Apparently Kayla Scott is the fairest one of them all — and on Thursday night, so was the rest of her Good Hope volleyball team.

The recent fair queen turned in an MVP performance, and the Raiders staved off a stingy Cold Springs squad not once, but twice, to claim this year’s Cullman County Tournament Championship.

The Red and White needed three sets (23-25, 25-14, 15-8) to take down the Eagles the first time and two (25-21, 25-15) to do the same in the second. Cold Springs brought the score to 17-15 in the final frame of the title match before Good Hope reeled off eight straight points — capped off by a perfect tip from Katelyn Bishop — to seal the deal and send its faithful fanbase into a frenzy.

Scott could only describe the winning moment as “pure elation.”

“We were excited. We were getting pumped the whole game, and that final play just topped it off,” she said with a mile-wide smile. “The whole team’s been waiting a long time for this. We’ve been working hard and staying dedicated in practice, doing what we were supposed to do — and it paid off.”

Scott’s MVP honors weren’t much of a surprise considering the scintillating stats — 24 kills and 13 pass assists — she put up all night. The senior sensation would be the first to point out it took each and every girl on the roster to pull it all together, though, which is exactly how the Raiders roped in their first county title since 2011.

From Kaylee Maddox (13 kills, 10 sets, seven aces and three blocks) to Bishop (14 kills, three blocks and three pass assists) to Alannah Henke (10 blocks, eight kills and seven pass assists) to Hannah Smith (30 sets, four pass assists, one kill and one ace) to Sierra Kinser (10 pass assists, four blocks, three kills and three aces) and others, the Raiders put together a rough and tough two days of volleyball that ultimately couldn’t be beat.

Bishop joined Scott on the All-County Team.

The county championship was either Rosemary Brown’s 16th or 17th. The longtime Good Hope coach wasn’t entirely sure which one was right Thursday evening, but she was certainly sure of just how proud she was of her group of girls.

“It took the whole team to win,” Brown said. “You’ve got to have that pass and set before she (Scott) can have that hit, but she nailed it when she got it.”

Cold Springs had no reason to feel down following the final result. After their first loss to the Raiders, the Eagles charged back into the championship match with a tight, two-set (25-23, 25-21) victory over Holly Pond and then gave Good Hope all it could handle in the title bout.

Coach Cantrice Voce was pretty positive the county championship appearance was Cold Springs’ first in school history. 

“I could not be more proud of these group of girls, who together have become so strong over the year. They’re family,” she said. “I’m proud of them, proud of their effort and proud of how they represented the school tonight.”

Brittany Hopkins showcased her strength in all three of the Eagles’ matches, wrapping up the night with a whopping 30 kills, five assists, three tips and two aces. Karlee Perdue followed up a solid Day 1 with 33 assists, eight kills, five aces, two blocks and one tip on Thursday. Christian Wilson pitched in eight kills and two tips during the first Good Hope match, Kelsey Hester had 14 assists and two digs against Holly Pond, and Hanna Harbison was good for two tips, two blocks and one assist in the championship.

Hopkins, Perdue and Harbison were all named to the All-County Team.

Holly Pond fought off Fairview in a back-and-forth consolation match that needed three sets (25-13, 20-25, 15-11) to be decided before eventually falling to Cold Springs.

Seniors Taylor Rowell and Natasha Holcombe were hitting machines for the Broncos with respective kill totals of 23 and 13. Kristen Sparks was also key to the Green and White’s third-place finish with 33 assists.

Rowell and Holcombe represented Holly Pond on the All-County Team.

Fairview led 9-4 in the third set against the Broncos before the Green and White regained their footing and stormed to the comeback. Carli Jo Ashley led the Aggies with eight aces and five kills, while other contributors included Melody Manasco, nine assists, two kills and one block; Abbi Yeager, 10 digs; Kylee Yancy, eight digs; Kennedy Trimble, seven assists; Dalys Mullican, four kills; and Taylor Edge, two blocks.

Manasco and Trimble both earned spots on the All-County Team, which was rounded out by West Point’s Madison Rusk and Taylor Vest, as well as Vinemont’s Allison Fowler.

% Rob Ketcham can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 138 or at robk@cullmantimes.com.