
The third set was off to a rocky start as well. Morgan was trailing 12-6 before Mary Vince Lewis won three straight points on her serve to get Morgan back within striking distance.
The entire team was playing in its first real match, but it didn’t look like it late in the third set.
The girls pulled together and celebrated a victory they won’t soon forget.
“For them to play without [Holladay] and for them to still pull it off, I’m just super proud of them,” Averitt said.
Morgan’s junior varsity team will play its next match at Tuscaloosa Academy on Monday at 4 p.m.
The varsity match will follow after the junior varsity match.