Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ANDREW WHITE | Staff Writer

JEMISON – The Selma high school volleyball season came to an end in the opening round of the Class 5A Area 5 Tournament in tough 3-0 sweep on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Taking on the top-seeded Panthers, who won the regular season area title, the Saints had an uphill battle, but head coach jasmine Pritchett was proud of her girls despite the loss, highlighting the relationships they’ve built over the years.

“Well, I am very proud of how the season ended,” Pritchett said. “I’ve had a long tenure with these girls, about seven years, so I’ve been able to see them grow and improve.”

The Saints, however, just couldn’t quite find the extra gear needed to take down one of the best teams in the 5A classification.

In the first set, Jemison came out hot, scoring the first eight points, including two aces from Brinely Wadkins.

Selma pulled out one point, but Jemison continued to dominate with a Brooke Putnam kill that she directly followed up with an ace.

The Panthers were able to build a big lead, ultimately winning the opening set 25-5.

It was much of the same in the second set, as the Panthers stormed out of the gate once again and allowed just three points, picking up a 25-3 set victory.

With their season on the line, however, the Panthers were able to gain some traction in the third set and show some fight, thanks in large part to Makiyah Jones getting three kills.

They were able to battle Jemison throughout the set, keeping the score tied at 8-8 before Jemison eventually found the gear that worked well all night to pull away for a  25-13 victory to take the match 3-0 (25-5, 25-3, 25-13).

“We’re just excited to host, first off, and we’re excited to clinch that first regionals spot,” Jemison head coach Melissa Baswell said.

Jemison went on to claim the area tournament with a win over Montevallo later in the night, claiming it for the first time since 2023.