FULTONDALE—The final rally lingered on for 44 seconds but it ended with a wild shot from Jefferson Christian Academy, as Fultondale captured a 2-0 sweep on Thursday afternoon in front of a student-heavy crowd.

Fultondale head coach Melanie Gearhart spoke highly of two girls following the 25-11, 25-11 win: “My two middles Saleighna [Pryor] and Madison [Carlton] have both done really well this season and our outside hitters are improving every time out. Today, we played the net well.”

It was senior Kayla Travis that put the final touch on the opening set. Following an impressive visit to the service line for Mariah Moore, Travis placed the ball into an opening on the left side, padding her stat line and closing the set at 25-11.

Fultondale, in a 2 p.m. start that attracted much of the school’s student body, bounced right back for another 25-11 win, but Set 2 didn’t start quite as pretty. The visiting Eagles jumped out to an early 4-1 lead as Fultondale limped out of the break.

It would be all Wildcats from there, though. Pryor showed her worth down the stretch, pouring a kill through the middle of the defense and climbing up for a devastating block, which stretched the lead to 23-10.

The final volley went back and fourth for 44 seconds, but Jefferson Christian finally shot a little too strong, sending Fultondale off with a 2-0 win.

For the second year in a row, Gearhart and the Wildcats have earned the right to host the Class 3A, Area 8 Tournament later this month, and she sees this win as a confidence-builder moving forward.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.