BIRMINGHAM — Try as they might, Abbie Chambless and the rest of Addison’s volleyball team couldn’t find cause for celebration following Thursday’s Class 1A state championship match against Meek.

Sure, the top-ranked Lady Bulldogs (51-8) cherished the historical moment — a 26-28, 25-19, 25-19, 25-19 win versus the No. 2 Lady Tigers (46-17) for their fifth consecutive state crown and 10th in program history — but the pressing emotion afterward wasn’t rooted in happiness, excitement or accomplishment.

According to Chambless, the reasoning was simple enough.

“I’m very, very, very relieved,” said the senior, who was named tournament MVP for the second consecutive year. “Because if we had lost, we wouldn’t have ever heard the end of it. Ever. We had to win. Had to. I was just so proud that we did, and we didn’t go five sets with them. Because I was about to die (laughs).”

Meek outplayed Addison, which wrapped up the season 7-0 versus its top rival, during a back-and-forth first set to claim an early 1-0 advantage in Birmingham.

Coach Kayla Woodard’s squad finally found some much-needed rhythm in the second set, parlaying an 8-0 run into an eventual victory to tie things up at 1-1.

The Lady Bulldogs, who downed Meek for Winston County, Area 12 and North Super Regional Tournament titles early this season, found themselves in yet a another hairy situation in the third set.

However, they earned the final six points to turn a 19-19 scenario into positive momentum and a coveted 2-1 lead heading into the final set.

Just like their coach drew it up … in a way.

“We practice pressure situations, and they hate it,” Woodard said. “But that helps. I felt like we weren’t sticking to the gameplan we knew worked early. I thought we were frazzled at times. They go at it with so much heart, though. They won’t ever get down. I told them to focus on one point at a time. We calmed down, and that basically let us say, ‘Hey, we’ve done this six times.’ Meek was strong today, but we didn’t have our best appearance, either. It wasn’t easy. Once we lost that set early, we knew we couldn’t play around anymore.”

Addison certainly took those words to heart, amassing a sizable 14-4 advantage in the fourth set en route to needing just two points to put away its opponent one more time this season.

But Meek didn’t go away. The Lady Bulldogs scored six straight points, which forced Woodard to do something she rarely does on the court.

Use a timeout.

“I don’t like to call them,” she said. “Maybe I’m a hoarder of timeouts. I just like for them to work through it on their own. They usually do well with it. But I called it. It seemed like we were stressing and not playing. I told them to take a deep breath and go get two more points. When we did, it was such a relief. It just felt like that took an hour to accomplish.”

And while Addison didn’t polish off the triumph with raucous celebration reserved for such an occasion, it didn’t mean any less for the seven seniors who’ve put up incredible numbers for an even more impressive program.

Chambless, known for her role as a superb leader, couldn’t stop the tears. Gracie Herald, Cecilee Gaither, Allie Chambless, Brianna Chandler, McKenzie Berry and Kendra Tyree all dealt with their emotions in different ways.

“It really hit me that this was my last match,” Chambless said. “I love playing with these girls. And I’ll never get to play with them ever again. I don’t play basketball or softball. I just run track. So this is it for me. I’m glad we went out on top.”

Abbie Chambless saved her best for last, netting 20 kills, 12 digs and one block. Other solid contributors were Manley (nine kills, five blocks and one ace), Berry (six kills and two digs); Allie Chambless (five kills, five digs and one block); Tess Alves (five digs, three assists and one ace), Gaither (21 assists, seven digs and two aces): Natalie Jefferson (16 assists, two blocks and one kill); Kendra Tyree (21 digs, two aces and two aces), Brie Ory (nine digs, one ace and one assist), and Destiny Walker (nine digs, one ace and one assist). Macey Butler, Herald and Chandler also played important roles over the course of the season.

Tyree and Gaither joined Abbie Chambless on the All-Tournament Team.

“It’s historical,” Woodard said. “It’s sweet for them to go out on top. But that’s really our expectation. They’ve worked hard to get to this point. I’m definitely proud of them for winning another one.”

Added Gaither: “It was just another game. No need to be nervous … yeah.”